Baked Fish with Lemon Garlic Butter
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With just 20 minutes and five familiar ingredients, I’ll show you how to make baked fish – AND how to make it perfectly every time. This is my go-to recipe for busy nights when I want something simple and full of delicious flavor. This method is perfect for cooking white fish, so it’s delicate and buttery – you’ll be hooked!
The trick to making the tastiest baked fish is to coat it in a simple garlic butter and sandwich it between lemon slices.
This is a recipe for baking white fish. You can choose from several kinds: cod, lingcod, grouper, snapper, and tilapia. Whitefish is mild-flavored, so it's a good choice if you're unsure about eating fish.
Plus, they tend to be very inexpensive! We love this recipe, as it is full of bright lemon flavor that goes so well with the mild-tasting fish.
Baked fish recipe ingredients
To make this baked fish recipe, gather these ingredients:
- Butter – I think butter gives this dish the best flavor. But you can opt for olive oil, if that suits your diet.
- Garlic – I use three big cloves for lots of garlic flavor.
- Lemon – You'll thinly slice one large lemon.
- White fish – You can use whatever kind of white fish that you have on hand or is available at your grocery store. If you use frozen, make sure to thaw it first.
- Salt and pepper – Just ½ teaspoon is all you need.
- Minced parsley – I like to add this for a little color and fresh flavor, but you skip it if you don't have any on hand.
What is the best kind of fish to bake
This recipe works best with mild-flavored white fish. Some of our favorite kinds of white fish are:
- Cod
- Lingcod (pictured)
- Tilapia
- Haddock
- Grouper
- Rockfish
- Sole
Seasonings for oven baked fish
Lemon is a classic flavor with baked white fish. In this recipe, we add some garlic to the mix. But other flavors work well, too. To switch it up, try sprinkling on 1 teaspoon of any of the spices below when you season the fish with salt and pepper. Keep the rest of the recipe the same!
- Italian seasoning
- Dill
- Thyme
- Rosemary
- Basil
- Smoked paprika
How to bake fish in oven
This is a very easy recipe. Here's what you're going to do:
- Lay some lemon slices in a baking dish.
- Season the fish with salt and pepper and put it on top of the lemons.
- Melt some butter and add garlic and lemon zest to it before spooning or brushing it onto the fish.
- Now pop the fish into the oven for 10 minutes and dinner will be ready!
How long to bake fish?
One of the great things about making baked fish is that it cooks quickly so you can get dinner on the table fast.
The exact cooking time varies a little, depending on the thickness of the fish fillets. In a 425-degree Fahrenheit oven, the fish will be cooked in 10-12 minutes.
Because white fish is pretty thin, using an instant-read meat thermometer can be a little tricky. However, if you want to try it, fish is fully cooked when it reaches an internal temperature of 140 degrees.
How can I tell when the fish is finished cooking?
When cooked, the fish will become completely opaque – rather than the slightly translucent color it has when raw. And it will flake easily with a fork.
Does the fish need to be flipped part way through baking?
Nope! White fish is very delicate and would fall apart if you tried to flip it. Simply leave it to bake on one side.
What to serve with lemon fish
This baked fish recipe is delicious served with some basmati rice (or low-carb cauliflower rice!) and some roasted broccoli on the side.
You could also opt for a potato side such as mashed potatoes with cream cheese or crispy roasted potatoes. And a salad such as our spring mix salad or our favorite kale salad rounds out the meal.
Baked fish storage
If you have any leftover baked fish, store it in a sealed container in your fridge for 2-3 days. You can reheat it gently in the microwave or serve it cold over a salad for lunch. It’s delicious either way!
Baked Lemon Fish with Garlic Butter
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 3 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 lemon
- 1 ½ lb white fish fillets (see notes)
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- Minced parsley (to serve)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Melt the butter in a small frying pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and let it cook for 1 minute. Zest the lemon (preferably with a Microplane) and add it to the butter.4 tablespoons butter, 3 cloves garlic
- Thinly slice the zested lemon and place the slices in the bottom of a baking dish. If there are extras, save them for the top of the fish.1 lemon
- Dry the fish with paper towels, season both sides with salt and pepper, then lay the fish on top of the lemon slices. Spoon or brush the garlic butter over the fish.1 ½ lb white fish fillets, ½ teaspoon sea salt, ½ teaspoon pepper
- Bake the fish for 10-12 minutes, or until it flakes easily with a fork. Serve with a little parsley sprinkled over the top for color.Minced parsley
Last step:
- After you make this recipe, take a picture with your phone and share it in the comments section below. I love seeing it when you make my recipes!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
We have thoroughly tested this recipe for accuracy. However, individual results may vary. See our full recipe disclosure here.
Thanks for the recipe. Oven baked with butter fish, slightly thicker baking time 15 mins. It’s so yumlicious .
It looks wonderful!!
This fish was great, will be making it often! Thank you for the recipe.
You’re very welcome, Linda!
This fish was great. Everyone in my family who tasted it loved it. Thank you!!
So happy that it was a hit!
Second time I’ve made this I also add a little Cayenne pepper puree. It’s my go to now. Thanks
It was quick and good. Didn’t have lemons, substituted limes.
Delicious. I just broiled it on low for a few minutes. I sprinkled paprika and added a dash of white wine. I also cooked it abit longer. It was fantastic
Easy and DELICIOUS!! I used halibut! Scrumptious!
Have made this a coupla times with cod. So full of flavour yet so simple to make!
Everyone loved this recipe. I used Tilapia and shrimp. Turned out great.
Thank you — Got raving reviews. Used all powdered spices — lemon peel, garlic, ginger, turmeric after rubbing fish with light olive oil plus a bit of butter and it was very good.
I was out of lemons, so used mandarin oranges. Also added a little fish seasoning with dried dill and lemon. Delicious!