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    TaraTeaspoon » Recipes » Seafood

    Baked Lemon Butter Fish

    Published: Apr 15, 2023 · Updated: Sep 18, 2024 by Tara T. · This page contains affiliate and sponsored links. See my full disclosure

    Jump to Recipe Pin Recipe
    Lemon Butter Fish
    Lemon Butter Fish

    Bake this lemon butter fish in the oven then finish it with a flavorful lemon butter sauce and fresh herbs. You’ll be delighted by this delicious 20 minute dinner.

    a piece of white fish with lemon sauce and asparagus

    This oven baked halibut has a lemon butter sauce everyone will love. Cooked right in the oven it's an easy baked lemon fish recipe for a weeknight dinner. Your family and friends will be impressed by this flavorful seafood dish, and they won't know it's so simple to make.

    If you're trying to eat more fish, try this made-in-minutes Coconut Curry Fish. You'll also love Salmon Chowder for a filling dinner.

    Jump to:
    • Lemon Butter Fish In 20 Minutes
    • Ingredients For Lemon Butter Fish
    • Lemon Fish Seasoning
    • Butter Sauce for Fish
    • How Long to Bake Halibut
    • Lemon Butter Fish FAQS
    • More Fish Recipes You'll Love
    • 📖 Recipe
    • 💬 Comments

    Lemon Butter Fish In 20 Minutes

    A tasty recipe like this lemon fish is often ordered at a restaurant, not served at your dinner table on a Tuesday night!

    But just use any firm white fish fillet, paired with some healthy veggies, and my easy lemon garlic butter sauce and you have a restaurant-worthy meal in minutes!

    There is no frying involved, and you can cook the fish right in the oven. This actually causes less odor in the house too!

    Ingredients for lemon butter fish

    Ingredients For Lemon Butter Fish

    White fish: Use any firm white fish such as halibut, cod, mahi mahi, or even snapper. It can be fresh or frozen. If frozen you'll want to thaw it in the fridge ahead of time.

    Seasonings–Sea salt, black pepper, and garlic powder: Minimal seasoning really allows the flavors of the lemon and fish to shine.

    Butter: The butter on the fish helps it brown in the oven, and the butter in the sauce adds the velvety richness and flavor.

    Asparagus: Pairs so nicely with butter and lemon. You can swap it for trimmed broccoli florets, or thin green beans too.

    Lemon: For zesting and juicing. Make sure to use fresh juice from real lemons, not the bottled juice.

    Olive oil: Drizzle regular olive oil or even avocado oil over the asparagus for roasting in the oven.

    Dry white wine: Adds an excellent flavor, but can be substituted for chicken broth or left out all together if you don't drink, or don't have an open bottle on hand.

    Parsley and lemon wedges: For garnish and that extra pop of flavor when serving.

    fish with butter on a baking pan ready to be cooked

    Lemon Fish Seasoning

    Halibut and other white fish tastes so amazing smothered in lemon and garlic. For this recipe, I mix up lemon zest, garlic powder, and pepper and sprinkled it all over the fish and the asparagus. Then a nice pat of butter goes on top of each filet.

    I used garlic powder to keep it simple, so you can use pantry staples in this recipe. You'll mostly likely find everything you need already in your spice cupboard.

    making lemon butter sauce for fish in a small saucepan
    cooking fish and asparagus on a sheet pan

    Butter Sauce for Fish

    While the fish cooks, make the butter sauce. Bring the lemon juice to a simmer in a small saucepan. I like to use stainless steel pots and pans.

    Simmer until it is reduced to just a tablespoon. This reduced lemon juice will have so much concentrated lemon flavor.

    Remove the juice from heat and add the lemon zest, white wine, and remaining butter. Stir it until the butter is melted and the sauce is well combined.

