This Pan Fried Sea Bass with Lemon Garlic Herb Sauce is a 20 minute, one-pan, budget-friendly Mediterranean recipe that’s perfect on busy weeknights.
This Pan Fried Sea Bass recipe is a wonderful way to eat a mild, affordable* fish, and it’s packed with flavor from fresh oregano, thyme, and parsley. It’s especially great if you have an abundance of fresh herbs in your garden you need to use up! (raises hand)
* Sea bass can vary greatly in price depending on variety, location, and if it’s in season. Barramundi is a reliably affordable option and is what I used.
Originally, I was planning on doing a lemon caper sauce, similar to chicken piccata. But lo and behold, when I arrived at my refrigerator, I realized I was out of capers.
After some quick thinking and wandering around outside, I decided on a lemony, garlicky, fresh herb sauce instead.
SO happy I was out of capers. This turned out wonderfully!
How to Pan-Fry Sea Bass
If you’ve ever made chicken piccata before, the process for this is very similar. First, pat the fish dry. It’s important that most of the moisture is removed from the fish, so it gets a nice brown color on the outside.
Next dredge the fish in a mixture of all-purpose flour, kosher salt, and black pepper. Dredging simply means coating it in the flour mixture, and shaking off any excess. You should have a nice, thin coat of flour, salt, and pepper that covers every square inch of the surface of the fish.
Then, cook the fish in a mixture of olive oil and butter.
Why both, you ask?
The butter gives it a rich, golden color, while the olive oil makes it crispy. Mixing the two is my favorite way to pan-fry almost anything.
The fish will only take about 3-4 minutes to cook on each side, if you are using thin pieces of sea bass (I used frozen Barramundi). Once they’re finished, set them aside on a plate.
How to make the lemon garlic herb sauce
The sauce is made in the same pan in which you cooked the fish.
First, add some white wine to deglaze the skillet. I recommend a dry white wine, such as pinot grigio or sauvignon blanc. Immediately after you add it, use a wooden spoon to help stir up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Then, continue heating over medium-high heat until almost all the liquid has evaporated.
Then, add a little more butter to the skillet and heat until it’s melted.
Add some finely minced garlic and a mixture of fresh chopped herbs to the pan– I used oregano, thyme, and parsley. Sauté until fragrant, only about 30 seconds. You don’t want the garlic to burn.
Finally, add some chicken stock (or vegetable stock, or water, if you don’t have any), heat until it’s bubbling, then turn off the heat and add some lemon juice and a little more butter.
This lemon garlic herb sauce is SO GOOD. It would be great on chicken, steak, salmon, plain on a spoon, mixed into pasta… the possibilities are endless.
Tips and Tricks
- I used a heavy stainless steel skillet (specifically, this Calphalon one– my favorite!) for this- it works well for pan sauces and deglazing. You can use a well seasoned cast iron skillet or a nonstick skillet as well.
- Can’t find sea bass at your grocery store? Try the frozen fish section- I used Barramundi. If you can’t find it there, any other kind of mild white fish will do.
- Play around with the sauce! Add capers or olives at the end, or use a different mix of herbs such as dill, cilantro, and/or chives.
Try these other easy fish recipes:
- Flounder with Fresh Lemon Pepper
- Southern-Style Oven-Fried Catfish
- 15-Minute Perfect Poached Salmon with Chive Butter
- One-Pan Garlic Butter Salmon and Swiss Chard
- Instant Pot Fish Stew
- Six-Minute Seared Ahi Tuna Steaks
Did you make this Pan Fried Sea Bass with Lemon Garlic Herb Sauce? Please comment below and Rate this Recipe
Pan Fried Sea Bass with Lemon Garlic Herb Sauce
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons butter divided
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1.5 lbs. sea bass such as barramundi
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt plus more if needed
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper plus more if needed
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1/4 cup dry white wine such as savignon blanc
- 1/2 cup chicken stock/broth or water, in a pinch
- juice of one lemon about 2 tablespoons
- 1 tablespoon fresh oregano roughly chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme roughly chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley roughly chopped
- lemon wedges for serving optional
Instructions
- Pat the fish dry with a paper towel.
- In a shallow dish, mix together the flour (1/4 cup), salt (1 teaspoon), and black pepper (1/2 teaspoon).
- Dredge each piece of fish in the flour mixture, coating the entire surface, and shake off any excess.
- In a large skillet, preferably stainless steel or nonstick, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter over medium high heat and add the olive oil (1 tablespoon).
- Cook the fish in the skillet for 3-4 minutes on each side, until golden brown and fully cooked. Try not to move the fish too much, especially if you are using a pan that isn’t nonstick, otherwise the fish may be more likely to stick to the bottom and not get browned as nicely.
- Remove fish from the skillet to a plate.
- Turn down the heat to low. Add the white wine (1/4 cup) to the skillet to deglaze, stirring up any browned bits. Continue heating until almost all the wine has evaporated.
- Add one more tablespoon of butter to the skillet. Once it’s melted, add the minced garlic (2 cloves) and fresh herbs (1 tablespoon each of oregano, thyme, and parsley) to the skillet and sauté until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Add the chicken broth (1/2 cup) and bring to a simmer. If sauce seems very thin, continue simmering until reduced and thicker to your liking.
- Turn off heat and stir in remaining 1 tablespoon butter and lemon juice (about 2 tablespoons). Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.
- Serve sauce on top of fish.
Notes
- For a paleo option, you can use almond flour or coconut flour instead of all purpose flour, and or more olive oil instead of butter.
- For a dairy-free option, substitute the butter with more olive oil or ghee.
