The key to restaurant quality sea bass is to sear the fish first on the stovetop, then send it to the oven for a quick roast. Learn how pan fry delicate Chilean Sea Bass for a crispy golden crust and a flaky melt in your mouth tender flesh. This pan fried sea bass is a simple, elegant and dressed with a delightful Ginger Sesame Glaze.
What You Can Expect From This Recipe
This is a simple recipe for Pan Seared Chilean Sea Bass using a cooking method that I learned in Culinary School. Using a good quality oven-proof skillet, we start by quick searing the sea bass stove-top and then transferring it to the oven, still in the skillet, to finish cooking.
A method much like professional restaurant chefs prepare a steak or a pork chop. The stovetop gives the fillet a nice golden brown exterior, and the dry heat of the oven helps to cook it evenly.
You’ll need a cast iron skillet or preferably a French Carbon Steel Pan, which is preferred by chefs.
- This is an easy recipe that’s ready in under 30 minutes.
- It’s a restaurant quality sophisticated, feel fancy meal, that straight forward and simple with ingredients and process.
- And this is the best sauce for sea bass that I’ve found. A perfect sweet and savory glaze that doesn’t overwhelm the delicate fish.
My inspiration for this recipe came from a memorable dining experience at a local restaurant. And when I find a good restaurant idea, I love recreating that dish in my own kitchen. And sharing it with my readers. Let’s take a look
Tips For Success – How to Successfully Pan Fry Sea Bass
Creating a golden-brown crispy skin and sea bass flesh is essential for a delightful contrast to the flaky tender buttery meat.
- Use a paper towel to pat the sea bass fillets thoroughly dry on both sides. A dry fillet will sear better, and prevent it from sticking to the pan.
- Don’t be afraid of heat. You want the fat to be at a shimmering stage, but not smoking.
- Cook the sea bass skin side down first. Once in the skillet, use a spatula to gently press the fillet to insure that the entire piece of fish will cook evenly.
- Patience: If the skin sticks to the skillet when you try to turn it, that means it’s not ready. The fillet should release easily when ready to turn.
- If cooking more than one fillet, don’t over crowd the fish. If the fillets are touching they basically steam rather than searing to a crispy stage.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Chilean Sea Bass: You’ll need about ½ pound to serve two people.
- Snow Peas
- Cooked Rice
- For The Sauce For Sea Bass: Fresh ginger, soy sauce, Sriracha sauce, toasted sesame oil and brown sugar.
- Green Onions: For garnish.
- Butter: For frying the sea bass.
Pro Tip: Freeze Ginger. Keep that knob of ginger in the freezer. Whenever you need a small amount for any recipe, just remove it and use a zester or microplane zester to acquire the amount you need and then return the rest back to the freezer for future use. You don’t even need to peel the ginger. EASY and practical.
Ingredient Substitutions
- Use Tamari sauce to make this recipe gluten free.
- Ginger: Use ½ teaspoon dried ginger for fresh ginger.
Step By Step Instructions, It’s Easy
- Step 1: Cook rice, set aside and keep warm. Then make the sauce for the sea bass. Simply whisk together brown sugar, toasted sesame oil, tamari or soy sauce, Sriracha sauce and fresh grated ginger.
- Step 2: Blanch the snow peas: Place the snow peas in a microwave safe dish. I like to use my Pyrex measuring bowl. Cover the peas with water and microwave about 1 ½ minutes. Keep the snow peas in the microwave in the hot water until ready to use.
- Step 3: Pan fry the sea bass: Using an oven safe pan, melt butter over medium high heat stove top. Once the butter is melted and bubbles are starting to subside, place the sea bass fillet or fillets in the butter, skin side down. Pan sear for 5 minutes. Using a sturdy spatula, turn the sea bass over and cook the flesh side for 5 minutes.
- Step 4: Use a silicone brush to liberally slather the sauce over the flesh of the fish. Transfer to a 400 degree oven and cook for 5 minutes. Remove the fish and brush with the sauce one more time. Serve immediately.
