How to Sauté Fish Fillets

Learning how to sauté fish fillets is a great way to level up your cooking skills. Additionally, sautéing fish is a quick and easy alternative to frying.

Below are super simple how-to instructions on how to sauté fish. Enjoy!

How to Sauté Fish Fillet

1. Season fish with salt and pepper.
2. Heat a medium-sized sauté pan or fry pan over medium-high heat.
3. Lightly coat (dredge) the fillets with flour. Be sure to gently remove excess flour.
4. Add a thin layer of olive oil to the warm pan.
5. When the oil is hot, add as many fillets you can to the pan while still leaving about a 1/4 of an inch between fillets.
6. Cook for about 2 minutes until the bottoms are golden brown.
7. Flip the fillets using a fish spatula.
8. Cook the second side until they are golden brown. This should take only about 1 minute since the fish is already warm.
9. Plate and serve the fillets immediately.

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Sautéd Fish Fillets

A basic how-to for sautéing fish.

Prep Time10 mins

Cook Time5 mins

Total Time15 mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American, French

Keyword: saute fish, sautéd fish

Servings: 5 people

Calories: 167kcal

Equipment

• 1 Sauté or frying pan
• 1 Spatula

Ingredients

• 1 Lb Any White Fish cut into 3 oz. Fish Fillets Examples salmon, cod, flounder, red snapper, and tilapia
• 1/3 oz White Flour Gluten-free Panko can be used instead
• 1/3 tsp Salt
• 1/3 tsp Black pepper Any pepper will do
• 1 1/4 tbsp Olive Oil Extra Virgin

Instructions

• Season fish with salt and pepper.
• Heat a medium-sized sauté pan or fry pan over medium-high heat.
• Lightly coat (dredge) the fillets with flour. Be sure to gently remove excess flour.
• Add a thin layer of olive oil to the warm pan.
• When the oil is hot, add as many fillets you can to the pan while still leaving about a 1/4 of an inch between fillets.
• Cook for about 2 minutes until the bottoms are golden brown.
• Flip the fillets using a fish spatula.
• Cook the second side until they are golden brown. This should take only about 1 minute since the fish is already warm.
• Plate and serve the fillets immediately.

Notes

This is a simple recipe that you can use to sauté any fish that can hold a fillet form, including salmon, cod, flounder, red snapper, and tilapia. Curious what a white fish actually means? Check out this helpful article on what a recipe means when it calls for white fish.

Nutrition

Calories: 167kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 18g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 50mg | Sodium: 195mg | Potassium: 448mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 37IU | Calcium: 12mg | Iron: 1mg

More Fish Recipe Inspiration

Have questions on sautéing fish? Leave them in the comments below! Until next time: Stay salty, and sweat 😉