Easy Pan Seared Sea Bass Recipe, flavored Mediterranean-style. Don't skip the garlic and bell pepper medley on top! This is a quick and healthy weeknight meal (low-carb, low-calorie, and gluten free!)
The other day, I went to check out the fish selection at my local grocery store, initially looking for salmon to make my baked salmon with garlic-cilantro sauce. I was excited to find sea bass, which I hadn’t seen in a while!
It didn’t take long for me to switch sides, deciding in favor of this easy pan seared sea bass recipe as a quick weeknight meal.
Sea bass is apparently such a broad family, and white sea bass is actually a type of fish called a Drum, which not technically/scientifically a bass.
But, to this eater, what matters is that it’s one of my favorite fish. It's white-fleshed. Meaty. Moderately low in fat. And mild-tasting, which makes it the perfect flavor carrier.
Why this Pan Seared Sea Bass Recipe Works
Other than the fact that it's a quick cooking method, the object of pan-searing here is to produce a flavorful crisp exterior, which acts as a little barrier allowing the fish to remain tender on the inside as it cooks.
I always prefer a large cast iron skillet (or a pan made of a heavy-gauge metal) which does well in transmitting heat evenly.
No surprise to you, before searing in olive oil, I first gave the sea bass a quick coating of Mediterranean spices--ground coriander, cumin, and sweet Aleppo pepper. The spice mixture imparted flavor and acted as a thin crust to my skinless sea bass fillets.
What to serve with this sea bass recipe
My part-Italian, part-Greek addition here is a bright garlic and bell pepper medley. Not just a pretty embellishment, trust me. The sweet peppers, combined with the salty Kalamata olives are the tastiest compliment in this sea bass recipe.
I served this sea bass and pepper medley with plain pearl couscous. But it's also wonderful with this Lebanese rice. I'm not shy about adding yet more color in the form of fattoush salad to start.
One last note, if sea bass is not available to you, you can use halibut or cod fillet instead.
Mediterranean Pan Seared Sea Bass Recipe with Garlic Bell Pepper Medley
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 20 mins
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
Description
Easy Pan Seared Sea Bass Recipe, flavored Mediterranean-style! Don't skip the garlic and bell pepper medley on top. This makes a quick and healthy weeknight meal (low-carb, low-calorie, and gluten free!)
Ingredients
- 4 pieces Sea Bass fillet, no skin (each piece about 6-0z in weight and 1 ½ inches in thickness)
- Salt
- Extra virgin olive oil
- 1 Green Bell Pepper, cored and chopped
- 1 Red Bell Pepper, cored and chopped
- 3 Shallots, chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- ½ cup pitted Kalamata olives, halved or chopped
- ½ lemon, juice off
- 2-3 cups cooked rice or pearl couscous or orzo pasta, prepared according to package (optional)
Spice Mixture
- ½ tablespoon ground coriander
- ½ tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon Aleppo pepper (or Sweet Spanish paprika)
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Take the fish out of the fridge about 20 minutes before cooking. Sprinkle with salt on both sides and set aside.
- In a small bowl, combine the spices to make the spice mixture. Set aside for now.
- In a medium-sized skillet, heat 2 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat until hot and shimmering but not smoking.
- Add the bell peppers, shallots, and garlic. Season with salt and 1 teaspoon of the spice mixture you prepared earlier. Cook, stirring regularly, for 5 minutes or until the peppers have softened. Turn the heat to lowest, and stir in the chopped olives. Leave on low heat as you prepare the fish.
- Pat fish dry and season with the remaining spice mixture on both sides as well.
- In a large skillet, preferably cast iron like this one, heat ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil over medium-high until shimmering but not smoking. Add the fish pieces (you can reduce heat to medium, if needed). Push down on the middle (thickest part) for 30 seconds or so. Cook fish on one side, undisturbed, until nicely browned, about 4 to 6 minutes. Using a spatula, carefully turn fish over and cook on other side for 3-4 minutes until nicely browned as well. (Important Note- look for browned edges before you turn it over. If parts of the fish are stuck, you should be able to carefully scrape it with the spatula and turn. But, if the fish is entirely stuck, it's not ready to be turned over. Leave it for a little bit. It should release when ready.)
- Remove fish from heat, immediately drizzle lemon juice. Serve hot with the bell pepper medley spooned on top. Add a side of cooked pearl couscous or this Lebanese rice, if you like. Or add a gluten-free side of your choice. Enjoy!
Notes
- Recommended for this recipe: Private Reserve Greek extra virgin olive oil (from organically grown and processed Koroneiki olives). And from our organic and all-natrual spice collections: ground coriander, cumin, Aleppo pepper (or paprika.)