    Place a piece of fish on each plate, along with a few spears of asparagus. Pour the sauce over the fish and asparagus, garnish with parsley and lemon wedges, and serve.

    cooked fish with parsley and lemon sauce on a plate with asparagus

    How Long to Bake Halibut

    Baking halibut does not take long at all, so it is a great option to make when you're running low on time.

    For this recipe, the asparagus and the halibut bake together in the oven at 425ºF for just about 10 minutes. The fish should have a few golden brown spots on top. Then, turn on the broiler and let the fish caramelize for another couple of minutes.

    Lemon Butter Fish FAQS

    What Kind Of Fish Can I Use For This Recipe?

    Halibut is a nice firm white fish to use for this recipe. You can also use cod, sea bass, snapper, or mahi mahi.

    Can I Omit The Wine?

    You can omit the wine completely from this recipe. You can use chicken broth instead or leave it out completely.

    More Fish Recipes You'll Love

    Easy Coconut Curry Fish - A personal favorite with authentic Sri Lankan flavors.

    Crispy Lemon Fish and Parmesan Fries - Use frozen fries to make this a super fun family meal.

    Fish Tacos with Mango Salsa - You can't go wrong with mango salsa!

    Rate this recipe! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

    Scroll to the bottom of the page to rate and comment on this recipe. Leaving comments, questions, and ratings helps other too!

    📖 Recipe

    a plate of lemon butter fish with asparagus

    Lemon Butter Fish

    Tara Teaspoon
    This oven baked halibut has a lemon butter sauce everyone will love. Cooked right in the oven, lemon butter fish is an easy dinner recipe.
    5 from 26 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Work Time 20 minutes mins
    Cook Time 10 minutes mins
    Total Time 20 minutes mins
    Course Dinner
    Servings 4

    Ingredients
      

    • Zest of 1 lemon
    • ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
    • 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
    • 2 tablespoons dry white wine (optional)
    • 8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter (divided)
    • 1 pound halibut fillet
    • ¾ teaspoon sea salt
    • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
    • ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
    • 1 pound asparagus (stems trimmed)
    • Olive oil
    • ¼ cup minced parsley
    • Lemon wedges

    Instructions
     

    • Heat oven to 425ºF. Line a rimmed baking pan with nonstick foil or parchment.
    • Zest and juice lemon. In a small saucepan, bring lemon juice and sugar to a simmer. Simmer until reduced to about 1 tablespoon, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat and add the lemon zest, wine, if using, and 6 tablespoons of the butter. Stir until butter is melted and set aside.
    • Mix together the salt, garlic powder and pepper. Cut halibut into 4 pieces and sprinkle all over with the salt mixture (you may have some leftover). Place on one half of the lined pan. Put ½ tablespoon of butter on top of each piece of fish.
    • Add asparagus to the sheet pan, season with remaining salt mixture and drizzle with olive oil. Place in the oven to roast. Cook until fish is just opaque (no longer transparent), and golden brown in parts, about 9 minutes. Turn on broiler and place pan under the broiler for 1 to 2 minutes to caramelize the top of the fish.
    • On plates, drizzle some sauce over the fish and asparagus. Garnish with parsley and serve with lemon wedges.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 343kcalCarbohydrates: 7gProtein: 24gFat: 24gSaturated Fat: 15gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 116mgSodium: 698mgPotassium: 777mgFiber: 3gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 1950IUVitamin C: 17mgCalcium: 50mgIron: 3mg
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    Tara Teaspoon

    I’ve been in food publishing for over 25 years, creating recipes & food-styling for magazines, books, television, food brands, & advertising. With two cookbooks under my belt and thousands of my recipes at your fingertips, I hope you'll be inspired to spend more time in the kitchen!

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    Hi, I'm Tara Teaspoon!

    I’ve been sharing my original ideas for years. What began as a passion, turned into a publishing career as Food Editor at Martha Stewart Living and Ladies’ Home Journal magazines.

    Now I write cookbooks, and share delicious recipes and expert cooking tips with you here! Thanks for stopping by Tara Teaspoon!

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