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    Home » Recipes

    Pan Seared Chilean Sea Bass

    Published: Apr 1, 2021 by Sonila · This post may contain affiliate links · 11 Comments

    • 31
    Jump to Recipe Jump to Video Print Recipe

    This pan seared Chilean Sea bass is quick to prepare and is just a great, healthy & flavorful dinner! You need very few ingredients to prepare this fish and you’ll have yourself a gourmet meal in less than half an hour.

    A platter with 4 portions of seared sea bass, garnished with lemon slices and cilantro. You see a salad in the background too.
    Pan Seared Chilean Sea Bass

    Chilean Sea Bass

    Chilean Sea Bass is a white, flaky fish known for its thick and delicious flesh. It’s usually very expensive to eat out so this is the reason I love cooking this fish at home. I was surprised to learn that this fish was originally known as Patagonian Toothfish.

    Also, Chilean Sea Bass is different from Mediterranean Sea Bass (Branzino). Usually Branzino is served whole. It is thinner and tastes differently than Chilean Sea Bass. Chilean Sea Bass is usually served in thick fillets and is richer and more buttery in flavor. So if you have recipes for one or another of these 2 fish types, I wouldn’t use them interchangeably.

    Check out my Baked Mediterranean Sea Bass (Branzino) dish for an alternative to this pan fried Chilean Sea Bass.

    Tips & Notes

    Here are some of my notes for this recipe. I have also added a short video to illustrate the instructions.

    • Marinade – I marinate the fish shortly with garlic, salt and olive oil. Usually I let the fish absorb the flavors for 10-20 minutes while I am preparing the salad or setting up the table for my family. You can make the marinade more sophisticated by adding more flavors and spices.
    • Pan – I used a cast iron skillet to sear this fish. Any non-stick skillet would work, use whatever you are more comfortable with. Start with medium heat and adjust from there.
    • Oil – I love using either avocado oil or extra virgin olive oil to sear the fish. Use your favorite oil, don’t add too much of it since you’re not deep frying. Keep heat to medium.
    • Garnish – I love keeping it simple, cilantro and lemon. You can also top the fish with a sauce of your choice. When I want to add some spice I do use this Peruvian Green Sauce to top the fish with.
    • Cook thoroughly – you have to cook the fish thoroughly, usually with my stovetop and heat I use it takes 2 minutes on each side. So about 8 minutes in total (once the skillet has gotten hot). However, on some other stovetops it can take up to 4 minutes cooking each side. So try to adjust accordingly, either way you still will have a cooked meal ready in less than 30 minutes:). If you cut a fillet, you don’t want the inside of the fish to look translucent, it has to be all white. Also, cooking time depends a little on how thick the fillets are. For extra thick fillets, after searing on all sides I might add the cast iron with the fish for 5 minutes in the oven at 350 degrees. This is not necessary all the time.

    See below all the ingredients I used for this dish. I love to keep the side dish simple to a big salad. But you can also add some cilantro rice or a carb of your choice besides the salad. This Garlic, Olive Oil Jasmine rice is a great side dish as well.

    Ingredients for the Chilean Sea Bass: 4 fish fillets, lettuce cilantro, garlic, olive oil, lemon, olives, cucumber, hearts of palm, salt.
    Ingredients for Seared Chilean Sea Bass & Salad
    Seared Chilean sea bass on a platter, garnished with cilantro and lemon slices. In the background you see a salad platter.

    Pan Seared Chilean Sea Bass

    This pan seared Chilean Sea Bass is a delightful dish you can prepare at home. You can serve this fish with a salad and additional side dishes. As described in the recipe card, this sea bass dinner is Mediterranean Diet compliant, low carb etc. Enjoy:)
    5 from 7 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 10 mins
    Cook Time 12 mins
    Total Time 22 mins
    Course Main Course
    Cuisine American, Fusion, International
    Servings 4 servings
    Calories 498 kcal

    Equipment

    • Cast Iron Skillet
    • salad platter
    • Tongs

    Ingredients
      

    • 4 Chilean Sea Bass fillets about 6 ozs each
    • 4 garlic cloves
    • 1 tsp salt (divided)
    • 6 tbsps extra virgin olive oil (divided) 1 tbsp for marinade, 3 tbsps for skillet and 2 tbsps for salad
    • 1 lemon
    • 3 tbsps freshly chopped cilantro
    • 1 romaine lettuce head
    • 1 English cucumber
    • 2 tbsps thinly sliced red onion adjust to taste
    • 10 kalamata olives
    • 3 hearts of palms

    Instructions
     

    • Make sure sea bass is thawed (if previously frozen). Pat dry each fillet with paper towel. Crush garlic with half a spoon of salt and 1 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil and apply the marinade evenly over the sea bass fillets. Let marinade (you can refrigerate if you need more time) for the time you need to make the salad.
    • Add chopped romaine lettuce on a salad platter. Top with red onion, slices of cucumber, kalamata olives and sliced hearts of palms. You can add salt, 3 tbsps extra virgin olive oil and fresh lemon juice (from half a lemon) right before serving salad.
    • Place cast iron or a non-stick skillet on the stovetop, medium heat and add 3 tbsps olive oil (or avocado oil), give it a swirl so it coats everything. Once skillet is hot add the fish. Let cook for 2 minutes and carefully flip each fillet using tongs. Sear again for 2 minutes and flip on the other side and repeat until fish has thoroughly cooked on all sides. You need the outside of the fish to be golden brown and inside all white (no translucent).
    • Remove fish carefully once cooked on all sides. Place on a serving platter. Squeeze lemon over each fillet, garnish with fresh lemon slices and cilantro.
    • Serve right away with salad and any side dishes of your choices. Enjoy:)

    Video

    Notes

    • This recipe as described with no additional side dishes is compliant with Mediterranean Diet. It’s also low carb and compliant with keto lifestyle. 

