Flathead Fillets with Lemon and Parsley
Delicate Port Phillip bay flathead fillets dusted in seasoned flour, pan-fried in golden butter, and finished with fresh lemon, capers, and flat-leaf parsley.
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 10 min
- Total
- 20 min
- Servings
- 4
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Calories
- 285 kcal
Equipment
- •large frypan
- •fish slice or spatula
- •wide shallow bowl or plate
- •paper towel
Nutrition
Per serving, approximate
- Calories
- 285 kcal
- fat
- 14 g
- carbs
- 10 g
- fibre
- 1 g
- protein
- 29 g
- calories
- 285 kcal
Instructions
- 1
Pat the flathead fillets completely dry using paper towel.
- 2
Combine the plain flour, sea salt, and black pepper on a wide plate.
- 3
Lightly press each fillet into the seasoned flour, shaking off any excess coating.
- 4
Heat the olive oil and half the butter in a large frypan over medium-high heat until sizzling.
- 5
Place the fillets in the hot pan in a single layer without overcrowding.
- 6
Cook for two minutes until the underside turns pale golden and crisp.
- 7
Turn the fillets carefully using a fish slice and cook for one to two minutes more.
- 8
Transfer the cooked fish onto a warm serving platter.
- 9
Lower the heat and add the remaining butter, minced garlic, and capers to the pan.
- 10
Swirl the pan for thirty seconds until the butter foams and smells nutty.
- 11
Stir in the lemon juice and chopped parsley, taking the pan off the heat immediately.
- 12
Spoon the warm pan sauce generously over the flathead fillets and serve with lemon wedges.
Chef's tips
Do not overcrowd the frypan, as flathead fillets will steam rather than crisp. If cooking for a crowd, cook in two separate batches and keep the first batch warm in a low oven.
Ingredient substitutions
- bay flathead fillets → whiting, snapper, or ling fillets
- plain flour → gluten-free plain flour or rice flour
- unsalted butter → extra olive oil or dairy-free butter
Storage
Store leftover cooked fish in an airtight container in the fridge for up to one day.
Reheating
Gently reheat in a warm frypan with a touch of butter over low heat until just warmed through.
Common mistakes to avoid
- •Overcooking the delicate fillets until the sweet flesh becomes dry and chewy.
- •Skipping drying the fillets with paper towel, which causes the flour coating to turn soggy.
- •Burning the garlic and butter sauce by keeping the heat too high at the end.
Serving suggestions
Cooked Flathead Fillets with Lemon and Parsley?
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