White Fish & Asparagus in a Lemon Butter Sauce (Meunière)

Fish and seafood are very much something I have come to appreciate more as I got older. I can’t say I was particularly fussed as a child. I’d eat it, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to order it or ask for it.

But nowadays, my eyes go straight to the fish section on a restaurant menu. I know very little about how to make it taste amazing, but they often do, and I am learning. I can make a delicious crab pasta dinner, creamy mussels and a yummy sardine puttanesca.

One of my favourite things I’ve learned about fish and seafood is that it can be our best friend when we are short on time but want to get a healthy dinner on the table. Because it turns out, fish and seafood can be cooked very very quickly. And often it is far better when cooked for as little time as possible. It’s tender, flaky and very satisfying.

Unfortunately, fish can also be expensive. At least the way most of us buy it. Sticking to cod, salmon and tuna means we get a shock when looking at the hit to the grocery budget. But trying out cheaper options can make it much more affordable, and often better for the planet and the fish, too.

I’ve come to feel like the way you cook the fish is far more important than the type of fish you buy, and I love that this traditional French way of preparing it is both one of the simplest ways I’ve found, but also the tastiest. It works well with frozen defrosted fish as well as fresh-off-the-counter fish (although for the flakiest, meatiest version you’ll probably want to go with the fresh stuff). It means that I can buy a bag of sustainable white fish for the freezer, or a few fillets of hake, pollock or whichever cheaper white fish my fishmonger recommends, and have a delicious healthy dinner on the table in about 10 mins.

And if that doesn’t convince you – what if I told you the secret is plenty of butter? 😉

This is one of my family’s favourite springtime (or year-round with different veg) dishes. Both kids gobble it up in seconds, and usually ask for more!

5 from 1 vote

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White Fish & Asparagus in a Lemon Butter Sauce (Meunière)

Prep Time

2 mins

Cook Time

10 mins

Total Time

12 mins

 

A cheap, easy and super quick way of cooking white fish that results in tender, flaky, sweet soft fish and a deep buttery flavour. A one-pan 10 minute family dinner that everyone can enjoy.

Course: April, Dinner, Easter, Lunch, Main Course, March, Seasonal, Spring

Servings: 4 servings

Author: Raising Sugar Free Kids

Ingredients

• 4 white fish fillets of your choice (fresh or frozen defrosted)
• 3-4 tbsp flour (plain or wholegrain), optional (it mostly serves to thicken the sauce and give a little more colour to the fish)
• 6-8 tbsp unsalted butter (I start with 6 and add more if the pan is getting dry)
• 1 bunch asparagus, ends trimmed
• 100 g (2/3 cup) frozen peas, optional
• juice of 1 lemon
• 2 tbsp capers
• 1/2 bunch parsley, roughly chopped
• crusty bread or cooked quinoa, to serve

Instructions

1. Coat the fish in the flour, if using. Melt the butter in a large frying pan over low-medium heat and allow to bubble and turn light golden for a minute, then add the fish and asparagus and cook for about 10 mins, until fish is cooked and asparagus softened. During this time, regularly "baste" the fish by spooning some of the butter sauce over the top of it to ensure it cooks evenly and soaks up the butter well. If at any point the pan is going dry, add a little more butter or some olive oil. Chuck in the frozen peas for the last few mins of cooking time. Take off the heat and sprinkle over the lemon juice, capers and parsley.

2. Serve warm with crusty bread for dipping, or over some cooked quinoa for a more filling dinner.