How To Serve Pan Fried Sea Bass
- Step 5: Cut the sea bass fillet down the center to make two pieces. Place one scoop each of the cooked rice on each plates, top with blanched snow peas. Place the sea bass on top and drizzle with a little more of the sauce.
When searing any delicate fish like sea bass, I prefer to use my versatile 12″ Carbon Steel Skillet. These pans are preferred by chefs because of producing an even heat source. This pan will heat quickly and sear any protein beautifully. It’s a great tool to sear meat stovetop then transfer to the oven to finish. It’s oven safe and light weight. You can also use a cast iron skillet. Disclaimer: I’ve provided a link to the Carbon Steel Skillet. If you make a purchase using this link, I receive a small commission at no extra charge to you.
Chilean Sea Bass is also known as Patagonian Toothfish. The name Chilean Sea Bass was invented to make the fish more appealing to American consumers. It’s got big white fish appeal because of it’s mild and exquisite flavor and flaky yet firm flesh. I like cooking with it because it’s a thicker fillet, which I find easier to cook. It comes with a premium price tag due to being over-fished in the 90’s. It is currently closely managed. If you’d like to learn more, I like this article from NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration)
Related Recipes
And don’t miss my category for Seafood Recipes. You’ll find lots of great recipes, including the most popular on my site for Heavenly Halibut.
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Pan Fried Chilean Sea Bass with Ginger Sesame Glaze
Equipment
- 1 Oven proof skillet French Carbon Steel or Cast Iron Skillet
Ingredients
- Sauce For Sea Bass
- 2 teaspoon Brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons Toasted Sesame Oil
- 2 teaspoons Tamari sauce or soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon Sriracha sauce
- 1 teaspoon Ginger fresh grated
- For The Pan Seared Sea Bass:
- 1 handfull Snow peas blanched. About 2 cups
- 8 ounces Chilean Sea Bass fillets about ½ pound total – divided for two servings
- 2 Tablespoon Unsalted Butter
- Green Onions or Chives For garnish
- 2 Cups Cooked White Rice Prepared according to package instrucitons
Instructions
- Prepare rice according to instructions and keep warm.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Sauce for sea bass: In the meantime, use a whisk and mix together the Ginger Sesame Glaze by combing brown sugar, sesame oil, tamari or soy sauce, sriracha and fresh ginger. Set aside.
- Place a healthy handful of snow peas in a microwave safe bowl. Add enough water to partially cover and microwave on high for 60 – 90 seconds. Leave in the microwave while you prepare the sea bass.
- Pat the sea bass fillets dry with a paper towel.
- In an oven safe skillet, heat the butter over medium high heat. Once hot and the butter has melted and bubbles start to subside, add the sea bass fillets skin side down. Sear for 5 minutes, then turn and sear the flesh side for 5 minutes or until golden.
- Remove from heat and generously baste the flesh with the sauce . Transfer the pan to the oven and roast for 5 minutes. Baste again with the sauce right before removing from the oven.
- To serve, place a large spoonful of the rice on a plate. Top with a few of the drained snow peas and top each with a sea bass fillet. Sprinkle with chopped chives and serve immediately.
Notes
- Use a paper towel to pat the sea bass fillets thoroughly dry on both sides. A dry fillet will sear better, and prevent it from sticking to the pan.
- Don’t be afraid of heat. You want the fat to be at a shimmering stage, but not smoking.
- Cook the sea bass skin side down first. Once in the skillet, use a spatula to gently press the fillet to insure that the entire piece of fish will cook evenly.
- Patience: If the skin sticks to the skillet when you try to turn it, that means it’s not ready. The fillet should release easily when ready to turn.
- If cooking more than one fillet, don’t over crowd the fish. If the fillets are touching they basically steam rather than searing to a crispy stage.
Nutrition
Pan Seared Chilean Sea Bass … It’s What’s For Dinner
Why Trust My Recipes? I am a Culinary School Graduate and believe that everyone should try to cook as often as they can. I’ve been cooking for 50 years, and my recipes are tried and true tested and tested and then tested again before published. To read more take a look at my About Page.
Good looking dish and I like the cooking tips and explanations.