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Butterfish are tiny, utterly decadent, fish. They have super tiny bones that you want to watch out for if filleted as they are here (though leave the fragile skin on). Many recipes have you cook them whole (because they're so small); in this case, so I hear, you can easily pull the bones out after cooking.
I've only ever seen butterfish for sale in Asian groceries with a large fish section - so if you want to try them, start looking there.
I found a package of "big" butterfish yesterday at Lee Lee's (each weighed just over a half pound) that were big enough to fillet (my first time... went fairly well following instructions in a cookbook). I'm glad I did, as we got to enjoy the tasty fried surface of the flesh.
For 2.
2 whole (or filleted, if you can find them) butterfish, about 8 oz each
2-3 T. butter
1/2 t. thyme
heaping 1/4 t. garlic powder
heaping 1/4 t. onion powder
heaping 1/4 t. salt
Fillet butterfish, if they're not already.
Put remaining ingredients in a non-stick pan large enough to hold the fillets in a single layer and heat over low heat until butter melts. Swirl butter and seasonings around to mix. Turn heat to medium and wait until butter starts to foam and brown a little. Place fillets in pan, flesh side down. Fry for 3-5 minutes (flesh should be browned and a little crispy). Flip and fry for another 3-5 minutes until done (mine arched upwards after flipping; a brief press with a spatula flattened them nicely).
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