Pan-Seared Sea Bass

Ingredients

• 4 sea bass fillets, skin-on, about 6 ounces each
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 cloves garlic, smashed
• 1 lemon, half sliced thin and half juiced
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme
• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

Method

1. 1

   Pat the sea bass fillets completely dry with paper towels, especially the skin side, then season both sides with salt and pepper.

2. 2

   Let the fillets sit at room temperature for 10 minutes to take the chill off before cooking.

   10:00 · Rest fish
3. 3

   Heat olive oil in a 9-inch skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering.

   2:00 · Heat oil
4. 4

   Place the fillets skin-side down in the skillet, pressing gently with a spatula for the first few seconds to prevent curling.

5. 5

   Sear undisturbed until the skin is golden and crisp and releases easily from the pan, about 4 minutes.

   4:00 · Sear skin side
6. 6

   Flip the fillets and cook on the flesh side for 2 to 3 minutes, until the fish is opaque and just flakes with a fork.

   2:00 · Sear flesh side
7. 7

   Transfer the fillets to a plate and tent loosely with foil to keep warm.

8. 8

   Reduce heat to medium, add butter, garlic, lemon slices, and thyme sprigs to the skillet, and cook until the butter is foamy and lightly browned, about 2 minutes.

   2:00 · Brown butter
9. 9

   Stir in the lemon juice, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.

10. 10

    Spoon the warm lemon-butter sauce over the fillets and garnish with chopped parsley before serving.