20-Minute Chilean Sea Bass Recipe with Lemon-Caper Butter

Pan Seared Chilean Sea Bass with Lemon Caper Butter

4.95 from 118 votes

20-Minute Chilean Sea Bass Recipe with Lemon-Caper Butter

This Chilean sea bass recipe might sound fancy, but trust me—it’s one of the most forgiving fish you can put in a skillet. A quick, sizzling sear locks in its natural richness, five hands-off minutes in the oven finish the thick center, and a bright lemon-caper butter brings the whole dish to life. You’ll have a restaurant-quality dinner on the table before the kids finish setting it.

Prep Time5

Cook Time15

Total Time20

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: American

Servings: fillets (about 12 oz total)

Author: Mary Smith

Ingredients

2 6 oz Chilean sea bass fillets thawed if previously frozen
2 tbsp avocado oil
salt & pepper to taste
2 tbsp ghee, vegan butter, or regular butter
Juice from ½ lemon
2 tbsp capers

Optional Creamy Garlic Cauliflower Mash

32 oz frozen cauliflower or fresh florets
¼ cup chicken broth
¼ cup Ghee or vegan butter
¼ cup full fat coconut cream just the thick part from a can of coconut milk. Or use a can of coconut cream.
1 tsp sea salt more to taste
1 tsp garlic powder
½ tsp black pepper

Instructions

Pat your sea bass fillets dry and coat on both sides with 1 tbsp avocado oil. Sprinkle the fillets with salt and pepper.
Preheat your oven to 425. Heat the remaining 1 tbsp avocado oil in a cast iron (or other oven-safe skillet) over medium high heat. When the pan is nice and hot, add the fillets skin side down (if they have skin). Let them cook, untouched, for 5 mins. Flip and cook for an additional 5 minutes.
Transfer the skillet to the oven and cook for an additional 5 minutes. The fish should flake easily with a fork at this point.
While the fish is cooking, make the cauliflower mash. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add the frozen cauliflower. Cook it for 10-15 minutes until you can easily pierce the florets with a fork. Drain the cauliflower really well and return it to the pot. Add in the chicken broth, coconut milk, ghee (or vegan butter), garlic powder, and salt. Use an immersion blender (or regular blender or food processor) to blend up the cauliflower until very thick and creamy.
Melt the ghee (or vegan butter) for the lemon butter sauce the microwave or in a sauce pan on the stove. Stir in the lemon juice and capers. Serve the fish over some cauliflower mash and spoon some of the lemon butter caper sauce over top. Enjoy!

Video

Notes

Preheat the pan. A 3-minute dry heat ensures a gorgeous crust without sticking.

Use a fish spatula. Its thin edge slips cleanly under delicate skin.

Keep smoke down. If you cook on a powerful gas range, start at medium heat and bump it up once the oil’s shimmering.

Make it dairy-free. Vegan butter or olive oil swaps in 1:1 for ghee.

Optional mash adds ~150 kcal, 9 g fat, 5 g net carbs per ¾-cup serving.

Nutrition