Recipes

Pan Fried Fish

By
Mary Berg

Published: 

Pan Fried Fish
Portions
2

Ingredients

  • 2 fillets sole or tilapia
  • Salt & pepper
  • ¼ cup all-purpose flour
  • 3 tablespoons butter, divided

For a Meunière Style Sauce

  • 1 lemon, zested and juiced
  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley

For a Piccata Style Sauce

  • 1 lemon, zested and juiced
  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley
  • 1–2 tablespoons capers

For a White Wine Cream Sauce

  • ½ shallot, finely diced
  • ¼ cup dry white wine
  • 4–6 tablespoons whipping cream
  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped dill

Directions

  1. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat.
  2. Set the fillets out and season with salt and pepper. Add the flour to a shallow plate and season with salt and pepper.
  3. Add 1 tablespoon of butter to the pan and dredge the fish in the flour, tapping off any excess. Add the fish to the hot butter and cook for 2 minutes on the first side or until lightly golden brown. Add another tablespoon of butter to the pan, turn the heat down to medium, and flip the fish over. Continue to cook until golden and cooked through.
  4. Remove the fish to serving plates, add the remaining tablespoon of butter to the pan, and allow the butter to brown. Spoon the butter sauce over the fish and serve or, if desired, you can flavour the sauce.
  5. For the meunière style sauce, add the lemon zest, lemon, juice, and parsley to the browned butter and whisk to combine. Season with more salt and pepper, if needed, and spoon over the fish and serve.
  6. For the piccata style sauce, add the lemon zest, lemon juice, parsley, and capers to the browned butter and whisk to combine. Season with pepper (you won’t need more salt as the capers are quite salty) and spoon over the fish and serve.
  7. For the white wine cream sauce, add the shallots into the pan when you remove the fish and add the remaining tablespoon of butter. Season with salt and pepper and cook down for about 1 minutes just until softened and lightly golden brown. Pour in the wine and simmer to reduce it by half. Pour in 4 tablespoons of cream and bring to a simmer. If the sauce is a bit thick, add in another tablespoon or two of cream. Season with salt and pepper and stir in the dill. Spoon the sauce over the fish and serve.