- SAVE! Try our olive oil bundle; Ultimate Mediterranean Spice Bundle; or Create Your Own 6-Pack from our spice collection!
- Category: Entree
- Cuisine: Mediterranean
Keywords: Sea bass recipe, pan seared sea bass
More Recipes to Try
One-Pan Baked Halibut with Vegetables
Greek-Style Baked Cod with Lemon and Garlic
Marla V Swan says
This was one of my favorites! I love sea bass and was running out of ideas. I'm always amazed at how wonderful a bell pepper medley is. This was a winner!
★★★★★
Suzy says
Thanks so much, Marla!
Karla says
So delicious! My favorite fish recipe ever. I substituted a yellow pepper for green pepper, used a yellow onion versus the shallot and had smoked paprika on hand versus the other. My husband loved it too!
★★★★★
Suzy says
Awesome! Thanks, Karla!
Mary says
Love this! I buy sea bass at Costco. They have a bag of individually wrapped sea bass in the frozen section.
★★★★★
Cathy says
This was recipe is fantastic! I loved the vegetable medley, and I will use it to top many different things. First time using pearl couscous, and I will certainly use it again.
★★★★★
Suzy says
Wonderful! Thanks, Cathy!
Christine Ayad Daher says
Hello,
In the recipe you said use 1 tsp of the spice mixture. What do we do with the rest???
Suzy says
Hi, Christine. You add the rest of the spice mixture as stated in step 5.
Lawrence G Chester says
Easy to make, nice complex flavors. We used a very thick piece of Chilean Sea Bass, and the 4 - 6 minutes on each side didn't cook it sufficiently. After another 10 minutes on the stovetop we still weren't in serving territory. So, I took my meat thermometer, and put it in horizontally to the center of the thickest piece. Since I'm using an electronic thermometer, I set the target temp for 145 degrees, and set the oven to 300 degrees. In about 15 minutes, the fish had reached temperature, and it was a great meal. Will certainly make it again.
★★★★★
Suzy says
Thanks for sharing, Lawrence! Glad you enjoyed it!
Diane says
I made this recipe today and it is wonderful. The spices in it are warm and lovely. The lemon juice really wakes everything up. I served it with brown rice. I'm definitely making this one often; it's a great mix of textures and flavors. Thanks for a great recipe.
★★★★★
Suzy says
So glad you enjoyed it, Diana!
ADBfromNC says
Super simple fast and easy to interchange whichever veggies you have on hand. I didn’t get a perfect crust on mine but the fish was perfect and great recommendations on pressing the fish down in the middle, waiting to flip etc. I’d also say to make sure whatever liquid that pools once the fish is cooked to reserve that and pour over with the lemon juice and dig in!!
★★★★★
Suzy says
Thanks for sharing your tips! So glad you enjoyed the recipe!
MAKARAND R. V. says
Indeed nice recipe. I cooked it today and me and my son relished it in Dubai. Would like to post a pic of my preparation of it’s allowed here. Do advise
★★★★★
Suzy says
Hello! Unfortunately, we don't have the ability to allow shared photos here, I'm sorry. So glad you and your son enjoyed the recipe!!
Annetta says
I pay a visit each day a few web sites and blogs to read articles, except this webpage provides quality based content.
★★★★★
Suzy says
Thank you so much, Annetta!
Steve from Connecticut says
I made it for my wife's birthday and she and my family loved it saying it was the best sea bass they had eaten and tasted like it was from a fine restaurant. Thank you for the recipe!
★★★★★
Suzy says
Oh, wow! That is great to hear! Thanks, Steve.
Brenda says
Absolutely delicious! Served with couscous with plenty of the sauce and peppers and it was a hit! Thank you Suzy.
★★★★★
Suzy says
YUM! Sounds like a delicious meal, Brenda!
Ruth Kerry says
So many recipes I try are a disappointment, but this was absolutely wonderful. I did have to make slight adjustments using red onion and yellow and red peppers and smoked paprika. Thank you, we loved it.
★★★★★
Suzy says
That's so great to hear, Ruth! Thank you!!
Sharon says
I found sea bass today with skin on the bottom. Can I cook it the same way and remove skin after? BTW, love your site and recommend it on various Mediterranean groups online.
Suzy says
Hi, Sharon! I recommend removing the skin before cooking for this recipe.
Nick says
I’m new to cooking and this website has been my bible! I followed the instructions and the dish was perfect! I’ve never had so much good food since finding your recipes! You’re great! Thank you for your hard work creating all this for us!
Nick from UK
★★★★★
Suzy says
Thank you so much, Nick! Glad you're finding the recipes helpful