Cajun Cream Sauce is full of flavor and easy to make. It’s the perfect topping for fish that has been pan fried, blackened, baked or broiled. Starting with the pan drippings left behind gives it a zesty, seafood foundation.
Cajun Cream Sauce adds a little decadence and a lot of flavor to any fish. Put it over blackened or Cajun seasoned and pan fried fish and you double the punch of flavor. Add it to a more subtly seasoned fish and it soars to new heights of excellence.
What kind of fish is best to top with Cajun Cream Sauce?
Any type of firm, white-fleshed fish will be awesome topped with this tasty sauce. Our personal favorites are snapper, grouper and flounder – not just for flavor, but because they’re easy to handle when cooking.
Catfish would be so good too, and it’s an often misunderstood fish, thought of in many areas only when it’s fried. We wrote a whole post that includes a recipe for Catfish with Lemon Thyme Sauce – a mild, sort of sophisticated twist on sauce for fish.
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The foundation for creamy Cajun sauce
The Cajun cream sauce is very similar to the one we made for our Pork Chops. In that case we called it a Cajun Pan Sauce. It really just means that you’ve made your sauce in the same pan the protein was cooked in.
The little bits of flavor left behind are what flavors the sauce. If baking or broiling the fish you’ll want to keep it warm and use the drippings from your baking pan.
So, in the case of the pork chops the sauce was flavored with pan drippings from pork. In the case of this fish the sauce is flavored with pan drippings from the fish.
Another, more down-home name is gravy. Here in the south gravy is the name you’ll hear most often for sauces with their roots in pan drippings. If you ever wanted to know how to make a Basic Gravy we’ve got you covered on that too.
The basic steps for making the sauce
- Start with a firm, white fish seasoned however you like. Our preferred method for cooking is with a light sprinkle of Cajun seasoning and then pan fried in skillet that is not non-stick. We use a little oil with a high smoke point like pecan or canola oil. (more on that here)
- When the fish is done remove it and keep warm.
- If you’ve baked or broiled you’ll scrape the baking pan and add it to a skillet with some white wine. If you pan fried, deglaze the pan with the white wine scraping up the bits from the bottom.
- Slowly stir in the cream which has had seasoned flour whisked into it. Whisk or stir constantly until the sauce is thickened.
- Finish the Cajun Cream Sauce up with a squeeze of fresh lemon.
Love all things Cajun like we do? This Best Jambalaya Recipe is so good because the guesswork for getting the rice done just right is gone! Perfect Jambalaya every time.
Cajun Cream Sauce Recipe for Fish
Ingredients
- 1-2 teaspoons pan drippings from cooking fish
- ⅓ cup dry white wine
- ⅔ cup half and half
- 1 Tablespoon all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon Cajun or Creole Seasoning
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
- 2-3 teaspoons lemon juice ½ lemon, juiced
Instructions
- Deglaze pan the fish has been cooked in with wine. If fish has been baked or broiled, scrape up pan drippings from baking pan and add to skillet with wine. Heat thoroughly.
- Whisk together ½ and ½, flour and seasonings until smooth.
- Whisk flour mixture into skillet and stir constantly over medium-low to medium heat until thickened.
- Add lemon juice and heat throughly before pouring over fish.
Notes
- Salt can be added if needed, but most Cajun and Creole seasonings will have enough salt.
- Blackened fish is excellent with Cajun Cream Sauce, but it will produce strong, salty pan drippings, so seasoning and salt may need adjusting.
- If pan frying the fish use a skillet that is not non-stick
- If fish is pan fried, use that skillet to make the sauce. If the fish is baked or broiled scrape pan drippings from the baking pan and add to the skillet where the sauce will be made.
Love Creole/Cajun recipes? So do we.
Dirty Rice 
Easy Shrimp Etouffee 
Shrimp and Grits 
Crab Cakes with Remoulade 
Grilled Cajun Wings 
Grilled Shrimp Skewers 
Creole Steak Butter 
Fiery Cajun Shrimp 
Chicken & Seafood Gumbo
Claudia Lamascolo says
I absolutely love this sauce for fish, we are huge cajun fans and usually put it on even our crab legs when boiling this sauce is fabulous for our freshly caught Mahi thanks
Pam says
Thanks, Claudia! We love all things Cajun too!
Toni says
This was so good!! Everyone at my house loved this!
Pam says
Thanks, Toni!
Tawnie says
Made this for halibut and it was so delicious !! Keeper recipe, thank you!
Pam says
Thank you, Tawnie!
Chenée Lewis says
I’m absolutely making this soon for salmon! Looks so good!
Pam says
Ahh… we hadn’t thought of using it on salmon. Good idea!
Nathan says
This sauce looks incredible!! I love that it’s so versatile, I can see this improving so many different dishes in my future!
Pam says
Thanks, Nathan!
Jacque H says
I can’t wait to whip this together! I love all things cajun and seafood! I bet this will pair perfectly with our salmon tomorrow night.
Kathryn Donangelo says
This cajun cream sauce would be so perfect with any fish! I’m going to make this tonight for dinner with salmon!
Pam says
Yes! You’re going to love it!
Angela says
This sauce was amazing and so easy. Can’t wait to try it on something else.
Pam says
Yay! Thanks for letting us know.
Courtney says
My family of cajun fans absolutely loved this sauce. We served it over salmon – just perfect!
Pam says
Thank you, Courtney!
Maria says
I always find cream-based sauces perfect for fish. Can’t wait to give this recipe a try!
Pam says
You’ll love it!
Maxine Skwara says
Ohhh wooowwiieeee
Roxanne says
This fish sauce is AMAZING. I used Hood dairy free half & half due to lactose intolerance. DELICiOUS!!!!!
Thanks!
Pam says
Yay! Thanks for taking the time to let us know, Roxanne.
Shashi says
Such a creamy and delicious sauce! Im thinking it would be delicious with a wide variety of seafood and even veggies!
Pam says
It certainly would. Thanks, Shashi!
Denay DeGuzman says
Oh my gosh. My taste buds are still tingling with delight! This cajun sauce is savory and delicious!
Pam says
Awww… thanks so much, Denay!
Tavo says
What a delicious treat! The cream on top was truly different!
Alejandra says
This looks delicious, healthy and quick to make— my ideal dinner recipe! Plus cajun anything is always so tasty!
Dannii says
I love anything with cajun flavours, so this sauce looks amazing. A great way to liven up fish too.
Wendy says
I made and served the Cajun Cream Sauce over baked rockfish. The sauce is delicious and flavorful. I will be making this sauce again.
Pam says
Thanks so much for letting us know and taking the time to rate the recipe, Wendy