This Baked Fish recipe comes with a Lemon Cream Sauce and is made in ONE baking dish! Yup, just throw it all in one pan, bake it, and you end up with a tender juicy fish in a creamy lemon sauce. The the juices of the fish mingles in with the sauce while it’s baking, as if made from the best fish stock!
This is a reader-favourite recipe included by popular demand in my debut cookbook “Dinner”!
Baked Fish
If the idea of baked fish conjures up the words pale, colourless and bland, then this one’s going to be a game changer for you!!
It’s an effortless 15 minute recipe one pan recipe where fish is baked with a creamy lemon sauce. It’s the sort of recipe you can make no matter how hectic your household is, or on a lazy Sunday night because it’s this easy:
Mix butter, cream, garlic, mustard and lemon;
Pour over fish; and
Bake – no flipping required.
And out comes this – tender baked fish fillets with a beautiful lemon cream sauce that’s perfect with fish!
This recipe will work for most fish, but is especially great for white fish fillets
When you bake fish, you just can’t get colour on it like you can with pan frying, and this means loss of flavour. So I like to either have a flavoured crumb, like I do for my other Emergency Fish recipe, Parmesan Crusted Fish (10 minutes, no messy dredging!) or a Sauce.
The Lemon Cream Sauce for Fish
This recipe really is all about that Lemon Cream Sauce for fish which is made in the same pan while the fish is baking. It’s a simple sauce which actually tastes pretty unimpressive when you first mix it up.
But once it’s baked and the fish juices mix in with it, it transforms into an incredible sauce. It’s basically like making a sauce with real homemade fish stock – just like fine dining restaurants do!
What this tastes like
The recipe name implies that the sauce is rich but actually, it is not! I describe it as kind of light and fresh, yet a bit creamy. You will be thankful there is a decent amount of sauce because it’s perfect for mopping up with bread or spooning over mashed potato!
What you need
Not very much!
White Fish fillet – any fairly flat white fish fillet is fine here, about 2 cm/ 4/5 ” thick or less. Any thicker, and the fish will take longer to bake which will thicken the sauce too much so you’ll need to thin it with a splash of water.
Escallot/French onion – those small onions, they’re more delicate than normal onions so they work well in a quick fish recipe like this. Use the white part of green onions as a sub, or really finely minced normal onion.
Dijon Mustard – sauce thickener. Can sub with other non seedy mustards.
Garlic – goes in almost everything in my world!
Cream – use heavy / thickened cream if you can, to help with sauce consistency. Low cal sub – evaporated milk. It’s not quite the same, but I’ve been known to use it when I’m trying to be “healthier” 😂
Butter – there is no substitute! 😂
Lemon – lime would work in an emergency situation. Sub: 1/3 cup white wine simmered to reduce to 2 tbsp, use in place of lemon in recipe.
Really QUICK Baked Fish Fillets
I say this is a quick recipe – and I mean it. It takes longer to heat up the oven than it does to prepare this recipe! Watch the video and see!
Dinner on the table in just 15 minutes. Tender, juicy fish with a creamy lemon sauce. A really fantastic way to make baked fish – it’s so, so good! – Nagi x
Try these on the side:
Everyday Cabbage Salad, big juicy Greek Salad
Fresh Garden Salad with Balsamic Dressing, French Dressing or Italian Dressing
Potatoes au Gratin, Easy Creamy Potato Casserole or Mini Potato Gratin Stacks
And more fish recipes:
Watch how to make it
This recipe features in my debut cookbook Dinner. The book is mostly new recipes, but this is a reader favourite included by popular demand!
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Baked Fish with Lemon Cream Sauce (One Baking Dish!)
Ingredients
- 4 x 150- 180g / 5 – 6 oz fish fillets , about 1.5cm / 1/2″ thick, skinless and boneless (Note 1)
- 50g / 4 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup cream, heavy / thickened (See Note 2 for sub options)
- 1 – 2 garlic cloves , minced
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
- Salt & pepper
- 1 1/2 tbsp eschallots (French onion) , finely chopped (Note 3)
- Fresh parsley and lemon slices , to serve
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 200°C / 390°F (all oven types).
- Place fish in a baking dish – ensure the fish isn’t crammed in too snugly. See video or photos in post. Sprinkle both sides of fish with salt and pepper.
- Place butter, cream, garlic, mustard, lemon juice, salt and pepper in a microwave proof jug or bowl. Microwave in 2 x 30 sec bursts, stirring in between, until melted and smooth.
- Sprinkle fish with shallots, then pour over sauce.
- Bake for 10 – 12 minutes, or until fish is just cooked. Remove from oven and transfer fish to serving plates. Spoon over sauce, and garnish with parsley and lemon wedges if using.
