Fish Type

Lemon Garlic Sea Bass

How to Pan-Fry Sea Bass

If you’ve ever made chicken piccata before, the process for this is very similar. First, pat the fish dry. It’s important that most of the moisture is removed from the fish, so it gets a nice brown color on the outside.

Next dredge the fish in a mixture of all-purpose flour, kosher salt, and black pepper. Dredging simply means coating it in the flour mixture, and shaking off any excess. You should have a nice, thin coat of flour, salt, and pepper that covers every square inch of the surface of the fish.

Then, cook the fish in a mixture of olive oil and butter. The butter gives it a rich, golden color, while the olive oil makes it crispy. Mixing the two is my favorite way to pan-fry almost anything.

The fish will only take about 3-4 minutes to cook on each side, if you are using thin pieces of sea bass (I used frozen Barramundi). Once they’re finished, set them aside on a plate.

How to make the lemon garlic herb sauce

The sauce is made in the same pan in which you cooked the fish.

First, add some white wine to deglaze the skillet. I recommend a dry white wine, such as pinot grigio or sauvignon blanc. Immediately after you add it, use a wooden spoon to help stir up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Then, continue heating over medium-high heat until almost all the liquid has evaporated.

Then, add a little more butter to the skillet and heat until it’s melted.

Add some finely minced garlic and a mixture of fresh chopped herbs to the pan– I used oregano, thyme, and parsley. Sauté until fragrant, only about 30 seconds. You don’t want the garlic to burn.

Finally, add some chicken stock (or vegetable stock, or water, if you don’t have any), heat until it’s bubbling, then turn off the heat and add some lemon juice and a little more butter.

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Ingredients

  • Sea Bass Fillets – I highly recommend Chilean sea bass fillets if you can get them, which have higher (healthy) fat content than other types of sea bass. Choose thicker fillets if you can, as they are less prone to overcooking, and make sure they are similar in thickness, so that they cook at the same rate. The sea bass cook time in this recipe is based on 5-ounce fillets, which is typically the size they come in.
  • Olive Oil – Or avocado oil.
  • Lemon Juice – Use fresh lemon juice for best flavor or bottled for a convenient option. However, you’ll need lemon zest for the sauce, so you might as well get fresh lemons.
  • Garlic Powder – I used garlic powder for this sea bass recipe, but you can also substitute 2 cloves minced fresh garlic instead.
  • Sea Salt (or kosher salt) & Black Pepper

FOR THE BEURRE BLANC:

  • Shallot – Mince the shallot as small as you can for the best sauce texture.
  • White Wine – Use a dry white wine like Pinot Grigio, Pinot Gris, Sauvignon Blanc, or Pinot Blanc.
  • White Wine Vinegar – This is preferred, but in a pinch, you can also use apple cider vinegar, white vinegar, or lemon juice.
  • Heavy Cream – This helps give the sauce a luxurious texture.
  • Lemon Zest – Be careful to only get the yellow part of zest as the white pith is bitter. I really like this zester, which makes it effortless and works so much better than the one I had before.
  • Unsalted Butter – Cut into small teaspoon-sized cubes, then place in the fridge until you’re ready to add it to the recipe. It’s important for it to be cold.
  • Sea Salt (or kosher salt)

Recipe

MAKE BAKED SEA BASS:

Baking this fish is very simple:

  1. Mix fish marinade.In a small bowl, mix together olive oil, lemon juice, and garlic powder. Whisk until combined.
  2. Place the sea bass fillets in a baking dish and pat dry with a paper towel. Brush the fish with the olive oil mixture. (It’s okay if some of the oil runs off.)
  3. Sprinkle both sides with garlic powder, sea salt, and black pepper.
  4. To cook sea bass in the oven, bake until it flakes easily with a fork.

MAKE BEURRE BLANC:

You can serve the baked sea bass recipe as is, but I think it’s even better with beurre blanc sauce:

  1. In a small saucepan, combine shallot, wine, and vinegar. Bring to a boil, then reduce until the volume is reduced to 1/4 of the original amount (about 2 tablespoons should be left).
  2. Add cream and zest.Stir in heavy cream and lemon zest.
  3. Lower heat and whisk in cold butter, a few cubes at a time. Season with salt to taste.

SERVE:

Serve the oven baked sea bass recipe with a generous drizzle of beurre blanc sauce. Garnish with lemon wedges and fresh parsley.

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