White Fish With Lemon Butter Sauce

This White Fish with Lemon Butter Sauce is one of the most delicious yet simple ways to enjoy fish for dinner.

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By Amy Dong

4/26/2024Updated: 4/26/2024

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Why This Recipe Stands Out

This White Fish with Lemon Butter Sauce is one of our favorite 30-minute meals for busy weeknights. Here’s why this recipe works:

Feel Great About Serving It: White fish is packed with protein and relatively low in fat. Serve this dish with a fresh veggie side, and you’ve got a scrumptious and nutritious meal!
Not Fishy At All: If you’ve got picky eaters in your house, you may just convert them with this recipe. White fish is super flaky and mild in flavor—not at all fishy.
Tender and Flavorful: We infuse this fish with bold flavors—fresh lemons, butter, white wine, fresh parsley, and minced garlic.
Quick and Easy: From beginning to end, this meal comes together in just 25 minutes and it couldn’t be easier to make!

Which Fish Are White Fish?

Unlike varieties of fish like tuna and salmon, white fish have white flesh, are lower in fat, tend to flake easily, and have a very mild flavor. Common white fish include halibut, cod, sea bass, flounder, and sole. Some of our favorite white fish recipes include are seared halibut, cod with lemon butter, this easy barramundi recipe, and mahi mahi.

What Is The Best Tasting White Fish?

The best kind of white fish will depend on your personal preference and what dish you’re using it for. But in general, cod, grouper, and halibut are all great options if you want a sturdy, flaky, thick, and mild fillet. For a thinner fillet, we like using haddock or flounder.

In this recipe, we recommend using cod, halibut, or mahi-mahi. The important thing here is to make sure your fillets are at least 1-inch thick.

Is White Fish Healthy?

White fish is just about as healthy as it gets when it comes to protein sources, which is why we love recipes like this Lemon Butter Cod. Not only are white fish rich in protein and low in fat, they’re also packed with essential nutrients like magnesium, vitamin B12, selenium, and potassium. To get all these health benefits, we recommend choosing wild-caught over farm-raised fillets.

Key Recipe Ingredients

(Courtesy of Amy Dong) — Courtesy of Amy Dong

White Fish—Look for fillets that are at least 1″ thick and around 6-8 oz. each. We love cod, halibut, and mahi-mahi for this recipe.
Salted Butter—Salted butter infuses this fish with moisture and flavor.
Aromatics—Fresh minced garlic and shallots bring sweet, spicy, and pungent flavors to this dish.
Dry White Wine—White wine works together with the lemon juice to provide acidity that helps bring out the flavors of the fish and helps with tenderness.
Lemon—Both lemon juice and zest bring fresh, vibrant flavors that balance the richness of butter.
Fresh Parsley—A little sprinkle of fresh chopped parsley goes a long way in adding a burst of color and sharp, earthy flavor to white fish.

Substitutions and Variations

Take a look at some of our favorite variations for this White Fish with Lemon Butter Sauce:

Shrimp: For an even quicker dinner, try using the sauce in this recipe on shrimp. Check out our recipe for 10-Minute Garlic Shrimp for tips and tricks on how to cook shrimp.
Herbs: If you’re making this recipe on repeat and want to switch up the flavors a bit, try tweaking the herbs you use. Instead of parsley, sprinkle fresh basil, dill, cilantro, rosemary, or sage on your fish.
Toppings: We love topping any white fish recipe with this vibrant, flavorful mango salsa from this Pan Seared Mahi-Mahi Recipe. We also think this Fresh Corn Salsa would make an amazing topping for white fish.

Step-By-Step Recipe Instructions

Let fish drain in colander at room temperature for 30 minutes.
Cook butter, shallots, and garlic in a large frying pan on medium heat for 2 minutes.
Add wine and lemon juice and bring to a boil. Let boil until sauce thickens. Stir in parsley and lemon zest. Season with pinches of salt and pepper to taste. Keep warm.
Pat dry fillets with paper towels and sprinkle with salt and pepper – don’t skip this very important step, as it helps ensure fish will brown vs. steam in the pan.
Heat olive oil over medium heat in large, nonstick frying pan. Arrange 2 fillets in the pan and cook with lid ajar to allow steam to escape. Cook for 3-4 minutes.
Flip and cook other side for 3-4 min. Repeat with other 2 fillets.
Plate the fillets and pour lemon butter sauce on top. Enjoy!

