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    The Life Jolie » Main/Entree » Date Night Fish for Two with a Lemon Sherry Pan Sauce

    Date Night Fish for Two with a Lemon Sherry Pan Sauce

    Published: Jan 11, 2017 · Modified: Jun 7, 2022 by Jessy Freimann · This post may contain affiliate links · This blog generates income via ads.

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    This Date Night Fish for Two with a Lemon Sherry Pan Sauce is such an easy date night recipe option! It works great with any white fish and is the best way to use a few simple ingredients to create a healthy and delicious treat for dinner with the person you love. This is perfect for Valentine's Day!

    This Date Night Fish for Two with a Lemon Sherry Pan Sauce is such an easy date night recipe option! It works great with any white fish and is the best way to use a few simple ingredients to create a healthy and delicious treat for dinner with the person you love. This is perfect for Valentine's Day!

    This post contains Affiliate Links. Please see the disclaimer here.

    My in-laws spent the Christmas holiday with us this year. It was pretty fantastic having them. I also took a little extra time off of work to get more quality time and prepare for T's first Christmas.

    Whenever they come and visit, my mother-in-law Vicky usually cooks at least one meal (or more depending on how long they're in town) in addition to helping me on the nights that I cook. Even though I love cooking, I look forward to these nights because she always makes something delicious.

    This Date Night Fish for Two with a Lemon Sherry Pan Sauce is such an easy date night recipe option! It works great with any white fish and is the best way to use a few simple ingredients to create a healthy and delicious treat for dinner with the person you love. This is perfect for Valentine's Day!

    There's something about our moms (and moms-in-law) with their tried and true recipes. They always get it right! I hope some day my kids and their spouses view me this way, because I certainly don't always get it right.

    Anyway, the day before Christmas Eve- Christmas Eve Eve?- we spent the morning at a local trampoline park that has become a favorite place to take A, since they have certain hours that are designated specifically for toddlers and I don't have to worry about any big kids trampling my gal (though, I suspect she'd be able to hold her own).

    This Date Night Fish for Two with a Lemon Sherry Pan Sauce is such an easy date night recipe option! It works great with any white fish and is the best way to use a few simple ingredients to create a healthy and delicious treat for dinner with the person you love. This is perfect for Valentine's Day!

    After that we headed over to Wegmans to get some lunch and pick up some last minute items for our holiday dishes-to-pass. On our way, we realized we should probably grab something to make for dinner and realized that we were all craving fish (Justin clearly was not a part of his conversation since he's such a picky eater. But he ended up with chicken, so all's well that ends well!).

    This Date Night Fish for Two with a Lemon Sherry Pan Sauce is such an easy date night recipe option! It works great with any white fish and is the best way to use a few simple ingredients to create a healthy and delicious treat for dinner with the person you love. This is perfect for Valentine's Day!

    Now I should tell you, I am a lover of all things seafood. But when it comes to fish in my land-locked part of the country, I tend to prefer salmon. I find it super flavorful and it's easy to come by pretty great quality salmon around here. Although I still like other fish, but I find the wild ones that are most readily available in my area to not be as flavorful as I like. I still eat them and enjoy them but I just gravitate toward salmon for some reason.

    This Date Night Fish for Two with a Lemon Sherry Pan Sauce is such an easy date night recipe option! It works great with any white fish and is the best way to use a few simple ingredients to create a healthy and delicious treat for dinner with the person you love. This is perfect for Valentine's Day!

    That night we went with wild Haddock. Vicky worked her magic and we sat down and enjoyed a great dinner as a family. I knew from the first bite that this would be a fish dish that I make over and over again.

    Haddock is a pretty mild white fish. It's quick and simple to prepare but in my opinion it's best served with a flavorful sauce. Let me just say the Lemon Sherry pan sauce that Vicky made really brought this fish to a bright and tasty level. Additionally, it was super simple and quick to prepare with minimal work involved.

    I knew I wanted to share this recipe with you, my dear friends. And the more I thought about it, the more my brain kept connecting this dish with the idea of a romantic date night. It's easy to prepare, full of delicious flavor, but also light enough that you're not feeling terribly uncomfortable and weighed down when you finish (though still satisfied).

    I think you can use any mild white fish with this. I usually gravitate towards haddock or cod (I'm not really a Tilapia fan but that could also work). Halibut, Grouper and Mahi Mahi would also be delicious, though not as budget friendly. I adapted the recipe for two, to make it an excellent date night dish (who's planning for Valentine's Day?!) but you could always double it to cook for your family!

    This Date Night Fish for Two with a Lemon Sherry Pan Sauce is such an easy date night recipe option! It works great with any white fish and is the best way to use a few simple ingredients to create a healthy and delicious treat for dinner with the person you love. This is perfect for Valentine's Day!

    Other great options to round this meal out are:

    Fennel and Clementine Salad

    Peas with Onions

    Cilantro Cauliflower Rice

    Orange Cake with Chocolate Ganache Glaze

    This Date Night Fish for Two with a Lemon Sherry Pan Sauce is such an easy date night recipe option! It works great with any white fish and is the best way to use a few simple ingredients to create a healthy and delicious treat for dinner with the person you love. This is perfect for Valentine's Day!

