Name: Baked Rockfish
Prep time: 7 min
Cook time: 23 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: rockfish fillets (I just used one one fillet and it fed my husband and myself, I also use fresh fish); 4 tablespoons butter; 1 tablespoon mustard powder; 2 tsp dried thyme; 1 tsp curry powder; 1/2 cup heavy cream; 1 shallot (if you cannot find shallots then use red onion); salt and pepper to taste; 2 cloves minced garlic; Fresh herbs (chives and parsley (optional)); Capers (optional)

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This recipe for baked rockfish fillets is quick, delicious, and an easy recipe. With a cook time of under 30 minutes, you will be wondering why you haven’t been making this recipe forever.

In our house, as we don’t eat meat, we love fish. Fish is a staple as it is our main source of protein. This is one of my favorite fish recipes. I have even brought this to a dinner party. It was served as one of the main dishes and everyone thought it was absolutely delicious. As a recipe developer, I love to try new fish recipes, but, sometimes, you need to just go back to your staples. I love recipes with little to no prep time, and the prep time for this baked rockfish is less than 10 minutes and its cooking time is around 23 minutes. Making it an ideal dish to make and the perfect 30 minute meal for home cooks everywhere. Let’s dive in and make this baked rockfish aka the perfect main course.

FAQ for baked rockfish fillets

If you are looking for substitutes for this recipe, let’s take a look. If you do not have butter then you can substitute olive oil. Make sure that it is extra virgin olive oil. You could also do a combination of butter and olive oil if you wanted! Be sure to not over-do it though if you do use olive oil, as you do not want the sauce to be too thinned out.

Rockfish is a mild fish that will flake easily when you bake it. If you find that you cannot find rockfish fillets where you live then you can also substitute rock cod, black cod, pacific snapper, red snapper, or halibut. Halibut would be my last choice for this, and really if you can buy rockfish fillets, then do so! In my opinion, it really is the best fish.

This baked rockfish recipe does not have lemon in it. If you are obsessed with lemon and want that extra flavor, then add the lemon zest of one lemon. You could also line the fish with lemon slices if you wish. However, I would avoid lemon juice.

Is rockfish hard to cook?

Fish recipes can be intimidating if you don’t cook them often, however, it becomes easy the more often you practice! This is a tasty first recipe to try your cooking skills on, so, the best tip I can give you is to purchase a thermometer so that you can check the internal temperature of the fish fillets if you are worried that they may not be cooked fully inside. The temperature you are looking for is 145°F.

Rockfish fillets tend to be more expensive and therefore you may be worried about how to cook them. This recipe is foolproof and will yield delicious results! So long as you follow the instructions, and bake them accordingly, the fillets will be a 10/10 and you will be adding this to your regular list of recipes!

What should I serve with this rockfish recipe?

You can serve it with rice, potatoes, and or salad. If you do decide to serve it with rice, I would save a bit of the sauce as a leftover, and pour it over the rice before placing the rockfish on top. The rice will feel a bit less bland and or dry that way. We love to serve it with these roast potatoes! They are delicious and one of our favorite recipes! Plus if you make the potatoes, you can bake them at the same time as the fish. A win win.

What do you need to make this baked rockfish?

rockfish fillets, I just used one one fillet and it fed my husband and myself, I also use fresh fish
4 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon mustard powder
2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon curry powder
½ cup heavy cream
1 shallot, if you cannot find shallots then use red onion
salt and pepper to taste
2 cloves minced garlic
Fresh herbs, chives and parsley (optional)
Capers (optional)

How do you make these baked rockfish fillets?

Preheat oven to 425°F and line a sheet pan or a baking sheet with parchment paper (if you absolutely do not have parchment paper then you could use aluminum foil- please note that it will stick more-so to aluminum foil). Meanwhile make the sauce.
In a sauce pan or pot, place the butter and melt. Add the shallot and fry for 3-5 minutes on medium heat. Once the shallots look nice and golden brown, add the spices, garlic, and continue to stir. Add the capers if you want them, followed by the cream. You are going to continue to stir the sauce until it thickens. Cream will naturally thicken a sauce. It should take around 5 minutes on a medium heat.
Take your rockfish fillets and pat dry with paper towels. Place the rockfish fillets onto the baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Season with salt and pepper. If you wish, you can use kosher salt and pepper, it makes no real difference in this dish. Pour the sauce over the fish and make sure the sauce is spread evenly over the fish. You want the entire fish to be infused with the flavors of the sauce. Place the baking sheet pan into the preheated oven. This baked rockfish recipe has a cook time of 23 minutes (you do not need to rotate the baked rockfish half way through the bake). When you remove the rockfish from the oven, the internal temperature should be at a minimum 145°F. Therefore, I always check the thickest part of the fish fillets to make sure it is in fact cooked all the way through .
Remove the baked rockfish from the oven and cover with fresh herbs. You will see when you cut into the fish fillets with your fork that the fish flakes easily. It is absolutely delicious! The color on the top will be a beautiful golden brown, and your rockfish fillets are ready. I like to serve it on a large plate and place it in the middle of a table. It just feels fancier that way.