Ingredients
- 4 thin white fish fillets about 4-5 oz each fillet/110-140 grams each (note 1)
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- a pinch of fine salt
- a pinch of ground black pepper
- 1 large garlic clove crushed
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 shallot minced
- 2 tbsp capers drained
- lemon zest from one lemon for 4 fillets
- 3 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp finely minced fresh dill
Instructions
- Prepare the fish. Pat dry the fish fillets. Season with a pinch of salt and ground black pepper.
- Cook the fish. Heat a frying pan over medium-high heat. If the pan is not big enough for 4 fish fillets, cook them in batches (two at a time). Add the oil (1 tbsp if cooking only 2 fillets at a time, or 2 tbsp of oil if cooking 4 fillets at the same time). Once the oil is shimmering, lay the fish fillets in the pan (laying them away from you so that the oil doesn’t splash). Cook the fish for 3-4 min on the first side, then flip it gently. Add the crushed garlic clove, and continue cooking the fish for another 3-4 minutes until it’s fully cooked (when it’s opaque and flakes easily or registers an internal temperature of 145°F/63°C). Remove the fish to a hot plate and discard the garlic clove.
- Make the sauce. Reduce the heat to medium-low, and add the lemon juice, lemon zest, and minced shallot. Deglaze the pan with the lemon juice while cooking the shallot. Sauté until the minced shallot has softened, about 2 minutes (more or less depending on how small you minced the shallot). Turn the heat down to low, and add the capers and the butter, 1 tbsp of butter at a time, mixing with a heatproof spatula (only adding the next bit of butter once the previous one has melted). Take off the heat, and add the minced fresh dill.
- Serve. Spoon the sauce over the fish and serve immediately.
Notes
Note 1. Fish. Use thin fish fillets like basa, tilapia, European sea bass fillets, and catfish. You can use thicker fillets like cod, Chilean sea bass, and hake, but you'll have to cook them longer/adjust the cooking time accordingly.