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Pan Fried Perch with lemon parsley Sauce

4.17 from 6 votes

This Pan Fried Perch with Lemon Parsley Sauce is a wonderful quick and light dinner for all fish lovers. On the table in under 30 minutes and goes great with fresh salads and crisp vegetables.

close up of the pan fried perch with lemon parsley sauce
Pan Fried Perch with Lemon Parsley Sauce

Friends, if you are looking for a quick and easy fish dish and brings a punch of flavour, make this one! I love most fish dishes, but don’t make them often because I have one non fish eating person in the family . What’s up with picky eaters anyway? So, being the kind of person that only likes to cook one dinner, I stick to family favourites most nights. Most! Sometimes I like to make something just for me though. Like this seafood delight!

So, what’ s the secret green sauce? Where we live here in southern Spain, this is a sauce served regularly with fish. It’s a basic sauce made with olive oil, parsley, lemon and garlic. That’s pretty much it.. You will see in the the recipe below, that it literally takes a few minutes to make. Yes, it’s an oily sauce, but that is exactly how it is meant to be.

Let’s take a look at how quickly it comes together and you want to make it this week too!

over head view of the pan fried perch with lemon parsley sauce
Pan Fried Perch with Lemon Parsley Sauce

Here’s The Ingredients We Need to Make This Pan Fried Perch

  • 2 medium sized perch fillets cut cross ways
  • 1/4 Cup olive oil plus 1 tablespoon
  • Big bunch of fresh chopped parsley very finely chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic crushed
  • Juice of one lemon, divided
  • 1/2 of a lemon, sliced
  • Zest of one lemon
  • Salt and pepper to taste

REMEMBER, The full recipe and instructions is always found at the end of the post in the recipe card.

ingredients you need to make the pan fried perch with parsley sauce
Pan Fried Perch with Lemon Parsley Sauce

First, Make the Lemon Parsley Sauce

  • Finely chop ingredients – finely dice the garlic and parsley.
  • Zest lemon – (not shown), zest one lemon.
  • Heat a small skillet or pan – over medium heat, add a small pan on the stove. Add the 1/4 cup of olive oil, the parsley, garlic, lemon zest and juice of one lemon. Season with a touch of salt. Bring to a simmer and remove from heat. Set aside.

Let’s Make This Fish Dish

  • Pat dry the fish – this is super important to get it crispy. Be sure to pat dry both sides of the fish with paper towels.
  • Season the fish – my tip is to lay out a sheet of parchment paper and lightly sprinkle sea salt and black pepper all over the sheet. Lay the fish on top and press it down. Flip and do the other side.
  • Heat a skillet over high heat – add olive oil and let it heat for about a minutes.
  • Cook the fish – Place the fish in the pan (if you fish has skin, place skin side down), cook for about 5 minutes leaving it alone. Flip the fish and add a few fresh cut lemon slices to the pan. Squeeze over lemon juice and let cook until fish is cooked through, about 3 – 4 minutes. Remove from pan.

How To Serve The Perch

  • Remove from Heat – as soon as the fish is finished cooking, remove it from the pan. Otherwise it will continue cooking.
  • Serve with the Lemon Parsley Sauce – plate up your fish and top with the lemon parsley sauce. Done!
freshly cooked perch in a skillet
Pan Fried Perch with Lemon Parsley Sauce

Are There Any Substitutions I can Make To This Dish

Honestly friends, no. This dish really needs to be cooked as per the instructions. There is nothing I can think of that will give your either similar or the same results. But if you on the hunt for something different, check out the Fish and Seafood section on the blog.

pan fried perch on a white plate
Pan Fried Perch with Lemon Parsley Sauce

What’s Great To Serve with This Pan Fried Perch

pan fried perch on a white plate
Pan Fried Perch with Lemon Parsley Sauce

It an honestly great sauce, so you’ll have to give it a try sometimes.

I hope you like the recipe today. If you get a chance to make it at some point, let me know in the comments below how it turned out for you.

Happy cooking friends!

close up of Pan Fried Perch with  lemon parsley sauce
Pan Fried Perch with Lemon Parsley Sauce

close up of the pan fried perch with lemon parsley sauce
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Pan Fried Perch with Lemon Parsley Sauce

This Pan Fried Perch with Lemon Parsley Sauce is a wonderful quick and light dinner for all fish lovers. On the table in under 30 minutes and goes great with fresh salads and crisp vegetables.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Total Time25 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Mediterranean
Keyword: dinner, olive oil, Seafood
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 201kcal
Author: Julia Pinney

Ingredients

  • 2 medium sized perch fillets cut cross ways
  • 1/4 Cup olive oil plus 1 tablespoon
  • 1/3 cup fresh chopped parsley very finely chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic crushed
  • Juice of one lemon divided
  • zest of one lemon
  • 1/2 lemon cut into slices
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Make the Lemon Parsley Sauce

  • In a small saucepan set over medium heat, add 1/4 cup of the olive oil, parsley, garlic, lemon zest and juice of 1/2 lemon. Bring to a simmer and remove from heat. This will take about 2 – 3 minutes.

Cook the Perch

  • In a large skillet set over medium-high heat, add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil. Heat oil for about a minute and add the fish. Cook for about 5 minutes then flip. Add lemon slices to the pan and pour over remaining lemon juice. Cook for a further 3 – 4 minutes or until fish is cooked through.
  • Remove from skillet and serve topped with the lemon parsley sauce.

*A note on times provided: appliances vary, any prep and/or cook times provided are estimates only.

Nutrition Facts
Pan Fried Perch with Lemon Parsley Sauce
Amount Per Serving (1 serving)
Calories 201 Calories from Fat 126
% Daily Value*
Fat 14g22%
Saturated Fat 2g13%
Cholesterol 77mg26%
Sodium 53mg2%
Potassium 241mg7%
Carbohydrates 1g0%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 1g1%
Protein 17g34%
Vitamin A 26IU1%
Vitamin C 2mg2%
Calcium 73mg7%
Iron 1mg6%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Thanks For Stopping by & Hope To see You Soon!

By on January 16th, 2022
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About Julia Pinney

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4.17 from 6 votes (6 ratings without comment)

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