I think most of us could do with more fish in our diets, don’t you? This pan-fried seabass with garlic lemon butter sauce is a fantastic recipe for spring and summer, making you feel as if you are on a holiday on the French Riviera.
The flavours will instantly lift your spirits, even if the weather disappoints, and you have to make do with the kitchen instead of the garden. When you have guests over, it makes a great main course.
It will make a great main course dish, also when you have guests over. It’s really easy to make!
This means you can spend more time with your guests, and less time in the kitchen. So, what are you waiting for? Get a head start on the summer!
Frozen Fish Direct
A special thanks to Bradley’s, who supplied the frozen seabass fillets for this recipe. Compared to the measly sized fillets found at supermarket’s fish counters these days, I was rather impressed with the size of this product.
Considering that it costs £16 for 1kg and there are no bones and dodgy bits but just pure flesh, the price is very reasonable. What I liked about the fish was that it retained its shape in the cooking process and didn’t fall apart, yet the flakes were tender and the flavour intact.
Bradley’s was established in 1946 and sells a wide range of frozen fish products, from crab and lobster to all kinds of fish to even eel. Be sure to check it out!
Seabass
Sea bass is a salt water fish with firm white meat. It can be used in any number of ways and cooked just as you like it – fried, grilled, poached or steamed.
Lastly, you can even use it raw in a ceviche, but that’s another story. The meaty texture of the fish, is softened by the lemon garlic butter, making it a refreshing meal.
In fact, this previously overlooked fish, is now gaining popularity with the star chefs, so you should definitely allow yourself a taste of it as well. Notwithstanding the fact that its very nutritious and has lots of vitamins.
Substitutes for Seabass
You should always try to get your fresh fish from your local fish monger. As mentioned, sea bass is a white fish with firm meat, so you should go for something similar.
For instance, you can use cod, haddock or pollack instead. All of these are white fish, with somewhat similar taste and texture.
Always go for the freshest catch! The quality of the fish will make your dish in the end.
You should avoid the fattier types of fish such as salmon or mackerel. These will make the dish less balanced. If you do however prefer using salmon, then I’ve got a great miso salmon recipe for you.
Lemon-garlic butter
The lemon garlic butter is a perfect match for the pan-fried seabass. Once you’ve made your lemon garlic butter, simply serve it, and let it melt over the hot fish, letting it create a sauce right on your plate.
If you’re not a garlic lover, you can leave it out. Instead, replace the garlic with some fresh herbs that you like. Dill or parsley make excellent companions for the sea bass. But the choice is completely up to you.
Therefore, feel free to be creative at this point. For me though, the garlic is simply a must. It just gives this lovely Mediterranean flavour that work so well with the seabass.
As you know, lemon adds the necessary acidity, that any cooked fish needs. The seabass with lemon garlic butter is just perfection!
Other types of sauces
If you’re not too keen on the lemon garlic butter, you can use another sauce to top your pan-fried seabass. For instance, you can make the dish richer, by serving the pan-fried seabass with a hollandaise sauce.
Or, if you want to keep the garlic flavour in there, but avoid the butter, serve it with an aioli. In fact, if you’ve managed to get your hands on a nice fresh seabass, even a bit if freshly squeezed lemon juice will do the trick.
There is just something about a freshly prepared fish, garnished with lemon. If you are aiming for a healthy green sauce, why not try the watercress sauce?
The watercress sauce is seasonal, crispy and will definitely give your seabass a health boost! Needles to say, my personal favourite remains the lemon garlic butter.
Sides
The possibilities for side dishes to serve with your pan-fried seabass are never-ending. Now in early spring, I would recommend serving it with green asparagus, which are just coming into season.
Furthermore, when the first new potatoes start to appear, these will be fabulous with the sea bass. Boiled, and drizzled with olive oil or some melted butter, with the combination of fresh herbs, it’s a match made in heaven.
Again, dill or parsley are the natural choices, as both work well with pan-fried seabass, and the lemon garlic butter. If you want your seabass with lemon garlic butter to be a lighter meal, make a little salad to go with it.