    Nutrition Label

    Nutrition Facts
    Pan Seared Chilean Sea Bass
    Amount Per Serving
    Calories 498 Calories from Fat 396
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 44g68%
    Saturated Fat 8g50%
    Cholesterol 75mg25%
    Sodium 824mg36%
    Potassium 204mg6%
    Carbohydrates 8g3%
    Fiber 2g8%
    Sugar 2g2%
    Protein 21g42%
    Vitamin A 1095IU22%
    Vitamin C 18mg22%
    Calcium 34mg3%
    Iron 1mg6%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 498kcalCarbohydrates: 8gProtein: 21gFat: 44gSaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 75mgSodium: 824mgPotassium: 204mgFiber: 2gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 1095IUVitamin C: 18mgCalcium: 34mgIron: 1mg
    Keyword Chilean Sea Bass, Fish dinner, Pan Seared Fish, Pan Seared Sea Bass, Sea Bass
    Tried this recipe?Mention @mediterranean_latin_love or tag #mediterraneanlatinloveaffair!

    If you would like to save this recipe for later, please save the below image to your boards in Pinterest. Let me know if you have any questions in comments. Or feel free to tag me in social media with your version of this recipe:). Thank you!

    Instagram: mediterranean_latin_love or Twitter: MediterrLatin or Facebook: Mediterranean Latin Love Affair.

    Pan Seared Chilean Sea Bass dish with a salad in the background. Image is prepared for Pinterest, it shows a Pinterest title bar on top of the picture and a website link in the bottom.
    Pan Seared Chilean Sea Bass

    More Seafood Recipes

    If you love seafood, check out some of my other seafood recipes:). Thank you!

    • Baked Branzino
    • Salmon Bowl
    • Shrimp Pasta
    • Salmon Onions Casserole

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    • 31

    Filed Under: Latin, Main Dishes, Recipes Tagged With: keto, low carb, Mediterranean Diet, Seafood

    About Sonila

    Mom of 2, wife, engineer, food blogger & recipe creator! Sonila was born in Albania, her heritage inspires her Mediterranean recipes while that of her husband the Latin ones. Sonila has 2 degrees in Engineering from University of Miami.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Lathiya

      April 30, 2021 at 6:16 am

      5 stars
      I love fish and really love this recipe for it is simple and flavorful.

      Reply
      • Sonila

        May 05, 2021 at 6:41 am

        Thank you so much!

        Reply
    2. Shikha

      April 27, 2021 at 5:59 pm

      5 stars
      I like the way you made fish with very less spices. Great recipe!

      Reply
    3. LaRena Fry

      April 27, 2021 at 12:14 pm

      5 stars
      Seabass is such a delicious fish. This sounds lovely.

      Reply
    4. Nisha

      April 27, 2021 at 10:15 am

      5 stars
      The pan-seared sea bass with lemon cooked to perfection and plated so well looks tempting and delicious. Love fish and simple marinades like this.

      Reply
      • Sonila

        May 05, 2021 at 6:42 am

        I really appreciate your comment Nisha, thank you!

        Reply
    5. Jacqueline Debono

      April 27, 2021 at 2:09 am

      5 stars
      That Chilean sea bass looks so delicious and meaty. We can’t find that fish here in Italy. What would you recommend substituting it with since you say it’s not a good idea to sub with Mediterranean sea bass? I was thinking maybe grouper?

      Reply
    6. Jacqueline Debono

      April 27, 2021 at 2:06 am

      5 stars
      That Chilean sea bass looks so delicious and meaty. We can’t find that fish here in Italy. What would you recommend substituting it with since you say it’s not a good idea to sub with Mediterranean sea bass? I was thinking maybe grouper?

      Reply
      • Sonila

        May 05, 2021 at 6:44 am

        I had to look it up Jacqui and was told that black cod (Alaskan Sablefish) would be a good substitute. Grouper is too thin, flavor is great and it would go well with the green salad. I bet grouper would cook faster too and maybe flipped to cook top/bottom instead of all 4 sides. I’m intrigued to try it myself now:)

        Reply
    7. Angela

      April 26, 2021 at 1:37 pm

      5 stars
      Sea bass is one of our favorites and I always try to order it out when I see it. Glad to have this recipe and more confidence cooking it at home – yum!

      Reply
      • admin

        April 26, 2021 at 1:44 pm

        Thank you Angela!! Me too, I used to order it out anytime I saw it on the menu. Love it!!

        Reply

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    Sonila Zarate
    Sonila Zarate

    Mom of 2, wife, engineer, food blogger & recipe creator! Sonila was born in Albania, her heritage inspires her Mediterranean recipes while that of her husband the Latin ones. Sonila has 2 degrees in Engineering from University of Miami.

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