Baked Fish with Lemon Garlic Butter
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This baked fish is our absolute favorite baked white fish recipe. It's cooked in a delicious lemon garlic butter sauce until tender and flaky. It's a 20 minute dinner recipe you don't want to miss!
If you're looking for a delicious alternative to this baked fish recipe, try our lemon pepper fish and our favorite lingcod recipe next!
This is a recipe for making baked white fish. There are several kinds you can choose from: cod, lingcod, grouper, snapper, tilapia. White fish are mild-flavored so it's a good choice if you're unsure about eating fish.
Bonus that 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.
How to bake fish
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 a healthy 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, it can be a little tricky to use an instant-read meat thermometer. If you want to try, 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 ā rather than the slightly translucent color it has when raw. And it will flake easily with a fork.
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
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
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 baked fish
This baked fish recipe is delicious served with some basmati riceĀ (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.
Popular baked fish recipes
Lemon Garlic Butter Baked Fish Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 3 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 lemon
- 1 Ā½ lb white fish fillets (see notes)
- Ā½ teaspoon EACH: sea salt and pepper
- Minced parsley (to serve)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.Ā
- 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.Ā4 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.Ā1 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 Ā½ lb white fish fillets, Ā½ teaspoon EACH: sea salt and 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
Video
Notes
Nutrition
We have thoroughly tested this recipe for accuracy. However, individual results may vary. See our full recipe disclosure here.
For more inspiration, check out all of our fish recipes!
Thank you for the help, my dish turned out delicious!
I made this recipe weeks ago and will be preparing it again, this evening .
I do like this recipe a lot.
Thank you.0
Hi. Was wondering if you could substitute olive oil for the butter and if so how much?
Thanks
Yes! You can use 4 tablespoons of olive oil instead. š
Tried this recipe with Northern Pike and it turned out fabulously. Did require a longer baking time as the fillets were quite thick. Will now be using this recipe on a regular basis. Thank you!
It’s great. Thank you š
This was fantastic and so quick and easy to make. Ā Thank you for sharing!!
Are you supposed to eat the lemons?
The lemons are there to flavor the fish. I squeeze their juices over top sometimes, but I wouldn’t want to eat them.
How did you get that singe on yours. Did you use those small torch, put it on broil for a minute, cook on the top rack?
A 2-minute broil at the end. It’s not in the recipe as we felt it was too much of a risk that the fish would overcook. š
Good deal with fresh Lake Huron whitefish
Best Ever!
Great Recipe for Fish!
I have made it so many times & the family just Love it!
I too have made this about 5 times, so good and easy to fix. In fact have it ready to go in the oven right now. Thank you for the recipe.
Wow! Most tender, flaky fish dish ever!!! It was a huge hit. I used tilapia and put lemon slices both under and over the fillets. We are allergic to garlic, so I added the parsley to the butter before I basted the fish. Excellent!!
I tried this recipe with halibut and it worked great. So thank you for that! I also tried it with salmon, which I know is not a white fish, but thought it was worth a shot. It wasn’t quite as good because the fillet was thicker and had to be watched more carefully in the oven. Also, it needed more heat. But all in all, this recipe is a keeper, and it’s even opening my mind to eating more fish.
I tried this recipe with halibut. It worked great … thank you. š
Would this work with salmon?
I think it would work well with salmon.
Hi Kristen, I came across your recipe this evening and had nothing laid out to cook. As O went through my freezer I found a pack of tilapia. So When I found your recipe, I wondered if it would be ok to use it on frozen fish. I tried it and my son loved it. Thanks for your recipe. I’ve never baked fish before and it turned out great. I will look for more of your recipes.
This was a quick & easy recipe! I used catfish and the flavor was amazing ! Ā I used the extra seasoning a like suggested !! Thank you very much šĀ