Easy Baked Chilean Sea Bass

By
Diana Rattray
Diana Rattray
Diana Rattray
Southern-cuisine expert and cookbook author Diana Rattray has created more than 5,000 recipes and articles in her 20 years as a food writer.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Updated on 08/23/21
Tested by
Tara Omidvar
Tara Omidvar
Tested by Tara Omidvar
Tara is a professional food photographer and recipe tester and developer. She received her bachelor's degree in photography at the Azad University of Art and Architecture and her Diploma of Culinary Management from George Brown College in Toronto. She runs her own food blog Made of Sugar and Saffron, where she shares her love of sweets and foods from around the world.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Easy Baked Chilean Sea Bass

The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck
Prep: 12 mins
Cook: 20 mins
Total: 32 mins
Servings: 4 servings
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
456 Calories
25g Fat
18g Carbs
43g Protein
Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories 456
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 25g 32%
Saturated Fat 13g 66%
Cholesterol 140mg 47%
Sodium 1266mg 55%
Total Carbohydrate 18g 7%
Dietary Fiber 5g 19%
Total Sugars 5g
Protein 43g
Vitamin C 91mg 454%
Calcium 83mg 6%
Iron 2mg 11%
Potassium 847mg 18%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

Chilean sea bass is white fish rich in omega-3 fatty acids with a unique large-flake texture and a mild flavor. Healthy fat makes the fish a little easier to cook because it won't toughen up like other fillets if it is a bit overcooked. 

Chilean sea bass is a deep water fish also known by the less attractive name "toothfish," and is caught in ocean waters around Antarctica. Most Chilean sea bass is managed responsibly, but there are still some areas where it is overfished. If unsure, ask the seller if they know whether or not the fish was legally caught. The demand and resulting overfishing mean that Chilean sea bass tends to be relatively expensive, but its mild flavor and delicious texture make it worth the price.

This recipe includes a silky lemon and shallot buerre blanc sauce, which flavors the sea bass beautifully. Feel free to serve the fish plain if you like or use another type of sauce. A simple lemon and butter sauce is another good option, or drizzle the fish with a Parmesan cream sauce. Serve Chilean sea bass with pea puree, potatoes, or buttered rice or pasta to soak up the sauce.

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“Both the sea bass and beurre blanc are packed with flavor! It can be an amazingly quick dinner and the sauce doesn’t overpower the fish at all. Making a beurre blanc can be tricky, but if you follow this recipe step by step, it comes out perfectly!” —Tara Omidvar

Easy Baked Chilean Sea Bass
A Note From Our Recipe Tester

Ingredients

For the Fish:

  • Olive oil, for the pan

  • 4 Chilean sea bass fillets (about 6 ounces each)

  • Kosher salt, to taste

  • Black pepper, to taste

  • Creole seasoning (or seasoned salt), to taste

For the Lemon Buerre Blanc:

  • 1/4 cup dry white wine

  • 1 1/2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

  • 1 1/2 tablespoons minced shallots

  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice, or more to taste

  • 1 teaspoon lemon zest

  • 1 tablespoon heavy cream

  • 6 tablespoons cold butter, cut into 1-inch pieces

  • Lemon wedges, for garnish

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Easy Baked Chilean Sea Bass ingredients

    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

  2. Preheat the oven to 425 F. Oil a broiler pan and rack or baking pan with olive oil.

    Oiled rack on a broiler pan

    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

  3. Lightly sprinkle the sea bass fillets all over with Kosher salt, pepper, and Creole seasoning.

    Seasoned sea bass on a plate

    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

  4. Place the Chilean sea bass on the oiled broiler rack, skin-side down.

    Chilean sea bass on broiler pan

    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

  5. Bake the fish fillets at 425 F for about 15 to 20 minutes depending on the thickness of the fillets. The fish is ready when the temperature reaches 145 F on an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of a fillet.

    Baked Chilean sea bass on broiler pan

    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

  6. While the fish is baking, prepare the lemon buerre blanc sauce.

    lemon buerre blanc sauce ingredients

    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

  7. In a saucepan, combine the dry white wine, white wine vinegar, and minced shallots.

    White wine, vinegar, and shallots in a pan

    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

  8. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook until it has reduced to about 2 tablespoons.

    reduce white wine sauce in the pan

    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

  9. Add the lemon juice, zest, and heavy cream.

    Sauce ingredients in a pan

    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

  10. Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in 1 piece of the butter.

    Add butter to buerre blanc sauce

    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

  11. Set it back over low heat and continue whisking until the butter has almost melted.

    Buerre blanc sauce in pan

    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

  12. Continue with the remaining pieces of butter until all are incorporated.

    Butter melted added into the buerre blanc sauce

    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

  13. Taste and add salt and pepper, as needed. Whisk until well blended. If the sauce is too hot or too cold, it can separate, so keep it warm—at least 80 F but no hotter than about 135 F—until serving time.

    Seasoning added to sauce

    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

  14. Arrange the fish on plates with lemon wedges and drizzle with the lemon buerre blanc.

    Easy Baked Chilean Sea Bass

    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

Tip

  • If the Creole seasoning is salty, omit the Kosher salt.
  • If you need to make the sauce ahead of time, keep it warm over very low heat, whisking every so often to keep the emulsion intact.
  • Make sure to whisk in the butter over very low heat or off the heat if the pan is getting too hot; if the heat is too high, the butter will melt too quickly, and the sauce will not thicken properly.

Recipe Variations

  • Simply salt and pepper the fish and omit the Creole seasoning for a more delicate flavor.
  • Finish the sauce with chopped fresh herbs, such as parsley, chives, or dill.
  • Add some capers to the beurre blanc for a salty, briny flavor.


What Fish Is Similar to Chilean Sea Bass?

The closest fish in flavor and texture to Chilean sea bass is black cod, also known as sablefish. Black cod tends to be less overfished than Chilean sea bass, making it more commonly available.

Is There a Difference Between Sea Bass and Chilean Sea Bass?

If you see "sea bass" on a menu or at a fish market, it's likely referring to black sea bass, often caught in the Western Atlantic. The fish is similar to snapper and is popular served whole. Chilean sea bass is technically not a sea bass, but was labeled as such to increase marketability.