Make this easy rockfish fillet recipe all in one pan, with a simple garlic butter sauce and a splash of lemon. Rockfish is a mild-tasting white fish, so it’s a great family-friendly seafood option. Our Pan-Fried Rockfish is a quick weeknight entrée with minimal prep.
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Why Every Garlic Lover Needs to Try This
As you already know from our Garlic Pan-Seared Salmon and Garlic Shrimp Fried Rice, garlic and seafood are a winning combination.
We haven’t posted any white fish recipes until now, but I have no idea why. Boneless white fish fillets like rockfish are so easy to prep and cook. Plus, they are very mild-tasting and they rarely ever taste “too fishy.” Rockfish are also known as striped bass.
The lemon butter sauce will keep the rockfish fillets moist, even if you overcook them a bit.
This garlic pan fried rockfish is the perfect dinner when you want to switch it up with a sea-based protein!
Ingredient Notes
A few important notes on some of the ingredients used in this Pan-Fried Rockfish recipe:
Rockfish (aka Striped Bass) Fillet: The fillets are nice because all the prep work is already done, so there’s no need to gut and scale the fish yourself. You can find these frozen or fresh. If using frozen, let them defrost overnight in the fridge before cooking.
Don't have rockfish? This recipe also tastes incredible with other white fish like cod, Chilean sea bass, or mahi-mahi.
Garlic: Use lots of garlic, finely minced. Rockfish fillets take on the flavours of whatever sauce they’re cooked with, so we want to make sure to get a bit of garlic in every bite!
Butter: For a dairy-free option, you can use vegan butter. Vegan butter is actually great for pan-frying. I don’t recommend using oil because it’s nice to have some buttery flavour for the sauce.
Flour: The flour mixes with the butter to form a quick roux which thickens up the sauce. For gluten-free, sub cornstarch instead.
Lemon or Lime Juice: Fresh lemon juice, please!
See recipe card for quantities.
Directions
- Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat.
- Add rockfish fillets and scatter minced garlic over them. Pan-fry until lightly browned, then gently flip.
Tip: We recommend using a fish spatula. I use my fish spatula for pretty much everything, actually, but it’s particularly good for delicate fillets like these. You can slide it underneath the fish and flip it right over without breaking it apart.
- Sprinkle flour into the pan and let it dissolve into the butter. Pour over chicken stock and cook until thickened.
- Squeeze lemon or lime juice over the rockfish and take off the heat. Serve with the garlic lemon butter sauce.
Equipment
Skillet: A Hexclad frying pan is great for cooking white fish fillets. The non-stick surface keeps the fish from breaking apart when you flip it, but you can use metal utensils like my preferred fish spatula without damaging the pan.
Spatula: A small fish spatula is invaluable for fish!
Storage Tips
Fridge: Store pan-fried salmon steaks in the refrigerator for up to four days.
Freezer: Leftover cooked salmon can be frozen for up to three months.
What to Serve with Pan-Fried Rockfish
These are my favorite dishes to serve with Garlic Butter Rockfish:
Did you make this recipe? Please leave a rating or comment below to give me feedback and help out other readers.
Recipe Card
Pan-Fried Rockfish with Garlic Lemon Butter Sauce
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 pound rockfish fillets
- ½ head minced garlic 5-6 cloves
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon flour
- 3 tablespoons chicken stock
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Instructions
- Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a skillet over medium heat.
- Add 1 pound rockfish fillets and scatter ½ head minced garlic over them. Pan-fry for five minutes or until lightly browned, then gently flip (we recommend using a fish spatula).
- Sprinkle ½ teaspoon ground black pepper and 1 teaspoon flour into the pan, and let dissolve into the butter. Pour over the 3 tablespoons chicken stock. Cook until the sauce is thickened.
- Squeeze 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice over the rockfish and serve with the garlic butter sauce in the pan.
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