This Lemon Butter Sauce for fish is outrageous – 3 minutes, 2 ingredients, totally restaurant worthy.
The secret is browned butter – called Beurre noisette in French. Learn how to pronounce it so you can loftily tell your family and friends “we’re having French tonight!” (But don’t tell them how simple it is?)
Restaurant-style Lemon Butter Sauce for Fish!
Great quality fish is not cheap. But worthy of investment because:
it’s good for you;
a beautiful piece of fish requires very little done to it to make a meal that you’d pay serious $ for at a fancy seafood restaurant; and
they’re quick to cook.
And so I present to you, your new favourite posh-yet-easy-and-super-quick way with fish: Pan fried until golden then drizzled with a 3 minute Lemon Butter Sauce that you’re going to go nuts over.
The Lemon Butter Sauce
The Lemon Butter Sauce is just made with butter and lemon. But it’s not “just” butter and lemon.
It’s brown butter and lemon.
If you’re new to brown butter, this is going to change your world – it’s addictive. Brown butter is everything you love about melted butter, boosted with an incredible nutty, toasty aroma.
The French call it Beurre noisette. The literal translation is “hazelnut butter”, and even though hazelnuts don’t come into the equation at all, we get it. 🙂
How to make Lemon Butter Sauce
3 minutes, 3 steps, 2 ingredients:
Melt butter;
Leave until the butter turns brown and the smell suddenly changes and becomes nutty – about 3 minutes;
Stir through lemon juice.
The recipe video is helpful if you’re a first timer to browned butter – especially the pre and post comparison.
Quick Tips
While brown butter is simple to make, if it’s on too high a heat, it can go from nutty perfection to burnt in seconds. So here are a few quick tips:
Use a silver based small skillet or pot so you can see when the butter changes colour;
Make the Lemon Butter Sauce before the fish so you can concentrate on getting it right. It stays warm for up to 30 minutes – but if you are delayed and it solidifies, it only takes 10 seconds in the microwave to melt it back to its original state; and
Don’t try to make the Lemon Butter Sauce in the same skillet as the fish – the pan will be too large.
Use sparingly – it’s rich!
And you don’t need much – this stuff is rich! The recipe makes slightly more than you need because running out of sauce in the middle of dinner is dismal, but in all honesty, my standard serving is 1 tablespoon of Sauce per fillet of fish.
It looks a lot browner in the bowl than it does when you drizzle it over the fish. Which is actually perfect – it’s a bright yellow Lemon colour once drizzled. 🙂 If it was just plain melted butter, you wouldn’t have that same intense deep yellow colour that you see on the plate – nor would it pool on the plate like in the photo below.
The fish fillet is pictured in this post with the Kale and Quinoa Salad I published on Monday. 🙂 Keeps for days in the fridge, my friends! Don’t think of it as a trendy “health food” salad. It’s just a darn tasty filling salad that just happens to star 2 superfoods. Tested and proven!
Here are a few more ideas for things to serve this fish with:
Mashed potato or mashed cauliflower (for a low carb option)
For a true indulgent restaurant experience, try Paris Mash – the richest, creamiest mashed potato in the world
Curried Basmati Rice – this aromatic pilaf would be terrific paired with the fresh fish flavour
A garden salad or leafy greens with French Vinaigrette or Italian Dressing
Broccoli Salad or Magic Broccoli (the best roasted broccoli ever!)
And more fish recipes!
Honey Garlic Salmon and Lemon Honey Glazed Salmon – super quick!
See all Fish recipes
Hope you enjoy! – Nagi x
WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT
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Lemon Butter Sauce for Fish
Ingredients
Lemon Butter Sauce:
- 60 g / 4 tbsp unsalted butter , cut into pieces
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- Salt and finely ground pepper
Crispy Pan Fried Fish:
- 2 x thin white fish fillets (120-150g / 4-5oz each), skinless boneless (I used Bream, Note 1)
- Salt and pepper
- 2 tbsp white flour
- 2 tbsp oil (I use canola)
Serving:
- Lemon wedges
- Finely chopped parsley, optional
Instructions
Lemon Butter Sauce (see video):
- Place the butter in a light coloured saucepan or small skillet over medium heat.
- Melt butter then leave on the stove, whisking / stirring very now and then. When the butter turns golden brown and it smells nutty – about 3 minutes, remove from stove immediately and pour into small bowl. (Note 2)
- Add lemon juice and a pinch of salt and pepper. Stir then taste when it has cooled slightly. Adjust lemon/salt to taste.
- Set aside – it will stay pourable for 20 – 30 minutes. See Note 3 for storing.
