Donal's Family Kitchen50 Minutes

Brown Butter White Fish with Potatoes & Greens

Name: Brown Butter White Fish with Potatoes & Greens
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 800g baby potatoes; 2 tbsp fine sea salt; 1kg piece of monkfish or other firm white fish, skin on; 300g cherry tomatoes; 3 garlic cloves, bashed; 60g butter; 1 tbsp olive oil; 300g leafy greens, shredded; Juice of ½ lemon; 2 tbsp capers; 2 tsp white wine vinegar; 40g toasted almond flakes; Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

The classic combination of fish doused in nutty brown butter spiked with acidity from lemon juice or vinegar and salty capers is out of this world. It takes little time in the oven but really the whole recipe is minimal effort. You’ll also want to revisit the salt-crusted potatoes method shown here time and again.

Donal SkehanFrom the series · Donal's Family Kitchen

50 min totalServes 4Medium

Time50 min

Serves4

SkillMedium

ShowSuper Food In Minutes

Method

Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/400°F/Gas 6.

Put the potatoes into a large pan with the salt and cover with water. Bring to the boil then simmer gently, uncovered, stirring occasionally until the potatoes are cooked and covered in a thin layer of salt and all the water has evaporated, taking about 30–35 minutes.

Meanwhile, put the fish into an ovenproof dish and scatter the tomatoes and garlic around it. Dot with the butter, drizzle with 1 tbsp of the olive oil and season well. Roast in the oven for 20–25 minutes until the fish is just cooked.

Wilt the greens in a covered pan with a little oil over a high heat. Add a splash of water and cook until tender. Remove the greens from the pan.

To make the brown butter, add the butter to the frying pan until it foams and smells nutty, then whisk in the lemon juice, capers and vinegar.

Drizzle the brown butter on the fish, then scatter with the flaked almonds and serve with the potatoes and greens.

Cook's notes

The salt-crust potatoes need the full 30–35 minutes uncovered — you want the water to evaporate completely and leave a fine layer of salt on the outside, so don't drain them early or you'll miss the crust.
Dotting the butter over the fish before it goes in means it browns in the oven as the fish roasts, adding flavour without any extra work.
Firm fish like monkfish holds together best; check it at 20 minutes as it's just cooked when the flesh turns opaque and flakes with gentle pressure.
For the finishing brown butter, take the pan off the heat the moment it foams and smells nutty — whisking in the lemon, capers and vinegar also stops it cooking further.
Wilt the greens hard and fast over a high heat with just a splash of water so they keep their colour and don't go grey.

Serve with The salted potatoes and wilted greens on the plate are really all it needs, with the toasted almonds for crunch. A cold glass of dry white — a Picpoul or unoaked Chardonnay — suits the brown butter perfectly.

Make ahead & storage This is best cooked and eaten fresh, as reheated white fish toughens. If you have leftovers, keep them chilled and eat cold within a day; the brown butter is always best made to order.

50 Minutes

Recipe by Donal Skehan · From the series Donal's Family Kitchen · Photography © Appetite Media
Published 13 July 2026 · Updated 15 July 2026

Nutrition

Per serving · estimated

684kcal

58gprotein

45gcarbs

31gfat

Approximate — calculated from the ingredient list using USDA food data. A guide, not a medical figure.

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