Baked Whitefish with Mustard Sauce ~ fish fillets baking up in a zesty but comforting cream sauce is a quick and delicious 30 minute meal.
It might be 90 degrees out there, but a new Netflix BBC mystery series came through the mail slot today, the AC is cranking, and we’ve got our throws standing by on the couch. I actually look forward to this time of the summer when it gets so hot outside that we have no choice but to make it really cold inside. I’m talking no ice cubes in the wine cold. It’s a nice excuse to make this cozy baked fish.
I’m a great believer in the virtues of fish. It’s healthy, quick cooking, and so delicate tasting I can’t see how anyone wouldn’t love it. Since we eat a lot of it, I like to dramatically change up the way I cook it so we don’t get bored. Fish in mustard sauce pops up in lots of cultures: India, Britain, France and Germany, just off the top of my head, and probably many more. It’s a recurring staple in our lives, and brings us back to student days in London. One of the great things about it is that you can get it all ready and put the covered pan in the refrigerator until you’re ready to cook.
Also try ~
- Easy Whitefish with Burst Tomatoes
- Fish with Blood Orange and Thyme in Parchment
- Simple Greek Style Baked Fish
Baked Whitefish with Mustard Sauce
Equipment
- casserole dish
Ingredients
- 1 lb whitefish fillet, I had the fishmonger remove the skin
- olive oil
sauce
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- juice of 1 lime, or lemon
- 1 Tbsp stone ground Dijon mustard
- 2 heaping Tbsp capers, drained
- 2 heaping Tbsp snipped fresh chives, use parsley, or tarragon, if you don’t have chives
- salt and fresh cracked pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F
- Drizzle a little oil in the bottom of a baking dish and lay the fish on top.
- Whisk together the sauce in a small bowl. When you add the mustard and the lime to the cream it will thicken. Taste the sauce and adjust the seasoning if needed.
- Spread the sauce thickly over the fish.
- Bake for about 20 minutes, and then put the dish under the broiler until it’s slightly browned and bubbling.
- Sprinkle a few more chives across the top.
Notes:
- When I cooked this I actually thinned the sauce with a splash of dry white wine, but because the fish releases juices during the baking, the sauce didn’t need it. So I’ve left that step out of the recipe above. If you want it to have the extra sauce like you see in the photos, add it back in.
- I served this with green beans, which are showing up at the farmer’s market right now.
GOOD
This may defeat the purpose, but is there anything I could sub for the cream?
That’s a tough one! Yogurt will likely curdle.
I’m loving this recipe. Pinned. I also pinned the Roberts’s fish in parchment and haven’t made that one yet. I obviously need more cooking time. 🙂 I do the same thing when it gets hot. Hole up with the AC cranked, ceiling fans warp speed and cook indoors.
I have awarded you the On Lovely Blog Award on my blog!