    Date Night Fish for Two with a Lemon Sherry Pan Sauce

    Jessy Freimann
    This Date Night Fish for Two with a Lemon Sherry Pan Sauce is such an easy date night recipe option! It works great with any white fish and is the best way to use a few simple ingredients to create a healthy and delicious treat for dinner with the person you love. This is perfect for Valentine's Day!
    5 from 1 vote
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 5 mins
    Cook Time 17 mins
    Total Time 22 mins
    Course dinner, Entree, Valentine
    Cuisine Date night, fish, Light, quick
    Servings 2

    Ingredients
      

    • 1 large filet of the white fish of your choice cut in half or two regular size filets
    • ⅓ cup of pan searing flour
    • 2 Tbsp. of butter divided
    • 1 Tbsp. of olive oil
    • 3 cloves of garlic pressed or minced
    • ½ cup of good cooking sherry
    • The juice from half a lemon you can thinly slice the other half of the lemon for garnish
    • Salt and pepper to taste
    • Minced fresh parsley for garnish

    Instructions
     

    • Pat your fish dry and then dredge it in the pan searing flour so that the entire piece of each fish if fully covered. Tap off the excess and set aside.
    • In a pan over medium high heat, melt 1 Tbsp. of butter with your olive oil until the pan is super hot.
    • Place your fish into the pan and sear each side of the fish until it's a nice golden brown, around 2 minutes per side. Remove the fish to a side plate.
    • Add your other Tbsp. of butter to the pan and reduce the heat to medium.
    • Add your minced garlic and saute for about a minute, stirring often so it doesn't burn.
    • Deglace the pan with you Sherry, scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to get all the flavorful bits pulled up and then add the lemon juice and some salt and pepper to taste.
    • Let it simmer for a minute or two and then add your fish back in along with the lemon rounds.
    • Cover and simmer for 5 minutes and then uncover and simmer for around another 5 minutes or until your fish is fully cooked.
    • Sprinkle with chopped parsley and enjoy!

    Notes

    You can substitute regular flour but if you do this, make sure you add some salt and pepper to it.
    I tend to use haddock or cod- if you use a meatier fish, adjust your cooking time accordingly.
    Cooking times may vary based on how well your stove works (gas is always a bit quicker in my opinion) and what you're cooking on. I used a non-stick pan so that doesn't conduct heat as well as cast iron or stainless steel so watch your fish and use common sense (the latter two options will likely give you a better crust on the fish).
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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    This Date Night Fish for Two with a Lemon Sherry Pan Sauce is such an easy date night recipe option! It works great with any white fish and is the best way to use a few simple ingredients to create a healthy and delicious treat for dinner with the person you love. This is perfect for Valentine's Day!
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    Comments

    1. Elaine @ Dishes Delish says

      January 11, 2017 at 1:41 pm

      Yummy! I, like you, love seafood and I actually think I could eat it every other day! I love haddock and this looks so delicious. Especially with the sherry and lemon!
      Reply
      • Jessy says

        January 12, 2017 at 11:25 pm

        Thank you, Elaine :) I hope you give it a try!
        Reply
    2. Luci {Luci's Morsels} says

      January 11, 2017 at 3:32 pm

      Wow - that photo of the flaky fish has my mouth watering! I can't wait to whip up some light, buttery, and lemony seafood for myself. Luci's Morsels | fashion. fun. frivolity.
      Reply
      • Jessy says

        January 12, 2017 at 11:25 pm

        Thanks Luci- I was really happy with how light it all was!
        Reply
    3. Kristina @ Love & Zest says

      January 11, 2017 at 3:38 pm

      Everything is right about this fish recipe. So yummy.
      Reply
      • Jessy says

        January 12, 2017 at 11:26 pm

        Thank you Kristina :)
        Reply
    4. Mackenzie @ Food Above Gold says

      January 11, 2017 at 3:40 pm

      With Valentines Day right around the corner, I've been looking for a real show-stopper meal for the hubsters. This looks absolutely fantastic and the pan-sauce sounds amazing! Can't wait to try it!
      Reply
      • Jessy says

        January 12, 2017 at 11:26 pm

        Thank you- I hope you love it as much as we did!
        Reply
    5. Yesenia says

      November 06, 2017 at 8:56 pm

      What Sherry did you use?
      Reply
      • Jessy says

        November 07, 2017 at 8:35 am

        I used the cooking sherry thy sell at my grocery store.
        Reply
    6. Tamika Sullivan says

      March 02, 2018 at 5:25 am

      Where do I purchase searing flour? Didn't realize there was a different type.
      Reply
      • Jessy says

        March 02, 2018 at 2:23 pm

        Hi Tamika! Mine wis Wegmans brand but you can also use Wondra because it has the finer consistency that the pan searing flour does.
        Reply
    7. Nancy Long says

      November 13, 2020 at 7:59 am

      I don't recommend cooking wine. It is full of salt. Just get a bottle of regular dry or cocktail sherry. I keep a bottle of that and dry Vermouth around for cooking.
      Reply
      • Jessy Freimann says

        November 17, 2020 at 7:53 pm

        Thanks for sharing your thoughts- while cooking wine isn't my first choice, sometimes that's all that's available (in our state, regular wine isn't available in grocery stores and liquor stores aren't always open or convenient). Have a good day!
        Reply

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