Dinner made real easy: on the table in 15 minutes, this Baked Fish with Lemon Cream Sauce is all made in ONE baking dish! Yup, just throw it all in one pan, bake it, and you end up with a tender juicy fish in a creamy lemon sauce.

The sauce is especially delish because the juices of the fish mingles in with it while it’s baking. It’s like a sauce made with the best stock ever!

A fantastic quick-fix dinner - baked fish in a lemon cream sauce, all made in ONE PAN! Don't let the short ingredient list fool you, this tastes so good! The key to the tasty sauce is the fish juices that leeches out while baking and is essentially the broth for the sauce!

Prep Time

    •    Prep time: 5 minutes
    •    Cook time: 10 minutes
    •    Yield: Serves 4

Ingredients

    •   4 x 150- 180g / 5 - 6 oz fish fillets , about 1.5cm / 1/2" thick, skinless and boneless
    •   50 g / 4 tbsp unsalted butter
    •   1/4 cup heavy / thickened cream
    •   1 - 2 garlic cloves , minced
    •   1 tbsp Dijon mustard
    •   1 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
    •   Salt & pepper
    •   1 1/2 tbsp finely chopped shallots / scallions , white part only
    •   Fresh parsley and lemon slices , to serve

Method

1. Preheat oven to 200C / 390F (all ovens).
2. Place fish in a baking dish - ensure the fish isn't crammed in too snugly. See video below recipe or photos in post. Sprinkle both sides of fish with salt and pepper.
3. Place butter, cream, garlic, mustard, lemon juice, salt and pepper in a microwave proof jug or bowl. Microwave in 2 x 30 sec bursts, stirring in between, until melted and smooth.
4. Sprinkle fish with shallots, then pour over sauce.
5. Bake for 10 - 12 minutes, or until fish is just cooked. Remove from oven and transfer fish to serving plates. Spoon over sauce, and garnish with parsley and lemon wedges if using.

NOTES:

1. Any fillets about 1.5cm / 1/2" thick will work great with this. I have only tested this with thinnish fillets, like the Silver Dory (I think!) pictured that are quick to cook in the oven. I haven't tested it with thicker fillets like salmon - query whether the longer cook time and more space around the fish in the baking dish means more liquid required for the sauce.
   If you use thawed frozen fish, PAT DRY with paper towels to remove as much excess water as possible. Chances are, your sauce will be a little thin for your liking because frozen fish drops so much more liquid than fresh - see Note 4 for how to fix this. Or use a larger roasting pan - a metal one: heats up faster, and more exposed space between fish = faster sauce evaporation.
   
2. If you want to go healthier, the cream can be substituted with evaporated milk. If swapping with light cream, increase mustard by 2 tsp.
3. A little sprinkle of finely chopped scallions / shallots (or eschallots or even onions) really adds a little something-something to the sauce. But this can be omitted.
4. This sauce is not intended to be thick and gravy-like. It is a light lemon cream sauce, suited to fish. However, it should not be watery. The actual sauce consistency will differ depending on the fish that you use - different fish drop different amounts of water while baking. If you really want to thicken the sauce, just take the fish out of the baking dish and return the pan to the oven for a few minutes. Without the fish, the sauce will thicken quickly so keep an eye on it!
5. Nutrition per serving, assuming 180g/6 oz white fish fillets like John Dory/Tilapia are used and that all sauce is consumed.

This great family recipe is thanks to RecipeTin Eats Recipes at https://www.recipetineats.com/baked-fish-with-lemon-cream-sauce/