Brown Butter Fish

There are certain foods that you might love, and find simple to make, but do not make often because they are too decadent. Cheesecake and lasagna are some that come to mind for me. Brown butter definitely sounds decadent, but it is fairly simple to make after you do it the first time. This makes it something that want to incorporate in all sorts of dishes, but you feel like it should be relegated to special occasions. I have made brown butter brownies, brown butter chocolate chip cookies, and now brown butter fish. Every so often, I page through my America’s Test Kitchen binder and find new meals I missed before. We were super excited to try this, especially because it had a fancy sounding name. This is not as bad for you as you would expect because you do not need much butter to make a big impact with the flavor.

For this recipe, feel free to use many kinds of white fish. It has turned out well with sole, cod, and halibut so far. Sole works well because it cooks super quickly but I also really liked the halibut. I had never cooked with it before, but it was hard to resist since it was fresh at my grocery store, and local! When you use different kinds of fish, make sure you adjust the cooking times for whatever fish you have. A thin piece of fish will take about 3 minutes per side.

Directions for Brown Butter Fish

Adapted from America’s Test Kitchen

• 1/2 to 1 pound fish
• Salt
• Pepper
• 1/2 cup flour (or so)
• 3 Tablespoons butter (use real butter for this)
• 1 Tablespoon oil
• 2 teaspoons capers (rinsed)
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon parsley

Start by patting the fish dry, then sprinkle salt and pepper on each side. Set it aside for 5 minutes. The fish will look wet at this point.

Meanwhile, in a pan, heat the oil and 1 tablespoon of butter in a skillet. Dredge the fish through just enough flour for a light coating. When the oil/butter is hot and bubbly, place the fish in and brown one side. Flip, then brown the other side and cook through. Once the fish is ready, remove it from the pan.

Add the remaining butter and heat over medium low to brown the butter. Let it get foamy, then keep heating it until it browns. At this point, add in the capers, lemon juice, and parsley. Stir together, then remove from the heat.

You can serve by either pouring on top of the fish or putting the fish back in the pan and spooning the sauce on top.

Directions for Brown Butter Fish without pictures

Adapted from America’s Test Kitchen

• 1/2 to 1 pound fish
• Salt
• Pepper
• 1/2 cup flour (or so)
• 3 Tablespoons butter (use real butter for this)
• 1 Tablespoon oil
• 2 teaspoons capers (rinsed)
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon parsley

Start by patting the fish dry, then sprinkle salt and pepper on each side. Set it aside for 5 minutes. The fish will look wet at this point. Meanwhile, in a pan, heat the oil and 1 tablespoon of butter in a skillet. Dredge the fish through just enough flour for a light coating. When the oil/butter is hot and bubbly, place the fish in and brown one side. Flip, then brown the other side and cook through. Once the fish is ready, remove it from the pan. Add the remaining butter and heat over medium low to brown the butter. Let it get foamy, then keep heating it until it browns. At this point, add in the capers, lemon juice, and parsley. Stir together, then remove from the heat.

You can serve by either pouring on top of the fish or putting the fish back in the pan and spooning the sauce on top.

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