This 15-minute Sea Bass Recipe with Garlic Butter is pan-seared to perfection and basted in a rich butter sauce infused with garlic and fresh herbs. An easy main dish perfect for the summer!
This Garlic Butter Sea Bass is my idea of the perfect recipe! It’s fresh and flavorful, and I can make it in 15 minutes from start to finish.
If you don’t usually cook sea bass at home, this is a great recipe to start with. It’s easy to make and the presentation is gorgeous. This is definitely a low-effort, high-reward meal, so I love to pull this recipe out when we’re entertaining.
Since sea bass is a mild white fish, it takes on other flavors really well. So, when you baste it in Garlic Butter, the fish becomes flavorful, and buttery, and tender. Pair that with the crispy skin and *chef’s kiss* perfection! It’s SO good!
Plus, it’s low-carb, gluten free, and really easy to tweak if you need to. You can switch up the seasonings to complement the rest of the meal or add fresh herbs from your garden. Sea bass pairs well with lots of different flavors, so feel free to have fun with this recipe!
If you don’t have sea bass but have salmon on hand, try my Garlic Butter Baked Salmon! It’s just as delicious and always a big hit!
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Sea bass fillets — If you can’t find sea bass at your market, you can use another type of fish, such as cod fish, grouper or halibut. They have a similar mild and delicate flavor and work just as well.
- Seasonings — A simple blend of onion powder (or garlic powder), paprika, kosher salt, and black pepper.
- Olive oil — Cooking the sea bass in olive oil will give it a nice crispy sear.
- Butter — The base of our sauce, so use a quality unsalted butter that tastes great.
- Garlic — I crush it gently with the flat side of a knife to release more flavor.
- Fresh thyme — Adds a lot of flavor to the sauce and makes a lovely garnish. You can also swap the thyme for fresh cilantro, which is especially great for fish tacos! If you only have fresh parsley or basil on hand, feel free to use that too.
- Lemon wedges — Serve with lemon wedges on the side.
Optional: You can make a lemon butter sauce by adding fresh lemon juice, lemon zest, and capers to garlic butter sauce for for extra brightness.
Instruction to Cook Sea Bass
These step-by-step photos and instructions will show you how easy it is to pan-sear sea bass. In just 15 minutes, your fish will be ready to enjoy with your favorite sides.
- Pat the sea bass filets dry with a paper towel and season them evenly with onion powder, paprika, salt, and pepper.
- Heat olive oil in a skillet until hot but not smoking, then reduce heat to medium.
- Carefully place the fillets in the skillet skin-side down and cook undisturbed for 3 to 4 minutes. Then, gently flip them and cook for another minute or two.
- Add the cold butter, crushed garlic and a sprig of thyme. Then, tilt the skillet towards you so the butter pools, and spoon it over the fish for 15 seconds. Lay the skillet back down and cook for 30 seconds.
- Keep cooking and basting until it reaches 135°F. Check the temperature with food thermometer.
- Transfer the sea bass to serving plates and drizzle it with the garlic butter.
- Sprinkle some fresh thyme leaves on top, serve with lemon wedges!
Frequently Asked Questions
What does sea bass taste like?
Sea bass is a mild flavor with a delicate, slightly sweet flavor, so the garlic butter is a beautiful complement.
Can I buy frozen sea bass?
You certainly can find it in the freezer section of your grocery store! Frozen fish works just fine in this recipe. Just be sure it’s completely thawed before cooking it.
I prefer to thaw fish in the fridge overnight, but a bowl of cold water will do the trick in a time crunch.
Do I eat the skin?
You sure can! I think the crispy skin is the best part, but it’s totally up to you.
Olivia’s Recipe Tips
- For the best sear, be sure to get the pan nice and hot before placing the sea bass down. Then, don’t move it until you see a golden crust forming.
- It’s easiest to flip the fillets if you use two fish spatulas to gently guide them. It’ll help keep the fish intact and prevent an oil splatter.
- Take care not to overcook the sea bass, or it’ll become rubbery in texture.
- If your fillets are particularly thick, you may need to adjust the cooking time and leave them in for an extra minute or two.
How To Store Leftovers
To Store: Keep the cooled leftovers in an air-tight glass container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days.
To Freeze: You can freeze cooked sea bass for up to 3 months. Just let it cool completely before placing it in a freezer-safe container. And don’t forget the garlic butter – it freezes well too!
To Reheat: I reheat the leftovers in a skillet on the stovetop to keep the skin nice and crispy. The air fryer is another great option!
What To Serve With This Sea Bass Recipe
Stay on theme and make these delicious garlic butter green beans! Or, whip up this couscous salad in under 15 minutes while your pan fried fish recipe cooks.
Anytime there’s garlic butter involved, I have to have rice or garlic bread to soak up all the flavor!
This dish is also great with air fryer baby potatoes that get just as crispy as the sea bass. They’re even better drizzled in garlic butter!
The leftovers are even more flavorful and perfect in meal prep bowls with coleslaw.
Be sure to check out my full collection of delicious seafood recipes, including lots of healthy meal prep ideas here at Primavera Kitchen!
More Garlic Butter Seafood Dishes!
5 from 1 vote
Garlic Butter Sea Bass Recipe
This 15-minute Garlic Butter Sea Bass is pan-seared to perfection and basted in a rich butter sauce infused with garlic and fresh herbs. A quick and easy main dish perfect for the summer!
Prep: 5 minutes minutes
Cook: 10 minutes minutes
0 minutes minutes
Total: 15 minutes minutes
Servings: 1 people
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Ingredients
- 4 sea bass fillets
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- salt and black pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 tablespoons butter cubed
- 2 garlic cloves crushed and peeled
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme
- lemon wedges for serving
Instructions
Pat sea bass fillets dry and season with onion powder, paprika, salt and pepper.
Heat olive oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until it is hot but not smoking.
Once heated, reduce the heat to medium and carefully place the sea bass fillets skinned side down in the skillet. Cook the fish without moving it until the underside is light golden brown. It’ll table about 3 to 4 minutes.
Using two fish spatulas, gently flip the fillets and cook for an additional 1 to 2 minutes.
Add butter around the fish in the skillet. Once the butter is melted, add crushed garlic and fresh thyme. Tilt the skillet slightly toward you so that the butter pools at the front. Using a large spoon, scoop up the melted butter and pour it over the fish repeatedly for 15 seconds. Place the skillet flat on the burner and continue cooking for 30 seconds more. Tilt the skillet again and baste for another 15 seconds.
Keep the skillet flat on the burner and check the temperature of the thickest part of each fillet. Continue alternating between basting and cooking until the fillets reach an internal temperature of 135°F at the thickest point, which should take approximately 2 minutes more.
Transfer the cooked fish fillets to individual plates. Discard the garlic cloves and thyme. Top each fillet with some fresh thyme leaves, drizzle with the butter remaining in the skillet, and serve with lemon wedges.
Tips
- It’s best to go with fillets that are similar in size, so they cook at the same rate.
- Careful not to overcrowd the skillet, or the sea bass will steam instead of sear.
- Be sure to pat the fillets dry with a paper towel to help the seasonings adhere better.
Nutrition Information
Serving: 1/2 Calories: 236kcal Carbohydrates: 1g Protein: 24g Fat: 16g Cholesterol: 23mg Sodium: 215mg Potassium: 18mg
Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.
© Author: Olivia Ribas
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Olivia says
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Armando RU ELAS says
Can I get the recipe of the halibut fish grill?
Reply
Olivia says
I’ve never made this recipe on a grill. I’ll test this recipe on a grill and I’ll let you know how it turned out.
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