Pan Seared Chilean Sea Bass Recipe
Updated May 09, 2025, Published Feb 06, 2023
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Pan Seared Chilean Sea Bass With Lemon Butter Herb Sauce- This melt-in-your-mouth, juicy, & flavorful pan-seared Chilean Sea Bass recipe is covered in a flavorful lemon butter sauce and seared to perfection. A delicious restaurant-worthy meal in under 20 minutes.
More seafood dishes you will love: Best Baked Salmon with Pesto Recipe (Easy), BEST Seared Scallops with Lemon Butter Sauce, Classic Lobster Bisque Recipe (Easy), Easy Spaghetti alle Vongole, lobster bisque, and Crispy Baked Cod with Panko Recipe.
Pan-seared sea bass with lemon butter sauce is a light meal with bright flavors. It is light, healthy, and a simple dinner idea highlighting simple cooking with bold flavors. It is an easy fish recipe for a date night or special occasion.
This is one of my favorite fish recipes! I love the mild and super tender taste and texture of seabass. You don’t need a knife to dive into this perfectly cooked, flaky fish. Enjoy!
Table of Contents
Simple Ingredients
With a short list of ingredients, make sure you buy quality ingredients and, most of all, the freshest fish you can find.
- Chilean Sea Bass filets (4–6 oz each)
- Salt
- Freshly ground pepper
- Olive oil
- Butter, or ghee
- Lemon juice
- Lemon zest
- White wine
- Garlic clove or garlic powder
- Fresh oregano roughly chopped
- Fresh thyme roughly chopped
- Whole Lemon, for serving
See the recipe card for quantities.
This lemon butter sauce makes a perfect match for the delicate, mild flavor of the sea bass.
Whitefish, like Chilean sea bass, taste best when flavored with a simple sauce. While you can add more herbs and spices, it detracts from the natural and sweet flavor of the fresh fish.
Keep it simple like this BEST Seared Scallops with Lemon Butter Sauce.
How to Make Seared Chilean Sea Bass Recipe (step-by-step with photos)
You can use this simple cooking method with almost any type of fish. You’ll get a beautiful golden crust full of flavor and a flaky and tender interior.
Let the sea bass reach room temperature before cooking (take it out of the fridge about 30 minutes prior). Pat the sea bass dry with paper towels— sprinkle both sides with sea salt and pepper.
In a large skillet over medium heat, add 1 tablespoon of butter and olive oil. Once the butter has melted, place the fish fillets skin side down (if using with skin) in the skillet. Cook for 5 minutes.
After 5 minutes, flip the fish and cook on the other side. Depending on the thickness of the fish, another 5 minutes, or until the fish is flaky and fork tender. When cooked, transfer to a serving platter and loosely cover with foil.
Turn down the heat to low. Add the white wine to the skillet to deglaze, stirring any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Continue heating for about 1-2 minutes.
Add one more tablespoon of butter to the pan. Once it’s melted, add the minced garlic and fresh herbs and sauté until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
Turn off the heat and add the remainder of the butter, lemon juice, and lemon zest, and stir to combine until a smooth sauce. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.
Serve sauce on top of the fish. Garnish with extra herbs and lemon slices if desired.
Substitutions for Chilean Sea Bass
Although the Chilean sea bass is the star of this recipe, you can use other fish. The lemon butter sauce is delicious with other fish. You can substitute the sea bass for other mild white fish.
- Cod
- Black Cod
- Tilapia
- Mahi-Mahi
- Grouper
Variations for Seared Chilean Sea Bass Recipe
- Lemon caper sauce. I love the briny flavor of capers with fish. If you love capers, try adding them to this recipe.
The skillet to use: I love cooking in a cast iron skillet. It distributes the heat evenly throughout the bottom of the pan and up to the sides. It’s naturally nonstick and super durable.
FAQs
Your Sea Bass is done when it reaches an internal temperature of 140 degrees F (per USDA recommendations). Another way to tell if your fish is done is by testing it with a fork at an angle, at the thickest point, and twist gently. The fish will flake easily when it’s done and it will lose its translucent or raw appearance.
Chilean Sea Bass – is a Patagonian Toothfish, not actually a Bass fish, and lives in the waters around South America and the Antarctic. European Sea Bass – is a Bass found in European waters, such as the Mediterranean Sea and Black Sea.
Like most white fish, Chilean sea bass is healthy and low-calorie. It is high in protein, selenium, and vitamin b12. Chilean sea bass is low in fat and contains a small amount of omega-3 fatty acids.
Sea bass is one of the more expensive kinds of fish you can buy. The fisherman must sail out deep into the open sea to catch them. You pay for what you get and it is worth every penny for this delicate and beautiful fish.
Chilean Sea Bass is also called Patagonian toothfish or Antarctic toothfish. They live in cold waters like the Pacific, southern Atlantic, and Indian Oceans. The Chileans were the first to market toothfish commercially in the United States, earning it the name Chilean sea bass. It’s a white meat fish (think cod, lobster, and crab) that is extremely popular among seafood-loving diners.
