Pan Fried Lemon Butter Fish

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

This 15 minute lemon butter fish is elegant enough for date night but perfect for a quick and easy weeknight dinner too! With just 8 ingredients, many of which you might already have you in your kitchen, this is a simple, delicious meal that your family is going to love!

How to make lemon butter cod spaghetti:

You’ll start with (what else?!) BUTTER. Melt it over medium high heat while you season the fish with my signature seasoning mixture (garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, salt and pepper).

Then toss that fish into the butter to give it a quick sear – about 2-3 minutes on the first side. Give the fish a flip and add MORE butter, lemon zest and fresh parsley to the butter mixture. Cook the other side of the fish for another couple minutes or until it’s tender and flaky.

Gently remove the fish from the pan and set aside. Add pasta to the pan and toss spaghetti in the lemon, butter, parsley mixture. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Add fish back into the pan on top of the pasta. Finish the fish with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. Then garnish with lemon wedges and fresh chopped parsley and serve it right there in the pan!

What kind of fish can I use in this recipe?

• cod
• haddock
• stripped bass
• mahi mahi
• grouper

Why you’re going to love this lemon butter cod:

• Did you see the ingredient list? It’s SUPER short. Which means you won’t have to spend hours hunting down ingredients at the grocery store. Most of these things are pantry staples so you might even have everything in your kitchen already!
• It’s SO freaking tasty! This is one of my absolute favorite dishes because the flavors are fresh and light but also rich and a little indulgent. Lemon, butter and fish are literally a three way marriage made in heaven.
• It’s a kid friendly dinner. My toddler’s not super into fish, but she ate up bowl after bowl of the lemon butter spaghetti. If your kids are adverse to little green flecks of delicious parsley, leave them out and just add them to your dish after. Also, if you think there’s no way your kids will eat this, I’d urge you to give it a try. You might find yourself very surprised by the things that they are willing to try! Especially if you get them involved in the process of making the meal!

Tips for making the best lemon butter fish:

• Don’t overcook the fish. This seems obvious but when you’re pan frying the fish it’s going to cook very quickly! You’re looking for a nice dark golden brown sear on the outside of the fish and a tender, flaky inside. This will be achieved with just a few minutes of cooking on the first side and only a couple minutes of searing on the second side. This is not a dish you want to walk away from while it’s cooking on the stove because it’s so easy to overcook!
• Whatever you do – use fresh lemon for this recipe. Nothing is going to replace the fresh lemon juice and zest in this recipe. It is the key ingredient and you are going to love every light and lemony bite!
• Feel free to use another kind of pasta in this dish. I love the long strands of sgetti in this recipe but penne, bucatini, bow ties or even rotini would be great in this lemon butter fish dish too. The sauce is going to get into every nook and cranny of your pasta and deliver that lemon butter flavor into every single bite.

Other seafood favorites your family will love:

• Mediterranean Baked Fish
• Honey Mustard Sheet Pan Salmon
• Thai Fish Tacos
• Baked Fish Tacos
• Asian Sheet Pan Salmon
• Salmon Caesar Salad

Pan Fried Lemon Butter Fish

---

★★★★★

5 from 11 reviews

• Author: Kylie Lato
• Prep Time: 5 minutes
• Cook Time: 10 minutes
• Total Time: 15 minutes
• Yield: 2 servings 1x

Print Recipe

Pin Recipe

Description

This 15 minute lemon butter fish is elegant enough for date night but perfect for a quick and easy weeknight dinner too! 

---

Scale 1x2x3x

Ingredients

• 8 oz. cod or other white fish
• 6 tablespoons butter, divided
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika
• 2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley + more for garnish
• zest and juice of 1 lemon + wedges for garnish
• 4–8 oz. spaghetti, cooked according to package directions 
• Kosher salt
• fresh cracked pepper

---

Instructions

1. Heat large saute pan over medium high heat. Melt 3 tablespoons butter. 
2. Season fish with garlic powder, onion powder, paprika and a large pinch of salt and pepper. 
3. Saute fish for 2-3 minutes in the butter. 
4. Flip fish over to cook the other side and add remaining butter, chopped parsley and lemon zest. 
5. Cook fish on the second side for another 2-3 minutes. 
6. Gently remove fish from the pan and set aside. 
7. Add in spaghetti noodles and toss to coat evenly. 
8. Then add fish back into the pan and squeeze the fresh lemon juice over the fish. 
9. Garnish with fresh chopped parsley and lemon wedges and enjoy!

Notes

Don’t overcook the fish. This seems obvious but when you’re pan frying the fish it’s going to cook very quickly! You’re looking for a nice dark golden brown sear on the outside of the fish and a tender, flaky inside. This will be achieved with just a few minutes of cooking on the first side and only a couple minutes of searing on the second side. This is not a dish you want to walk away from while it’s cooking on the stove because it’s so easy to overcook!

Whatever you do – use fresh lemon for this recipe. Nothing is going to replace the fresh lemon juice and zest in this recipe. It is the key ingredient and you are going to love every light and lemony bite!

Feel free to use another kind of pasta in this dish. I love the long strands of sgetti in this recipe but penne, bucatini, bow ties or even rotini would be great in this lemon butter fish dish too. The sauce is going to get into every nook and cranny of your pasta and deliver that lemon butter flavor into every single bite.

• Category: Main Dish
• Method: Stove Top
• Cuisine: American

Keywords: lemon butter cod, lemon butter pasta, healthy cod recipes