Sea bass with lemon, caper & butter sauce

Instructions

1. 1

   Pat the sea bass fillets dry with kitchen paper. Score the skin lightly with a sharp knife if the fillets are thick. Season both sides with sea salt and black pepper, zest the lemon over the fish, then drizzle 15 ml olive oil over and rub to coat.

2. 2

   Leave the seasoned fillets on a plate, skin-side up, to rest in the fridge for 20 minutes to let the lemon zest and salt draw out moisture and flavour.

3. 3

   Heat a heavy-based frying pan over medium–high heat until hot. Add the remaining 15 ml olive oil and swirl to coat.

4. 4

   Place the fillets skin-side down into the pan (away from you). Press gently with a spatula for 8–10 seconds to stop the skin curling, then leave undisturbed to cook until the skin is deep golden and the flesh is cooked about two-thirds of the way up the side, about 6 minutes.

5. 5

   Flip the fillets and add half the butter (about 15 g) to the pan. Spoon the melted butter over the tops for 1–2 minutes until just cooked through — fish should still be moist in the centre. Remove fish to a warm plate and leave to rest for 2 minutes.

6. 6

   Reduce the heat to medium–low. In the same pan add the chopped garlic and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant. Pour in the dry white wine and scrape up any browned bits; simmer until reduced by about half, ~90 seconds. Add the juice of the lemon, capers and a pinch of sea salt and black pepper.

7. 7

   Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the remaining cold butter, a few cubes at a time, to create a glossy emulsified sauce. Stir through the chopped parsley. Taste and adjust seasoning.

8. 8

   Serve the fillets skin-side up with the lemon-caper butter spooned over and extra parsley scattered on top. Serve with lemon wedges if liked.

Tips

• Always pat the fish completely dry and leave it uncovered in the fridge for a short rest if time allows — drier skin = crispier skin.
• Press the fish down for a few seconds when it first hits the pan to prevent the skin shrinking and curling.
• When emulsifying the butter into the sauce, remove the pan from the heat and add cold butter in small cubes to avoid the sauce splitting.
• Make the sauce in the same pan to use the fond (browned bits) left from the fish — that’s where flavour lives.
• Leftovers keep in an airtight container for up to 24 hours; reheat gently in a low oven (140°C fan/160°C conventional) briefly to avoid drying the fish.

Substitutions

• dry white wine → 60 ml light fish or vegetable stock

  Stays close

• capers → 25 g chopped green olives

  Noticeably different

• unsalted butter → 15 g extra-virgin olive oil (add at end off the heat)

  Noticeably different

Nutrition

Per serving · estimated

466

Calories

36 g

Protein

4 g

Carbs

34 g

Fat

2 g

Fibre

2 g

Sugar

750 mg

Sodium

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