Restaurant-Style Chilean Sea Bass
This Restaurant-Style Chilean Sea Bass features perfectly seared fillets finished in the oven and topped with a luxurious lemon garlic butter sauce. Tender, flaky, and buttery, it delivers fine-dining flavor with simple ingredients.
Equipment
- oven-safe skillet
- Oven
- fish spatula
- paper towels
Ingredients
- 4 Chilean sea bass fillets (about 6 ounces each)
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 3 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 1 lemon, zested and juiced
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
Instructions
- Pat the sea bass fillets completely dry with paper towels and season both sides evenly with sea salt and black pepper.
- Heat olive oil in a large oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat. Place fillets skin-side down and sear for 3–4 minutes until golden and crisp.
- Carefully flip the fillets, add butter and garlic to the pan, and spoon the melted garlic butter over the fish for 1–2 minutes.
- Sprinkle lemon zest over the fish, then pour in fresh lemon juice. Transfer the skillet to a preheated 400°F (200°C) oven and roast for 8–10 minutes, until the fish flakes easily.
- Remove from the oven, spoon pan sauce over each fillet, garnish with fresh parsley, and serve immediately.
Notes
Let fish rest at room temperature briefly before cooking for even searing. Avoid overcooking to preserve the sea bass’s buttery texture. Serve immediately for best results.