This pan fried sea bass with lemon garlic herb sauce is packed with flavor from fresh herbs. It's a delicious 20 minute Mediterranean recipe that's perfect for a busy weeknight!
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).