Crispy Pan Fried Fish:
- Pat fish dry using paper towels. Sprinkle with salt & pepper, then flour. Use fingers to spread flour. Turn and repeat. Shake excess flour off well, slapping between hands if necessary.
- Heat oil in a non stick skillet over high heat. When the oil is shimmering and there are faint wisps of smoke, add fish. Cook for 1 1/2 minutes until golden and crispy on the edges, then turn and cook the other side for 1 1/2 minutes (cook longer if you have thicker fillets).
- Remove immediately onto serving plates. Drizzle each with about 1 tbsp of Sauce (avoid dark specks settled at the bottom of the bowl), garnish with parsley and serve with lemon on the side. Pictured in post with Kale and Quinoa Salad.
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
LIFE OF DOZER
3 hours ago: as usual, refusing to get out of the car knowing what lies ahead – a hose down.
Wow! Cooked fish fillets last night for dinner. I did not have a light colored pan for the butter/lemon sauce but I had a white spoon for stirring so I could see the color. This was amazing Nagi, and that’s coming from someone who’s use to tartar sauce growing up, well no more! Thank you so much!
I’ve made this 4 times and it is amazing. I never understood what people meant when they said ‘nutty smell of butter’ but I now know. Thank you so much. This has revolutionised Friday fish and chips for us.
Love your work.
It’s one of my favourite smells Elby… YUM! N x
Hi Nagi – do you think this would work well with scallops? I bought a bunch but can’t decide how to prepare them and this sauce sounds delicious!
Made this for the first time tonight. Really is delicious and easy to make
the sauce is the bomb, perfect with fish and a combination of mushy cauliflower from your website.
Thank you Nagi:)
I never leave comments on websites, but have to – this sauce is just so tasty, it’s like what you’d get in a French bistrot but without the hassle. 3 minutes, unheard of! Thank you so much I’ve shared with all my friends. You are a legend. We had with plaice steamed potatoes and tenderstem broccoli
What’s the recipe to the potatoes
Would it be ok to use salted butter? I don’t have any unsalted in at the moment.
Hi Christine, yes just reduce the salt in the recipe 🙂 Enjoy!!
Has anyone made this with Almond Flour or no flour at all…? Thinking for a low carb option…..
yes ..we tried the almond flour and found it very good …will do it again …
Hi Amy, the flour creates a crispy kind of crust around the fish – you could totally skip this if you prefer. N x
This is soooo nice. The sauce is superb. When I was heating the butter I kept thinking how does nutty smells like(I am a noob when comes to cooking and get anxious and frantic when I don’t know how or when the food should turn out) but as per your notes, indeed I can smell the nutty fragrance. It goes Super well with the fish. Pan fried exactly as per your timing and turns out perfect. Thank you Nagi
Amazing!
Thanks so much Shirley! N x
I am trying to eat more fish but I have trouble trying to determine when it is done. Any tips/suggestions?
Hi Dede, depends on the recipe/type of fish. You want to cook it until it’s just done at the thickest part, if not slightly under as it will continue to cook off the heat. N x
This was sooo delicious. My family loved it and wanted more! I think this sauce will become our ‘go to’ fish sauce. Thanks Nagi
P.S. I need MORE Dozer!!!
Woot! I’m so happy you enjoyed it!
Oh my goodness!!!!!! I have no words at how delicious this was. I used king fish fillet and served it with a garden salad and chips. My fussy 4 yo also LOVED it.
60 years ago when my kids were growing up, this is what I made to put on filet of sole. I always made extra so we could dip Italian bread in the drippings. So delicious. Thanks for the memories.
Sounds divine!!! And I’m a sucker for dunking bread into any excess sauce 🤤
SO good, and easy too. It tasted like movie theatre popcorn butter, only it was real! lol. It really dressed up the fish and rice too. Thank you for the great instructions.
Excellent! I am attempting to add more fish, less meat, to my diet. This and the other fish recipes you provide will make it much easier.
Perfect Claire!!
It was delicious! So tender and juicy, and flaky. I will definitely make it again.
I’m so happy you loved it Jill, thanks for letting me know!
That’s great to hear Jill!!
Easy and 😋 delicious!
That’s great Hazel! – N x
Thanks I so enjoy reading your posts and I have also read your receipts and will soon try to make some. Keep a song in your heart and a smile on your face,(smiles)
One of the best fish recipes I have ever tried. The 1.5 minute cooking per side is a life saver (I used to over cook fish). Thanks Nagi!
Thanks so much for letting me know Sara!
Beautiful. I used boar fish. Xx definitely be my sauce for my fish from now on. Thanks magi.