You can find Chilean Sea Bass at your local fish market or grocery store. If you can’t find it, ask your fishmonger, and he may be able to order you some.
Ensure the fish doesn’t have any strong odors. It should have a mild and sweet fragrance. If there is any fishy smell, it’s usually several days old and not freshly caught. There should be no dry spots on the fillets and it should look firm and moist. After purchasing, cook it the same or next day. If you’re buying fresh fish, don’t free the fresh filets. Once thawed, the will not cook or taste the same.
This fish is often recommended to those who dislike seafood with a strong “fishy” taste as Chilean Sea Bass is mildly sweet and buttery with a high fat content and a flaky texture.
No, they are the same thing. It’s often called Chilean Sea Bass because the Chileans were the first to market the fish (also called the toothfish) in the United States, even though it’s not actually a bass and it’s found in places other than Chilean waters.
Yes, this can be made in the oven but the texture of the fish will be slightly different and the sauce will not have the extra layer of flavor gained from deglazing the pan with wine.
What to Serve with Chilean Sea Bass
This delicate sea bass recipe is the perfect main dish for several side options! Make Roasted Green Beans Recipe with Garlic and Lemon or Best Italian Oven Roasted Potatoes and Easy Soft Italian No Knead Bread with a side of Italian Fennel, Citrus, Pomegranate and Salad and Steamed Asparagus.
Make a surf and turf dinner with these recipes- How to Cook Steak in a Pan (Perfect Recipe) and How to Cook a Small Prime Rib Roast Recipe.
If you want to serve appetizers, try Hot Mascarpone Spinach Artichoke Dip or Italian Stuffed Zucchini (vegetarian)!
Don’t forget dessert! Best Brown Butter Apple Pie, Classic Italian Tiramisu Recipe (Authentic), or Creamy Frozen Lemon Bars with Graham Cracker Crust.
Top Tips
- Buy good quality sea bass. Since this is the dish’s highlight, ensure it is good quality for the best results.
- Pat fish dry with paper towels to avoid moisture while cooking. We want to sear the sea bass and not steam it!
- Let the fish set out to almost room temperature before searing. This will ensure even cooking and prevent the interior from being undercooked while the outside sears. Sear the fish at a high temperature.
- Make sure your pan is hot. Putting fish into a cold pan won’t develop a crispy sear and will not have the texture you want.
- Don’t overcook the delicate sea bass, or it will be tough. We want a nice flaky fish.
This Pan Seared Sea Bass with Lemon Butter Herb Sauce is a 20-minute, one-pan meal everyone will love!
Storage and Reheating
- Fridge – Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
- Freezer – Freeze in an airtight container for up to 2 months.
- Reheating – Reheat in the microwave, oven, over the stove, or even in the air fryer.
More delicious recipes
- Squid Ink Pasta Recipe with Shrimp and Cherry Tomato Sauce
- Easy Blackened Cod Recipe
- Stuffed Calamari Recipe
- Classic Lobster Bisque Recipe (Easy)
- Lemon Butter Pasta Sauce (Pasta al Limone)
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Chilean Sea Bass Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 Chilean Sea Bass filets, 4–6 oz each
- 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 3 tablespoons butter or ghee divided
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup good quality white wine
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh oregano, roughly chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme, roughly chopped
Instructions
- Let the sea bass reach room temperature before cooking (take it out of the fridge about 30 minutes prior). Pat the sea bass dry with paper towels— sprinkle both sides with sea salt and pepper.
- In a large skillet over medium heat, add 1 tablespoon of butter and olive oil. Once the butter has melted, place the fish fillets skin side down (if using with skin) in the skillet. Cook for 5 minutes.
- After 5 minutes, flip the fish and cook on the other side. Depending on the thickness of the fish, another 5 minutes, or until the fish is flaky and fork tender. When cooked, transfer to a serving platter and loosely cover with foil.
- Turn down the heat to low. Add the white wine to the skillet to deglaze, stirring any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Continue heating for about 1-2 minutes.
- Add one more tablespoon of butter to the pan. Once it’s melted, add the minced garlic and fresh herbs and sauté until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Turn off the heat and add the remainder of the butter, lemon juice, and lemon zest, and stir to combine until a smooth sauce. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.
- Serve sauce on top of the fish. Garnish with extra herbs and lemon slices if desired.
Notes
Top Tips
- Buy good quality sea bass. Since this is the dish’s highlight, ensure it is good quality for the best results.
- Pat fish dry with paper towels to avoid moisture while cooking. We want to sear the sea bass and not steam it!
- Let the fish set out to almost room temperature before searing. This will ensure even cooking and prevent the interior from being undercooked while the outside sears. Sear the fish at a high temperature.
- Make sure your pan is hot. Putting fish into a cold pan won’t develop a crispy sear and will not have the texture you want.
- Don’t overcook the delicate sea bass, or it will be tough. We want a nice flaky fish.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This was absolutely delicious and simple to make!
Thrilled you loved it! Here is to many more delicious recipes.
Tender and flaky fish topped with an herby lemon butter sauce to make the perfect meal! Highly recommend!