Recipe Notes:
- salmon (too fatty, sauce splits)
- very thin delicate fish like flounder, Dover Sole
- small whole fish like sardines or mackerel
Nutrition Information:
Originally published October 2016, updated with much needed new photos, brand new video and updated writing. No change to recipe, it’s a firm reader fave that I wouldn’t dare change!
Life of Dozer
Yesterday was a day of experimenting with slow cooked curries. So there was plenty of downtime spent doing THIS!
And from when I originally published this recipe in October 2016:
From a little camping trip last weekend – getting smashed in the waves at beautiful Jimmy’s Beach, NSW Australia. He’s a sucker for punishment, that one. I really have to keep an eye on him to make sure he doesn’t get swept away by a rip!!
Overall good recipe and provides a method conducive to family dinners and gatherings. I have one culinary dilemma, the raw garlic, it very prominent and not the typical sautéd garlic flavor. When I make it again I’m going to bake the fish to 75% w/ oil butter shallot but make the cream sauce separately sautéing the garlic in butter and adding cream mustard then reduce and add to fish
Beautiful recipe, prepared exactly as the recipe was written, absolutely perfect 👌
Will definitely be on rotation, thank you Nagi xx
Absolutely yummy dinner! Definitely be making it again!
This is one of the most delicious recipes I’ve ever cooked, it’s hard to believe that SOOOO much flavour can come from so few ingredients, and a total prep and cook time of 15 minutes!
My 3 year old absolutely loved it too. Ate it with rice and a side salad. Will definitely be adding this to the rotation!
Made this twice and made the following changes after observation. I made as written but found the Dijon too strong and overpowering. Also the shallots slid off the fish after pouring the sauce over. Because of the amount of Dijon, the lemon flavor was gone when combined with the other ingredients. Changed the amount of Dijon to 1 teaspoon. Made the sauce without the lemon but added 1 teaspoon of lemon pepper. Poured over the fish then sprinkled the shallots over the sauce and added some capers. Baked as per instructions then squeezed 1/2 a lemon over the top when done along with the parsley.
GREAT! But do not put all the sauce on fish before cooking like I did. Then you have no sauce for later. I wish this little comment was mentioned in step 4 of the instructions. I had lots left over, so I just poured it on before baking. Delicious sauce!!
I tried this recipe using bass fish and it was delicious!
just delicous, supa healthy and i was a great way to finish a 4 day fast……too easy to make and my 12 yr old son licked his plate clean…lol
What could you use leftover sauce?
Omg this is hands down the best fish recipe I’ve ever made! I used barramundi and had it with rice and broccoli on the side. So easy and I’ll definitely be making it again. Thank you so much Nagi you’re the best!!!
Delicious! I added an extra tbsp of lemon (I love lemon) & used tilapia that must have been thicker than intended in the recipe because I left it in for 22 min total for it to be cooked through. I will definitely be making this again!
Was served this dish yesterday and would love to make it. But I don’t have a microwave. How do I make the sauce?
Super easy great taste will definitely make this again.
Totally delicious. Super quick and really easy. Followed each direction as written. No need to change a thing. My husband – who is not crazy about fish – said “make this again please!!”
Thank you!
OUTSTANDING! I made this tonight with angel hair pasta and mixed vegetables. Everyone LOVED it!!!
Fantastic easy recipe after a long day at work. Used bronze whaler shark. Fillets a little thicker so baked for 5 minutes longer. So tender!! Sauce was delicious. Served with broccolini. Next time will be mash. Thank you Nagi.
I have to tell you, this is literally the best tasting fish entree I’ve ever tasted. I used orange roughy which worked perfectly. I cut a bunch of asparagus tips and added them to the baking dish with the fish and sauce. Went 15 min. to make sure the asparagus was cooked and it was MONEY!! Served with a side of wild rice.
I have to tell you, this is literally the best tasting fish entree I’ve ever tasted. I used orange roughy which worked perfectly. I cut a bunch of asparagus tips and added them to the baking dish with the fish and sauce. Went 15 min. to make sure the asparagus was cooked and it was MONEY!! Served with a side of wild rice. Definitely will make this a lot more often.
Excellent! I used whole headless rockfish from Costco that I filleted myself. This is my fifth preparation of this recipe and it is my favorite fish with sauce. Occasional fish eaters have become instant fans when I serve it. Thank you Nagi. I am new to your site and I am anxious to try many recipes here.
I go to your website every time I need to impress people. I made this with snapper. large shrimp and scallops which should have been incredible, but it seems I added too much lemon.
Amazing recipe! Very easy but tastes and presents as gourmet. Definitely a dinner party dish. Thanks Nagi