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 really great baked fish is simple: coat it in garlic butter and sandwich it between slices of lemon. The butter keeps the fish tender, while the lemon infuses it with bright, fresh flavor as it bakes.
This recipe works with just about any mild white fish, like cod, lingcod, grouper, snapper, or tilapia. I love using white fish because it’s approachable, affordable, and a great choice if you’re still warming up to seafood. The mild flavor pairs perfectly with the lemony garlic butter, making this an easy, reliable fish dinner I come back to again and again.
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.
- 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.
Variations to try
Lemon is a classic flavor with baked white fish. In this recipe, I add some garlic to the mix. But other flavors work well, too. To switch it up, try sprinkling one teaspoon of any of the spices below on the fish when you season it with salt and pepper. Keep the rest of the recipe the same!
- Italian seasoning
- Dill
- Thyme
- Rosemary
- Basil
- Smoked paprika
What to serve with lemon fish
This baked fish recipe is delicious served with some basmati rice (or 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.
Store and reheat
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.
We gave this dish a 5 star. Simple yet delicious and very filling, without the heavy after feel.
I’m so glad you loved it — thank you for the 5 stars! 😊 I love that description too, simple and satisfying without feeling heavy is exactly what I’m going for. Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a note and a photo! 💛
Simple but delicious recipe. My family loved it. Definitely a keeper!
I’m so glad you all loved it! 💛 Simple but delicious is exactly what I’m going for. Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a note — and I love hearing it’s a keeper!
Great dinner of black drum fillets with a side of fresh string beans.
That sounds like such a lovely dinner! 💛 Black drum with fresh string beans is a great combo — so glad you enjoyed it, and thanks for sharing what you served it with.
Delicious simple recipe made all in 1 pan and definitely a keeper. I used pickerel and added some shallots as well. Served with roasted sweet potatoes and steamed broccoli.
That sounds absolutely delicious! I love that you made it all in one pan — and pickerel with shallots is such a great combo. Serving it with roasted sweet potatoes and steamed broccoli sounds perfect. Thanks so much for sharing your note! 🍽️✨
Loved this recipe! Will make it again for sure!
Aw, I’m so happy to hear that! I love that it’s a make-again for you — thanks so much for taking the time to leave a note. 💛
What an INCREDIBLE recipe. Will definitely have this on repeat in our household. Loved the way the lemon slices infused the fish with such intense lemon flavour. They also kept the oven dish clean, making cleanup a breeze. Thank YOU, Kristen! All devoured, so no picture, sadly.
Aw, this is such a lovely note — thank you! I’m so happy you loved the recipe. The lemon slices really do work their magic, don’t they? I love that they gave you big flavor *and* an easy cleanup.
And no photo needed — the fact that it was all devoured says everything. 💛
Hi Kirsten, thank you for posting this recipe. First time made baked fish, I used frozen sutchi cubes. The taste is delicious except the sutchi cubes were too soft 😛
Aw, I’m so happy you enjoyed the flavor! Frozen sutchi can definitely turn out a bit soft — it’s such a delicate fish. If you make it again, you might like it with a firmer white fish like cod, haddock, or tilapia. Thanks so much for giving it a try and sharing your experience! 💛
Hi Kirsten, Thank you for the recipe. I used Pollock fish. Instead of parsley, I had used thyme. Its truly delicious and a keeper. I will definitely keep this in rotation. My side will be tex mex corn. How does it look? Thanks again
Hi there! It looks absolutely delicious — Pollock and thyme sound like such a perfect combo. I love the idea of serving it with Tex-Mex corn, too. I’m so happy you enjoyed the recipe and plan to make it again! 💛
Thank you!
Great quick and easy way to enjoy white fish. We used NZ snapper. Only addition was a sprinkle of Tarragon to the butter sauce, probably not needed, but me staying to a recipe is unheard of 😅
I love that enjoyed the recipe — and a little tarragon sounds like a lovely touch! So glad it worked well with NZ snapper and made for a quick, tasty meal.
1000/10 this was so delicious and easy, added more garlic and some italian seasoning with salads on the side, everything was gone in ten minutes!
Yay, I’m so happy you loved it!! Extra garlic and Italian seasoning sound like perfect additions—and I love that it disappeared so quickly, that’s the best compliment! 💛
This was so delicious and pretty easy to make. I served with some roasted cauliflower and mushroom orzo.
I’m so glad you liked it! That roasted cauliflower and mushroom orzo sounds like the perfect side—definitely stealing that idea for next time.
This was a great recipe! I used fresh dill instead of parsley and lemon pepper on that fish and it turned out amazing
Love your fresh dill and lemon pepper twist—that sounds fantastic! So glad the recipe worked out great for you. Thanks for sharing! 🌿🐟😊f