|
|
Time to read 2 min
Kingfish with Mustard + Caper Butter
5,000+
Campsites Mapped
8
States & Territories
52
Regions Covered
Free
No Booking Fees
Kingfish cutlets with mustard + caper compound butter — French bistro elegance from a campsite. The compound butter does all the work — Dijon + capers + cracked pepper softened into butter. Spread on the cutlets before grilling; the butter melts + glazes the fish as it cooks.
15 minutes start to finish. Serves 4. Restaurant-quality with almost no effort.
Photo by Zayed Ahmed Zadu on Unsplash
Kingfish with Mustard + Caper Butter
Serves: 4 · Prep: 5 minutes · Cook: 8-10 minutes · Equipment: small bowl, BBQ grill or hot frying pan
Photo: Zayed Ahmed Zadu / Unsplash
Ingredients
- 4 kingfish cutlets, ~225g each (skin on, ~2cm thick)
- 60g butter, at room temperature
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp capers, drained + chopped
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp cracked black peppercorns
- ¼ tsp ground paprika (sweet or smoked)
Optional add-ins: 1 tbsp lemon zest; 1 tbsp chopped chives or parsley; 1 clove minced garlic; pinch chilli flakes.
To serve: baby new potatoes, fresh dressed greens, lemon wedges, crusty bread.
Substitute fish: any firm meaty cutlet — snapper, mahi-mahi, swordfish, blue-eye trevalla, salmon all brilliant.
Method
- Make the compound butter. In a small bowl, mash together softened butter, Dijon mustard, chopped capers, salt, pepper + paprika until smooth.
- Pat fish dry with paper towel.
- Spread the butter generously on top of each cutlet.
- Heat BBQ or pan to medium-hot. Brush surface lightly with oil.
- Place cutlets butter-side UP on the hot surface. Cook 4-5 minutes — until the bottom is nicely seared + the top butter is bubbling + glazing.
- Flip ONCE. Cook another 2-3 minutes — until the fish flakes easily + flesh is just opaque. Don't overcook.
- Plate up with the buttery glaze drizzled over. Serve with new potatoes + greens.
Tips and variations
- Compound butter is the trick — make in advance + freeze as a log; slice off discs as needed. Brilliant on steak, chicken, vegetables too
- Butter at room temp mashes properly. Cold butter just lumps
- Don't overcook the fish — kingfish is best slightly under, finished by carry-over heat
- Lemon zest upgrade brightens the butter beautifully
- Smoked paprika deepens the flavour profile
- Pan-fry alternative: hot pan + butter side down first for crusty top; flip + finish 2 mins
- Camp version: portable BBQ or pan over coals — same technique
- Wine pairing: dry chardonnay, sancerre, or unoaked Aussie semillon
Our take
The 15-minute French bistro fish dinner. Compound butter is the universal flavour shortcut — make a batch + use throughout the week.
Caught a kingfish on the boat? This is the recipe. Sophisticated, classic, easy.
Common questions
What goes in the mustard and caper butter?
Sixty grams of room-temperature butter mashed with a tablespoon of Dijon, a tablespoon of drained chopped capers, half a teaspoon each of salt and cracked peppercorns, and a quarter teaspoon of paprika. Room temperature matters, because cold butter just lumps instead of mashing smooth.
How long do you cook kingfish cutlets?
Eight to ten minutes all up. Lay the cutlets butter-side up on a medium-hot grill for four to five minutes, until the base is seared and the butter is bubbling, then flip once and give them two to three more. Stop when the flesh flakes and turns just opaque.
What fish can I use instead of kingfish?
Any firm, meaty cutlet works. Snapper, mahi-mahi, swordfish, blue-eye trevalla and salmon all take the same compound butter and the same timing. Make the butter in advance and freeze it as a log, then slice off discs as you need them for steak, chicken or vegetables too.
Find Your Perfect Campsite
Search thousands of campsites across every state and territory — free, with no booking fees.
Explore All Campsites →