Add fresh green peas and a light vinaigrette, which will give you a have a lovely summer dish. What’s your favourite side dish? Leave a comment below.
Serving
As with most fish dishes, the pan-fried seabass is a dish best served fresh. You should prepare it and serve it immediately.
This way you get the most out of the fish. I wouldn’t recommend freezing the dish, or storing it over night. If you’re pressed for time, or preparing for guests, you can prepare the sides in advance. The fish itself will cook quickly and you can have a delicious meal in no time.
Wine pairing
To make your dinner into the complete Mediterranean experience, you should choose a lovely wine to go with it. I would suggest a crisp white wine like a Sauvignon Blanc, or perhaps even a lovely rosé from Provence.
It will complement the pan-fried seabass very nicely and give you the feeling of being on holiday. Enjoy!
Do you love seafood? Check out some more recipes:
Print
Pan-Fried Seabass with Garlic Lemon Butter Sauce and Spring Vegetables
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
Ingredients
sea bass
- 30ml (2 tbsp) butter
- 600g (1.3 lbs) sea bass fillets
- salt and freshly ground pepper
garlic lemon butter sauce
- 4 cloves garlic, crushed
- 60g (2 oz) butter
- juice of 1 lemon
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a large frying pan. Fry sea bass, turning once halfway through cooking time. Cook until opaque and moist on the inside, 4 to 8 minutes.
- In a small saucepan, gently melt the butter. When it starts sizzling add the garlic and let it sizzle for a minute or two, allowing the garlic to infuse the butter. Lower the heat to the minimum setting, add the lemon juice, stir and let it heat through. Season to taste. Drizzle over the fish fillets when it is served.
Notes
- The seabass was served on top of bubble and squeak, which is mashed potato and brussels sprouts fried in butter and oil.
- The sauce above is tailored to my taste. Feel free to play with the garlic, butter and lemon juice ratios until it suits you.
- The recipe for the sauce above only makes a small amount. Double the amount if you rave about sauces.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Category: Main
- Cuisine: French
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 237
- Sodium: 466 mg
- Fat: 9.3 g
- Saturated Fat: 4.5 g
- Protein: 35.5 g
- Cholesterol: 95 mg
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P.S. This post is sponsored by Bradley’s.
The Duo Dishes
The potatoes and asparagus look great paired with this fish. All we need is a nice glass of wine.
Jeanne
I adore sea bass – yours looks so colourful and appealing!
Lore
Gorgeous presentation, love colourful dishes! The seabass looks amazing and the sauce sounds like the perfect complement for it. Thanks for sharing your dish with the Original Recipes Round-Up 🙂
Michelle
The Duo Dishes: A glass of crisp, white wine went down nicely with this dish.
Jeanne: Me too! I love the soft texture. It’s just a shame that the fillets are so small these days due to overfishing.
Thanks, Lore! Always a pleasure to join your event.
BUNNEY
searching for a sea bass recipe I found this ,and , at first was sceptical about the sauce that it may overwhelm the taste of the fish – but -I tried it and can say it wonderfully complimented the whole dish—-SUPERB can thoroughly recommend. Thank You
Michelle
Thanks for the positive feedback, Bunney! Sometimes it is worth trying out recipes you are sceptical about because it might just surprise you. 😉
Sarah
I love sea bass but have never cooked fish before Iand couldn’t believe I could cook it myself as I had only ever eaten it in restuarants. But this recipe is so simple and easy to do and tasted wonderful. My husband now says that it’s his favourite thing that I cook for him and its certainly up there in my top three!
chantal
Great recipe – easy to follow and very tasty! I’ll definitely check out your other recipes. Thanks.
Elle
Hubby caught a monster sea bass today… so I was over the moon to find this recipe. A fantastic recipe – and one which I have just used. I also popped a small amount of fennel seeds into the sauce. Yummy!
Iain
Trying this one on my birthday on Wednesday. Hopefully it’ll be as nice as everyone else thinks 🙂
Molly
Hi,
I was wondering if the sebas would go with roasted tomatoes and green beans?
Thanks
Molly
Michelle
Roasted tomatoes and green beans sound good to me – happy eating!
