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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!
Instructions
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!
Fish to Use
- cod
- haddock
- stripped bass
- mahi mahi
- grouper
You’ll Love This
- 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 averse 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
- 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.
Family Favorites
- 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
This 15 minute lemon butter fish is elegant enough for date night but perfect for a quick and easy weeknight dinner too!
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 2 servings 1x
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Stove Top
- Cuisine: American
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
- Heat large saute pan over medium high heat. Melt 3 tablespoons butter.
- Season fish with garlic powder, onion powder, paprika and a large pinch of salt and pepper.
- Saute fish for 2-3 minutes in the butter.
- Flip fish over to cook the other side and add remaining butter, chopped parsley and lemon zest.
- Cook fish on the second side for another 2-3 minutes.
- Gently remove fish from the pan and set aside.
- Add in spaghetti noodles and toss to coat evenly.
- Then add fish back into the pan and squeeze the fresh lemon juice over the fish.
- 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.
Keywords: lemon butter cod, lemon butter pasta, healthy cod recipes
Kylie Lato
My family asks for this meal over and over again. My toddler can’t get enough of the ‘sketti and my husband loves the tender, flaky fish!
★★★★★
Gloria | Homemade & Yummy
I have only recently tried butterfish in sushi and LOVE it. I am on the lookout to find it in the grocery store. No luck yet, but now I really want to find it and give this recipe a try.
★★★★★
Kylie Lato
Cod works great in this recipe too! Thanks Gloria 🙂
Denise
This looks incredibly good! I have never tried butter fish, but I will definitely look into it now.
★★★★★
Kylie Lato
Just to clarify it’s a “lemon butter” fish recipe. Not a butter fish recipe 🙂 You could use any mild white fish in this recipe (cod, haddock, etc.). Thanks Denise!
Eva
I make pan seared cod in butter very often but I never thought about adding lemon! Definitely trying this in 2 weeks when my mom is going to bring me some awesome lemons from Italy!
★★★★★
Kylie Lato
Yum! I can’t imagine how delicious those lemons will be!
Kate
Ok I’m a huge fan of any dinner recipe that comes together in only 15 minutes that’s amazing! And I thought it was helpful that you listed the different varieties of fish that would work with this recipe, thanks!
★★★★★
Kylie Lato
Thanks Kate!
Sam | Ahead of Thyme
YUM, this fish looks so juicy and flaky, I’ve got to make it! Our local Costco just brought in a bunch of wild cod, so I am going to have to go back and pick some up.
Kylie Lato
Thanks Sam!
Kushigalu
I have never tried butter fish before. This looks amazingly delicious and your pics are making me drool. I will try this soon for dinner. Thanks for sharing.
★★★★★
Kylie Lato
Feel free to use cod or any other white fish also!
Des
This is easy enough for weeknight dinners, but elegant enough for date nights. I love how quickly is coms together!
★★★★★
Kylie Lato
Thanks Des!
Jacquelyn Hastert
I made this for a last minute date night last night and it was fantastic! It is definitely going to be a staple at our place.
★★★★★
Kylie Lato
So glad you enjoyed it!
Jagruti Dhanecha
This is such a light and easy dish for a weekend or weekday meal, perfect for warmer weather when you don’t want to spend much time in the kitchen.
★★★★★
Kylie Lato
Exactly!
Natalie
Oh this sounds so delicious. I love all the spices you used to flavor this fish dinner. It’s perfect family friendly meal. I’m definitely making this.
★★★★★
Kylie Lato
Thanks Natalie!
Daniela
Really nice and drool worthy looking fish! Loving your photography! And the lemon butter sounds dreamy :).
Kylie Lato
Thanks Daniela!
Charity
Drooling!!! Those spices and BUTTER! Fish just became the most exciting dinner option around!
★★★★★
Kylie Lato
Thanks Charity!
Julie
This is the perfect recipe to find this week — we have some cod filets in the freezer and I always have lots of lemon on hand. I think we’ll make it with zucchini noodles. My 4 year old and 1 year old love fish, and this is the perfect easy dinner recipe. We’ll be making it tomorrow night!
Kylie Lato
The stars have aligned! You’re going to love this recipe Julie!
Kd
So fresh, light and delicious. I added steamed broccoli
★★★★★
Kylie Lato
Light and delicious is the best way to describe this dish! Thanks so much for leaving a review, Katie. I really appreciate it 🙂
Lisa
I made your recipe using some wild caught cod tonight. Very delicious, very easy, very fast. Thank you for sharing!
★★★★★
Kylie Lato
YUM – wild caught cod!! Sounds delish. I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe, Lisa. Thanks for leaving a review!! 🙂
Elizabeth
so easy and delish. I added some veggies
★★★★★
Kylie Lato
Great idea! I love to bulk up any dish with some extra veggies! Thanks so much for leaving a review 🙂
Guyana Butterfish
Aw kylie! you’re amazing. These pictures are looking so yummy mouth-watering dishes, and this Butterfish recipe is probably my most favorite pan recipe. Thank you soo much! please keep sharing your experience. By the way, you can easily Buy Fresh Guyana Butterfish at a reasonable price. visit our website for further details.
★★★★★
Gil
Needed a quick recipe for hungry stomachs without having to run out to shop.
Has everything and dug out Mahi Mahi out of the freezer.
Sauteed briefly shopped garlic w/added white wine and added capers to point [5].
A+ winner!
Thank you for the inspiration.
★★★★★
Kylie Lato
I am so glad that you enjoyed this recipe, Gil! Mahi Mahi would be great in this dish. Thanks for leaving a review – I really appreciate it!
Michael Figueroa
I wish I was able to post a picture because mine came out amazing! I used some flavor god lemon and garlic seasoning along with paprika. My butter sauce was a lot darker then the recipe shown. The spaghetti tasted amazing along the cod which I didn’t think it would work together.
★★★★★
Kylie Lato
I am so glad that you enjoyed this recipe, Michael! All stoves and pans cook a little different so that’s totally normally to end up with a slightly darker sauce – it just means you brought out even more of the nutty browned butter flavor 🙂 I wish you could share the pic too – I’m a real sucker for a delicious food photo! I hear ya on the spaghetti, but it totally works! Thank you for leaving a review – I really appreciate it!
Gracey P.
I found this recipe on Pinterest and it’s quickly become a favorite. I’ve made it several times and it’s been easy and delicious every time! Highly recommend.
★★★★★
Kylie Lato
I love to hear that, Gracey! This is one of our family’s favorites also! So simple, but so tasty 🙂 Thank you for leaving a review – I really appreciate it!