Pan-Roasted Fish Fillets with Herb Butter

🥘 Ingredients

• butter (unsalted)
  2 tablespoons
• fillets (5- to 6-ounce fish, like black bass, haddock, fluke, striped bass, tilefish, snapper or salmon, 1/2- to 1-inch thick)
  2
• lemon wedges
• oil (grapeseed or canola)
  3 tablespoons
• parsley (chopped flat-leaf) (optional)
  1 tablespoon
• pepper (salt and ground black)
• thyme (fresh, tarragon, chives or another herb)
  2 sprigs

🍳 Cookware

• skillet
• pan

1. 1

   Pat fillets dry with a paper towel. Season on both sides with salt and pepper .

   fillets: 2 (5- to 6-ounce fish, like black bass, haddock, fluke, striped bass, tilefish, snapper or salmon, 1/2- to 1-inch thick), pepper (salt and ground black)
2. 2

   Heat a heavy 10-inch nonstick or cast-iron skillet over high heat. When the pan is hot, add the oil . Place the fillets in the pan, skin side down (if applicable), laying them down away from your body. If fillets have skin, press down gently with a spatula for about ⏱️ 20 seconds to prevent curling.

   oil: 3 tablespoons (grapeseed or canola)
3. 3

   Lower heat to medium and let sizzle until fish is golden and caramelized around edges, about ⏱️ 2-3 minutes . Carefully flip fillets and add butter and thyme to pan. Tilt pan slightly to let the melted butter pool at one end. Use a spoon to baste the fish with the pooled butter. Continue basting until golden all over and cooked through, ⏱️ 45-90 seconds more, depending on the thickness of your fish. Serve immediately with chopped parsley (if using) and lemon wedges .

   butter: 2 tablespoons (unsalted), thyme: 2 sprigs (fresh, tarragon, chives or another herb), parsley: 1 tablespoon (chopped flat-leaf), lemon wedges
4. 📝

   Almost any good, dry white wine will go with fish fillets like these. But one in particular will have such a beautiful, delicious relationship with these fillets that it stands out. That is Chablis, the most singular expression of chardonnay, in which the wines lean toward steely and firm rather than opulent. Seek out a good premier cru Chablis from a classic year like 2012 (maybe too young), 2010, 2008 or 2007, but even a straightforward village-level Chablis will do. If not Chablis, other white Burgundies won’t disappoint, even less expensive bottles from the Mâconnais, and firmer, less flamboyant chardonnays from the West Coast. Good Italian whites like fianos from Campania or carricantes from Mount Etna on Sicily will work well, too, as will Sancerres and other Loire sauvignon blancs. ERIC ASIMOV