Chilean Sea Bass
Chilean Sea Bass is a tender, flaky, and super delicious baked fish ready for the table in less than 30 minutes! This easy, quick homemade dinner recipe is fancy, tasty, and healthy. Oh, and the perfectly seasoned cream sauce, beurre blanc, kicks up several notches on the flavor scale.
You will love every bite of this Chilean sea bass. From its crusty, flaky exterior to its gloriously creamy sauce, beurre blanc (white butter-need I say more?), it’s pure heaven. The sauce compliments the well-seasoned fish in perfect harmony.
The price tag on this dish really hurt. But it was our anniversary, so I didn’t complain (oh, was it good!). But I had to create this more economical version that would give any restaurant a run for its money.
What Is Chilean Sea Bass?
Chilean sea bass is a famous dish, and boy, is it expensive. However, the name bass for this delightfully sweet and tender fish can be a little confusing because it’s actually a Patagonian toothfish. And it loves deep, cold water, which is why this harder-to-catch fish is so expensive.
Recipe Ingredients
- Chilean Sea Bass – Two fillets of 5-6 ounces each are enough for an elegant date night. But you can replace it with a more economical fish if you’d like the same flavor for the rest of the family. Black cod, mahi-mahi, and red snapper all work fine.
- Seasonings – Creole seasoning adds a spicy kick for an extra special touch.
- Beurre Blanc – Lemon juice, white wine, aromatics, spices, and, of course, lots of wonderful cream and butter make as decadent a sauce as you can get.
How to Make Chilean Sea Bass
Prep the Bass
- Season – Rinse and pat the sea bass dry with paper towels to soak up any excess moisture. Then season with salt and salt-free Creole seasoning or pepper to taste.
- Pan-Fry the Fish – Heat oil in a cast-iron or oven-safe skillet. Once hot, add your fish skin-side up. Reduce the heat to medium-high and brown each side for 3-4 minutes or until golden brown.
- Bake – Transfer the cast-iron skillet to the preheated oven and bake for 10-15 minutes or until the fish is done. The time varies, depending on the fillet’s thickness, but the internal temperature should be 145℉/63℃.
- Serve – Remove from the oven and serve with beurre blanc.
Make the Beurre Blanc
- Combine – Mix white wine, lemon juice, heavy cream, minced garlic, and shallots in a small saucepan.
- Simmer – Bring it to a boil over medium-high heat. Then, when it starts to boil, reduce the heat to medium-low and let the wine mixture simmer until the liquid reduces to about 3-4 tablespoons (6 minutes or more).
- Add Butter – Reduce heat to low and whisk in 3-4 pats of butter until it melts completely. Repeat the process with 3-4 more pats of butter until all the butter has been added and melted. The sauce should be thick and smooth (it takes 4-6 minutes).
- Serve – Remove from the heat and place in a serving bowl. If the sauce is too light, let it sit for about 2 minutes. Keep in mind the sauce thickens quickly. Serve immediately over your fish.
Recipe Variations
- Grill It – Besides frying and baking, grilling Chilean sea bass is even better. The added smoky flavor is genuinely satisfying.
- Chicken – While this sauce was created for fish, it is just as good over chicken.
Tips and Tricks
- Beurre blanc can be a bit contrary. Keep it from overcooking and from getting too cold. Of course, if it gets cold, give it a few minutes in a saucepan to melt the butter again.
- It’s crucial to massively reduce the liquid before adding the butter. If not, your sauce will be light and runny, not creamy and decadent.
- Internal temperature for sea bass ranges between 135-145℉/58-63℃, depending on how done you like your fish.
Make-Ahead Instructions
Although Chilean sea bass is best served fresh from the oven, making it ahead won’t be an issue. You can pan-fry the fish and refrigerate it for up to three days. Then bake as instructed when ready to serve.
And since the sauce has heavy cream and wine, I highly recommend making the sauce on the day of serving to enjoy it warm. Reheating the sauce may make it curdle.
Serving and Storage Instructions
Leftovers – Store the fish and sauce in a separate container so the fish won’t get soggy.
Refrigerate – The fish can stay fresh for three days in the fridge or two months in the freezer. The sauce will stay good for a week. Gently reheat it, so it doesn’t separate.
Reheat – Bake at 275℉/135℃ for 15-20 minutes to bring back the fish’s crispiness. Or reheat it in your air fryer at 330℉/165℃ for 5-7 minutes.
FAQs
Since I want my fish on the crispy side, I bake mine at 400℉/205℃ for 10-15 minutes. The cooking time varies, depending on the fillet’s size. An instant-read thermometer will read the internal temperature at 140-145℉/60-63℃.
Compared to common sea bass, like black or white sea bass, Chilean sea bass is longer, has a greater lifespan, is heavier, and swims deeper in the ocean.
According to research, Chilean sea bass has more fatty acids that may help lower blood pressure and cholesterol. It also has nutrients such as magnesium, potassium, and vitamins B-6, B-12, and selenium.
What to Serve With Chilean Sea Bass
This elegant dish deserves equally fancy side dishes like the amazing recipes below.
- Cream Cheese Mashed Potatoes
- Parmesan-Crusted Asparagus
- Seasoned Rice
- Cornbread Salad
- Oven-Roasted Corn on the Cob
More Amazing Seafood Recipes to Try
Conclusion
Beurre Blanc elevates the dish into a more sophisticated restaurant-quality meal. What’s your favorite sauce to serve over fish? Let me know in the comments. 😍
Chilean Sea Bass
Ingredients
Chilean Sea Bass
- 2 fillets Chilean sea bass (about 5-6 ounces each)
- Creole seasoning (or salt and pepper to taste)
Beurre Blanc
- ¾ cup dry white wine
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 tablespoon heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoons shallots, very finely minced (or white onion)
- 4 ounces unsalted butter, cold and cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1 pinch cayenne pepper
- 1-2 tablespoons parsley, minced
Instructions
Chilean Bass
- Preheat your oven to 400℉/205℃.
- Rinse and pat the sea bass dry with paper towels to soak up excess moisture. Season with Creole seasoning or salt and pepper to taste.
- Heat oil in a cast-iron or oven-safe skillet. Once hot, add your fish skin-side up. Reduce the heat to medium-high and brown each side for 3-4 minutes or until golden brown.
- Transfer the cast-iron skillet to the preheated oven and bake the fish for 10-15 minutes or until it's done. The time varies, depending on the fillet's thickness, but the internal temperature should be 145℉/63℃.
- Remove from the oven and serve with beurre blanc.
Beurre Blanc
- Mix white wine, lemon juice, heavy cream, minced garlic, and shallots in a small saucepan.
- Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. As soon as it starts to boil, reduce heat to medium-low and let the wine mixture simmer until the liquid reduces to 3-4 tablespoons (6 minutes or more).
- Reduce heat to low and whisk in 3-4 pats of butter until it melts completely. Repeat the process with 3-4 more pats of butter until all the butter has been added and melted. The sauce should be thick and smooth (it takes 4-6 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and place in a serving bowl. If the sauce is too light, let it sit for about 2 minutes. Keep in mind the sauce thickens quickly. Serve immediately over your fish.
Tips & Notes:
- Beurre blanc can be a bit contrary. Keep it from overcooking and from getting too cold. Of course, if it gets cold, give it a few minutes in a saucepan to melt the butter again.
- It’s crucial to massively reduce the liquid before adding the butter. If not, your sauce will be light and runny, not creamy and decadent.
- Internal temperature for sea bass ranges between 135-145℉/58-63℃, depending on how done you like your fish.
- Please remember that the nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary significantly based on the products used in the recipe.