Kerri
Absolutely beautiful I highly recommend it, I replaced the lemon with a lime(as I had none in) and I added a red chilli de-seeded and very finely chopped. It was delightful I will most definitely be making this again. Thanks for the recipe 🙂
Erina
The sauce did not turn out very good because the butter and garlic got burnt and it did not taste very good you should melt the butter on the lowest heat and maybe put some flour on the fish so it won’t burn.
Olga
I am very interested in making this dish, however, while reading over the recipe I couldn’t help but think that some chopped almond could be added somewhere in the mix. Michelle, how you you recommend adding some almonds without overwhelming the dish? Thank you for the recipe, great combinations.
Sue Coombs
Lovely recipe, so easy and quick, the garlic went lovely with the Seabass, beautiful!
lucy
Hi my husband caught his first bass and this is a great FIRST recipy to try as we love gaarlic n lemon thank you 🙂
Michelle
Thanks so much for the positive feedback, Lucy.
Dawn
Have never bought or indeed tried Sea Bass before but thought I would buy some at the supermarket. Your recipe looked easy and tasty and indeed it was both. Just finished it now and I could eat it again. Thank you
Michelle
That’s great to hear! Thanks, Dawn.
Mark
Never really cooked in my life but going to attempt to make this dish as a treat for my girlfriend tomorrow night. Any tips to stop me ruining it? :o)
Michelle
Did your food turn out okay?
Mark
Yes thanks Michelle, it was lovely. I went a bit OTT with the lemon, but I know for next time 🙂
Michelle
That’s great news. You must have impressed your girlfriend! 😉
Kathleen
I just tried your sea bass recipe (after looking at over 20 recipes). It was amazing! The lemon-garlic butter sauce was really delicious! I’m going to try the sauce on halibut next time I cook that! I just wanted to tell you what an excellent, simple recipe. Everything turned out delicious! Thank you!
michelle
Thanks, Kathleen. The sauce is very versatile and you can use it with just about any fish!
★★★★★
Camilla Hawkins
Is there anything better than simple pan fried fish? I think not, this is my kind of food:-)
★★★★★
Jemma @ Celery and Cupcakes
Seabass is one of my favourite fishes. I really love how you’ve served it here.
Janice
Now that is my idea of heaven on a plate! I love all fish, but sea bass is so good, garlic and lemon butter sauce – mmmm I’ll check out Bradley’s as we don’t have a good fishmonger and I have to rely on the supermarket.
★★★★★
Choclette
My mother would love this. She’s a bit of a fish fanatic. I would love the garlic lemon butter sauce!
Kavey
Love how simple and delicious this looks. It’s the kind of dish I’d order in a restaurant but not think to make at home, and yet it looks straightforward to do. Thanks for the recipe!
Steven
This recipe sounds delicious. I‘ll sure try it but I have a question about the side-dish: Should I prepare a staple as a side as well, or is the fish enough in combination with some asparagus?
michelle
I’d say the fish is enough. You don’t want to overthrow the balance of flavours – especially if you’ve got a great piece of fish 🙂
However if you feel like it- then just add a classic salad with a vinaigrette. No need for staple:)
Trish Symons
About to make this but have a question about the amount of butter, why use ml measurements for the fish and grams for the sauce? It would be less confusing if you use the same type of measurement. Thanks!
Michelle
Thanks Trish, I’m gonna look into this. <3
Michelle xx
Doug Harris
Where I live, in south central Virginia, our seafood options are severely limited, and certainly don’t run to sea bass.
As it happens, though, when I found this recipe, I had a nice piece of tilapia that needed to be cooked. Perfect recipe for that!
Even though I was preparing only one filet, I made the sauce ‘full strength’ — using a full lemon and extra garlic.
And I cooked the fish — less butter would have worked fine — until it had a bit of a char-like coating on it.
Then, to sop up all the sauce, I heated a couple of cups of yesterday’s rice.
Side-dished with sliced cucumber with balsamic vinegar.
Totally AWESOME meal!!!
Thanks for this recipe, Michelle, AND for the the bhindi bhaji — also in your recipe book. I used to love eating that when I lived in London in the 70s. I’ve never seen a recipe for it!