How To Prep Ahead

We have a few tricks for making white fish even quicker. Check them out:

Make the Sauce: The lemon butter sauce in this recipe can actually be made up to 4 days in advance. Just let it cool completely before storing it in an airtight container in the fridge. Warm it on the stovetop or in the microwave when you’re ready to eat.
Thaw the Fish: If you’re using flash frozen fillets for this recipe, make sure to take them out in advance so they have enough time to thaw. We like transferring our fillets from the freezer to the fridge 2 nights before.
Cook the Fish: Cooked white fish will stay fresh for 3 days in the fridge. So, feel free to make the dish in advance for an easy prep-ahead dinner. Store the fish and sauce separately for best results.

What to Serve With White Fish

Rice and Potatoes

We love serving this fish over rice, especially when we’re in a time crunch. Check out our favorite recipes for Instant Pot Jasmine Rice and Instant Pot Brown Rice.
On nights when you have more cooking time, try serving this Wild Rice Pilaf with white fish.
For a stick-to-your-bones potato side to this dish, check out our recipe for Instant Pot Baby Potatoes.

Vegetables

This fresh Strawberry Salad with Asparagus goes amazingly with White Fish with Lemon Butter Sauce.
If you’re making this healthy meal in the summer, take advantage of the warm weather and make this Grilled Zucchini.
Kale Brussel Sprouts Salad with Honey Mustard Dressing is an irresistible, crunchy veggie side for any fish recipe.

Desserts

For a cool, refreshing finish to this meal, try making this Easy Egg-Free Vanilla Ice Cream or this Green Tea Ice Cream.
If you have extra lemons left over, you should definitely try these Lemon Bars with Shortbread Crust.

White Fish With Lemon Butter Sauce

Prep Time: 10 minutes mins Cook Time: 15 minutes mins Total Time: 25 minutes mins Servings: 4 servings

Ingredients

4 fillets firm white fish, at least 1 inch thickness, approx 6-8 oz each
3 TB salted butter
2 whole shallots, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
⅔ cup dry white wine
2 TB fresh lemon juice
1 TB fresh parsley, chopped
grated zest of 1 lemon
3 TB olive oil
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

Let fish sit in a colander at room temp for at least 30 minutes to drain any liquids and reach a moderate room temp.
Meanwhile, make the sauce: Heat butter, shallots, and garlic in a large frying pan and cook on medium heat, stirring often, about 2 minutes. Add wine and lemon juice and bring to a boil. Boil until sauce thickens slightly, 2-3 minutes. Stir in parsley and lemon zest. Season with pinches of salt and pepper to taste. Cover and keep warm.
Using paper towels, pat dry the fillets to remove as much moisture as you can. Sprinkle a light layer of kosher salt and black pepper over both sides of each fillet.
In a large nonstick frying pan over medium heat, add 3 TB olive oil. Arrange 2 fillets in the pan and cook with lid ajar to allow steam to escape. Cook about 3-4 min or until bottoms of fillets are browned.
Flip carefully and brown other side 3-4 min. You want the fish just cooked, but not over-cooked. Repeat with other 2 fillets.
Plate the fish fillets and pour warm sauce over them. Serve immediately.

Notes

Keep in mind that if your fish is less than 1-inch thick, you’ll need to adjust for less cook time.
It’s best to cook white fish in batches; otherwise, the fish will be crowded and end up more steamed than browned.
For a full, healthy meal, serve White Fish with Lemon Butter Sauce over Instant Pot Jasmine Rice with Strawberry Asparagus Salad.

If you enjoyed this recipe, please come back and give it a rating. We ❤️ hearing from you!