Maison Ardoise · Main dishes

Pan-Seared White Fish with Brown Butter, Capers & Parsley Potatoes

Name: Pan-Seared White Fish with Brown Butter, Capers & Parsley Potatoes
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 640 g Halibut or thick cod fillets, skinless (4 x 160 g); 1.5 tsp Salt; 0.5 tsp Black pepper; 40 g All-purpose flour; 2 tbsp Neutral oil; 90 g Unsalted butter; 1 whole Lemon; 2 tbsp Capers, drained; 20 g Fresh flat-leaf parsley; 700 g Baby potatoes; 250 g Green beans

Lightly floured fillets of halibut or cod pan-fried until golden, then bathed in nutty brown butter with lemon, capers and parsley, alongside small potatoes tossed in butter and herbs. Simple, classic and ready in half an hour.

35 minutes · Easy · 4 servings

Original house recipe · Not yet kitchen-tested

Ingredients

Halibut or thick cod fillets, skinless (4 x 160 g)640 g
Salt1.5 tsp
Black pepper0.5 tsp
All-purpose flour40 g
Neutral oil2 tbsp
Unsalted butter90 g
Lemon1 whole
Capers, drained2 tbsp
Fresh flat-leaf parsley20 g
Baby potatoes700 g
Green beans250 g

Quantities describe recipe usage, not package sizes.

Allergen notes

Fish, wheat (flour) and milk (butter).

Method

Cook the potatoes and beans

Put the potatoes in a pot of cold water with 1 tsp salt, bring to a boil and simmer for 15–18 minutes, until a knife slides in easily. Add the trimmed green beans for the last 4 minutes. Drain, return to the pot and toss with 20 g of the butter and half the chopped parsley. Cover to keep warm.

Flour the fish

Pat the fish fillets very dry and season with the remaining salt and the pepper. Dredge lightly in the flour and pat off the excess. Wash your hands after handling the raw fish.

Sear until safe

Heat the oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Lay in the fish, presentation side down, and cook without moving for 3–4 minutes, until golden. Turn carefully, add 15 g of the butter and cook for 2–4 minutes more, depending on thickness, until the fish flakes easily and the thickest part reads 70°C (158°F). Move to warm plates.

Brown the butter

Wipe the pan, add the remaining 55 g butter and cook over medium heat, swirling, for 2–3 minutes, until it foams, smells nutty and turns hazelnut brown. Take it off the heat straight away and add the juice of half the lemon (it will sizzle), the capers and the rest of the parsley.

Serve

Spoon the brown butter over the fish and serve with the potatoes, green beans and the remaining lemon cut into wedges.

Brown butter goes from perfect to burnt in seconds, so have the lemon squeezed and the capers ready before you start. Use a rice flour dredge for a gluten-free version.

AI-generated food image. Presentation is illustrative. This menu belongs to an imagined restaurant.