Roasted White Fish With Lemony Almondine

By Melissa Clark

Published February 28, 2023

  • Julia Gartland for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne.
Media 1 of 1
Total Time
20 minutes
Rating
5(1,575)
Comments
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Fish almondine, a variation on a classic meunière, combines toasted sliced almonds, brown butter and lemon juice as a sauce for sautéed, flour-dusted fillets. In this easy, weeknight-appropriate version, the fish is roasted, skipping the flour, for a more delicate result. Then, the sauce gets extra citrus intensity from a bit of grated lemon zest. Flaky white fish, or trout, is most traditional here. But the winning mix of brown butter, lemon and almonds is equally good on any kind of salmon, shrimp, green beans, asparagus – even roast chicken. And it comes together in a flash.

Featured in: This Buttery Fish Is Weeknight Easy and Julia Child Fancy

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

  • 4 (6- to 8-ounce) fillets flaky white fish, such as hake, cod or flounder, or trout

  • Fine sea or table salt and black pepper

  • 7 tablespoons unsalted butter

  • ½ cup sliced almonds

  • 1 lemon, zest finely grated, then fruit halved

  • 1 tablespoon minced chives, plus more for garnish

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

5 grams carbs; 139 milligrams cholesterol; 416 calories; 10 grams monounsaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 13 grams saturated fat; 27 grams fat; 2 grams fiber; 598 milligrams sodium; 38 grams protein; 1 gram sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat oven to 450 degrees. Place fish on a rimmed sheet pan and season fillets lightly with salt and black pepper on both sides. Cut 1 tablespoon butter into small pieces and scatter on top of the fish. Roast for 7 to 11 minutes, or until the fish is tender and cooked through. (Thin fillets will cook more quickly than thick ones.)

  2. Step 2

    While fish roasts, in a large skillet, melt remaining 6 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Cook, swirling the pan, until the foam subsides and the butter turns a deep nut brown, 3 to 7 minutes. (Watch carefully so that it doesn’t burn.)

  3. Step 3

    Add almonds to the pan and turn off the heat; the nuts will immediately start to brown. Toss them in the hot butter until golden, about 2 minutes, turning the heat back on to low if the nuts need a little more color. Squeeze the juice from half a lemon into the pan and stir in half of the grated lemon zest, the chives, ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon black pepper. Taste and add more lemon juice and salt, if needed.

  4. Step 4

    Pour the sauce over the fish and garnish with more chives and lemon zest. Serve warm, with the remaining lemon half on the side for squeezing. (You can cut it into wedges, if you like.)

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Ratings

5 out of 5
1,575 user ratings
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Comments

Chris Flanagan

In Julia and Jaques “Cooking at Home,” Julia boiled 1/4 C white wine vinegar and 1/4 C of dry white wine or dry white vermouth, before removing pan and whisking in 2 tablespoons of butter, returning pan to the stove and continuing to add the rest of the butter incrementally to achieve a thick smooth sauce. I used Pernod which provides a anise flavor to the dish.

Jonny2bears

My halibut fillets were just over 6 oz, and I used about 1/2 tbs shaved butter on each fillet, while cutting the remaining butter for the almonds in about half. The almonds browned just fine in less butter, and this dinner entree came together brilliantly. I suppose using all the butter is decadence at its finest for many, but less was fine. The fillets roasted wonderfully with a touch more butter. Great almandine take!

Frederick Tibbetts

Suggestion. Add depth with a shot of white wine at Step 5, reduced just for a minute, before the lemon juice and zest go in. Cheers to not flouring, and roasting instead. For those who are dismayed and how much butter is needed, remember that all that lemony richness is to go with/over the “bare bones” accompaniments: whether potatoes, rice, haricots, or crusty bread.

Marilyn

This is a great recipe. I used 3 Tilapia Filets. Next time will use less butter and almonds. I made it for my sister-in-law (who does not really like fish). She ate it all. All that was left was a clean plate. My husband gave it a rating of 5. This will be my go-to fish recipe (we have fish at least once a week). I nice change from fried.

Sandra K

My recommendation is to use caution when adding lemon as pan retains heat even off heat for a couple of minutes. I experienced an unexpected amount of spatter. Perhaps a cautionary note should be considered for us less experience cooks.

J9 Seattle

We used Rockfish filets. Found the roasting method bland. Almondine sauce (as written) was good, if one note (lemon). We served with Garlic Scape Risotto (including celery and mushroom), which was a great addition to the fish dish. We will probably not use this roasting treatment again; I'm sure the small modifications to the sauce suggested by others did help elevate this classic, simple dish.

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