Pan Seared Chilean Sea Bass Recipe with Lemon Butter

This pan-seared Chilean Sea Bass recipe is an easy, 20-minute meal with delicious lemon butter sauce. A tender, flaky, flavorful fish dinner!

Course Dinner

Cuisine American

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 15

Total Time 20

Servings fillets

Calories 262kcal

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!

Equipment: I used a 10.25-inch Lodge cast iron skillet to make this! I love this pan so much and use it for everything. It effortlessly moves from stovetop to oven and cooks evenly!

Storage: Store leftover Chilean sea bass in an airtight container with the lemon caper sauce in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. Reheat and serve with garlic cauliflower mash or one of your favorite sides!

Dairy-Free: If you need this sea bass recipe to be completely dairy-free, use vegan butter like Miyokos, which is one of my favorites. Otherwise, feel free to use ghee, or regular butter if you prefer.

Fish Substitution: If you want to substitute the Chilean Sea Bass for another type of fish, I recommend using cod or a mild, flaky white fish of your choice. You can pan-sear the fish following the same instructions, and it will pair perfectly with the lemon caper sauce and garlic cauliflower mash!

The best way to serve this fish is over my easy Instant Pot Risotto with Peas, rice, veggies, your favorite pasta, or mashed potatoes!
The lemon butter sauce is amazing on so many things, so if you have any extra sauce save it for another dish! Sprinkle will fresh parsley if desired, and serve!
I also love serving this sea bass recipe with my creamy garlic cauliflower mash. It’s a quick and easy recipe that will win you over in no time!

Store in an airtight container for up to 3-4 days. Reheat in a skillet over medium heat and serve!
To freeze, store in an airtight container with the sauce for up to 3 months. Defrost overnight in the refrigerator and reheat over the stove to get the outer layers crisp