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Easy 15-Minute Garlic Butter Fish Recipe

Easy 15-Minute Garlic Butter Fish Recipe

Tender white-fish fillets are pan-seared and finished with a quick garlic butter, lemon, and parsley sauce. This flavorful fish dinner serves four and comes together in about 15 minutes.
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Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 8 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Main Ingredients
  • 4 fillets White-fish fillets, about 5–6 ounces each and ¾–1 inch thick
  • ½ teaspoon Fine salt
  • ¼ teaspoon Black pepper
Optional Light Crust
  • ¼ cup / 30 g All-purpose flour
Cooking Ingredients
  • 1 tablespoon Olive oil
  • 4 tablespoons / 56 g Unsalted butter, divided
Sauce Ingredients
  • 4 cloves Fresh garlic, finely minced
  • 2 tablespoons Fresh lemon juice
  • 2 tablespoons Fresh parsley, chopped
For Serving
  • As needed Lemon wedges

Method
 

Step-by-Step
  1. Pat the fish dry with paper towels and season both sides with the salt and black pepper. If using the optional flour, dredge each fillet lightly and shake off the excess.
  2. Heat the olive oil and 1 tablespoon of the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the fish and cook for approximately 3–4 minutes on the first side.
  3. Turn the fillets carefully and cook for another 2–4 minutes on the second side. The fish is ready when it flakes easily and reaches 145°F / 63°C internally; transfer it to a plate.
  4. Reduce the heat to medium and add the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter. Once melted, stir in the minced garlic and cook for about 30–60 seconds, just until fragrant without allowing it to brown.
  5. Stir the lemon juice and parsley into the garlic butter. Spoon the sauce over the fish and serve immediately with lemon wedges.

Notes

Dry the fish thoroughly for better browning. Add the garlic only after lowering the heat because garlic burns quickly and may make the butter bitter. For thick fillets, use an instant-read thermometer and remove the fish at about 140–145°F / 60–63°C.