White Fish in Parsley Sauce Recipe

This white fish in parsley sauce recipe is so tasty and easy to make. It is creamy, bursting with fresh parsley flavor, and has a touch of garlic and lemon to finish it off.

Serve it with a side of potatoes or rice, and a healthy vegetable and you’ve got a delicious dinner for your family. They will love it, and no one will even know that it was actually super easy and cheap to make.

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It is perfect for those nights when you are in a rush to get dinner on the table, and find yourself digging in the back of your freezer for inspiration. Then you happen to come across some frozen white fish.

The other ingredients are likely in your pantry already as well. No crazy specific ingredients that you have to google to find out what it is. Just those reliable staples that your grandma used to use.

Parsley cream sauce is traditionally a British recipe, but I have taken that inspiration and come up with my own version.

I heard about parsley sauce and thought I had to try it. I grew a lot of parsley from seed this year, and now need to find fun ways to use it up.

It is essentially just a white sauce flavored with fresh parsley. I made it following the same method that my mom taught me to make alfredo sauce, but I adjusted the seasonings.

Why You’ll Love This REcipe

Works well with any fish or even chicken. That means you can use which ever frozen fish you may have pulled out for dinner, or whatever is on sale in the grocery flyer.

Cheap and easy to find ingredients that you likely already have in your fridge and pantry.

Comes together quickly so you can have dinner on the table in no time.

Adds a delicious and satisfying touch to your fish night. It really levels up your fish and makes it a true comfort meal.

Ingredients

White fish – You could use any white fish for this recipe (cod, pollock, haddock, halibut). This time around I used haddock because I found a good deal at my grocery store.

Olive oil – to brush over your fish fillets

Lemon juice

Fresh parsley – I prefer flat leaf parsley for this recipe but, curly leaf parsley is more traditional. Just make sure which ever variety you choose is fresh and not dried

Milk – I used regular 2% milk

Butter – I used unsalted butter. If you use salted, then you may want to adjust the amount of salt you add later

Flour – All purpose flour works great for this

Salt

Pepper

onion

garlic

How to Make Fish in Parsley Sauce:

Step 1

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees. Gather your other ingredients and prep them while the oven heats up.

Finely chop the parsley, garlic, and onion. You will only use two tablespoons of chopped onion, but I like to chop the whole thing and leave the rest in the fridge ready for scrambled eggs in the mornings.

Step 2

Next, you will melt some butter in a small saucepan on your stove top. Once it has melted, you can add the onions and cook until soft and translucent.

After that has happened, it is time to add in your garlic and cook until fragrant.

Step 3

Now you can add the flour and cook for 1-2 minutes while whisking constantly. This is the roux that will thicken your sauce. I also like to add some salt and pepper while this is cooking.

You want whisk the whole time so that nothing burns to the bottom of the pan. This is not the time to walk away from the stove quickly.

It should be good as it starts to turn a slightly light brown color.

Step 4

After your roux has been cooking long enough, then you can pour in the milk. Again whisk constantly until everything is well combined.

Heat the milk over medium heat (number 6 on my stove). Continue to whisk regularly and heat until the milk starts to steam.

You will notice it start to thicken up at this point as well.

Step 5

Now it is time to get the fish going.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place your defrosted or fresh fish fillets on top. Next, brush a nice layer of olive oil over them. Top them with a sprinkle of salt and pepper, and some fresh lemon juice.

Set aside until your parsley sauce has almost finished thickening. When you are ready, place them in the oven and bake for 4-6 minutes.

You will know they are done when they flake apart with a fork.

Step 6

Now that you have your fish in the oven, you can add the parsley to your parsley sauce. Once your sauce has thickened to your liking, you can turn off the burner and put a lid on it to keep warm until your fish is ready.

This is also a perfect time to give that sauce you just made a taste to see if you want to add any extra salt or pepper.

Voila! That is all there is to it. All that is left now is to plate it up and enjoy. Bon apetite!

Tips

• I like to get the sauce going first, then prep the fish and put it in the oven as your sauce is thickening. This is because the fish cooks so fast and you don’t want it to dry out while you finish your sauce.

Recipe FAQs:

what fish Goes Well with parsley sauce?

You can use any type of fish with parsley sauce. I think white fish is best like cod, pollock, or haddock.

Is parsley sauce ok for fish pie?

Parsley sauce is perfect for fish pie. The sauce is very similar to a chicken pot pie sauce in consistency. So you can use it in the same way, except with yummy fish in cream sauce.

Can you Freeze Parsley Sauce?

Yes, you can freeze parsley sauce. I like to wait for it to cool, then add it to a zip lock bag. Be sure to label it with the date, amount, and type of sauce. Then lay it flat in the freezer – this just makes it easier to store later. It will keep for 3 months this way.