- I used oregano, parsley, and thyme because it’s what was growing in my garden. You can feel free to use other fresh herbs- dill, basil, or cilantro would be delicious as well!
- Sea bass comes in all kinds of different thicknesses. You may have to adjust the cooking time if yours are especially thick- mine were thin (I used Barramundi, which is also pretty inexpensive as well, and available in the frozen seafood section).
Nutrition
Nutrition Information Disclaimer
The provided nutrition information is my best estimate and does not include any added sodium from seasoning to taste, any optional ingredients, and it does not take brands into account. I use an automatic API to calculate this information. Feel free to calculate it yourself using one of these tools:
This Pan Fried Sea Bass with Lemon Garlic Herb Sauce recipe first appeared on Bowl of Delicious in August, 2017. It’s been updated to include clearer instructions, tips and tricks, and ingredient substitutions.
J. Miller
This dish was very good. Pairs nicely with a light white fish. Note that if you use a thick sea bass filet for this, it will *not* cook in 3-4 min per side. More like 4-5 min per side, making sure to baste the filets while it cooks.
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it, and thanks for the tip about thick sea bass filets!
Pamela
unbelievably good and terribly easy to make! Brilliant!
Elizabeth Lindemann
Thank you! So glad you liked it :-)
Yamna
Excellent I made this recipe 3 times . Love the flavours and how easy to make.
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you like it!
Karen Parry
absolutely delicious thank you .
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
bob
Is there a eay to exchange the white wine with something elese
Elizabeth Lindemann
Yes- you can just use chicken or vegetable broth!
Melissa
Good sea bass is hard to come by, so I ended up making this recipe with Barramundi instead. It turned out really well! It had no fishy taste and really good flavor. Sometimes sea bass is too soft, but the texture was very firm for the barramundi that I picked up at Whole Foods.
Elizabeth Lindemann
I’ve used barramundi for this recipe as well (it’s what’s photographed in this post actually) and I agree, it comes out great especially for the price! Glad you liked it :-)
Lynette
Made the recipe as is, and everyone loved it! Even the teenagers. :) absolutely making this one again!! Thank you!!
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you, and the kids, liked it!
Kiran
I tried this and added coriander leaves it was delicious.
Elizabeth Lindemann
Yummm love the idea of adding coriander!
Peta
Oh my!!!! This was the BEST with Sea Bass!! I subbed rice flour for flour, white wine vinegar for wine, and fresh parsley and Thai Basil were my fresh herbs. Extra sauce was delicious over a side of green beans and broccolini. Absolutely restaurant quality!!! Thanks for the inspiring recipe.
Elizabeth Lindemann
Yay! So glad you liked the recipe, and thanks for sharing your substitutions. Good to know it worked well with rice flour for a gluten free option!
Karen
Very easy to make, refreshing taste , the family enjoyed this dish…. Give it a try
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you and your family liked it!
Mark
I made this for my wife . It was so DELICIOUS!!! I must tell you, there was not a morsel left on the serving plate. The dogs had the skin , then they both rolled over the thanks 😉I definite keeper.
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you and the whole fam liked it! :-)
Gemma Tucker
Made this last night, was absolutely delicious.. particularly the sauce!
So much so, will be making the sauce again today, but for steak. Highly recommend!
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it, and I LOVE the idea of using this sauce for steak! It would also be great on pork chops or grilled chicken- yum!
Gabriele Haddock
I made this for dinner tonight for my husband and I and it was absolutely delicious! I love fish but my husband not so much and he ate 1 1/2 filets! Love this recipe and will definitely make it again!
Elizabeth Lindemann
Woo hoo! So glad you and your husband liked it!
Sini
Delicious!! Easy to make and everyone loved it. Served it with pan fried herby potatoes and peas.
A definite staple to keep in my cook book!
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it! Sounds like a delicious meal.
Ally
Hi — what can I substitute for the white wine?
Elizabeth Lindemann
Chicken broth is usually my first choice to substitute for white wine, but if you like lemon flavor you can also use more lemon juice!
Vanessa
Loved it. Used Basil, marjoram and thyme, otherwise stuck to the recipe. Delicious!
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
Stasia Ellis
OMG, sooooo good!!! I made it once before and making it again and again. Definitely felt like I was eating sea bass from a fancy restaurant. Thank you for sharing. Adding to my favorites.
Elizabeth Lindemann
Aw yay! So happy to hear this. Thanks so much!
Kate
Restaurant quality! Thank you for a delicious recipe. My family loved it! Will be making again.
Elizabeth Lindemann
Thank you! Glad you and your family liked it :-)
MARGARET Doolan
Really quick and easy. Delicious. I used frozen whole sea bass which made this a very convenient dish.
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
Ann mc Aleenan
Delicious easy to make recipe, I used dried herbs & it tasted superb.
Elizabeth Lindemann
Thanks! Glad you liked it :-)
Sandra
Simply delicious
Elizabeth Lindemann
Glad you liked it!
C Sheu
Just made this for my family and it was a huge success! Added some mushrooms into the sauce and had to improvise on the fresh herbs (added dry Italian herbs) as I only had fresh parsley but it turned out to be a hit with everyone! Thanks for sharing!
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
Angie
I made this for my family. It was so DELICIOUS!!! I must tell you, there was not a morsel left on the serving plate. I definite keeper.
Elizabeth Lindemann
So happy you and your family liked it!
Karen Sayers
What you recommend to serve this dish with
Elizabeth Lindemann
The sauce is amazing, so something to sop up the sauce would be perfect to serve it with. Rice or pasta, polenta, or crusty bread would be perfect!