Bass With Lemon Herb Butter

By
Danilo Alfaro
Danlio Alfaro
Danilo Alfaro
Danilo Alfaro has published more than 800 recipes and tutorials focused on making complicated culinary techniques approachable to home cooks.
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Updated on 08/6/21
Sauteed bass with lemon herb butter recipe

The Spruce Eats / Ulyana Verbytska

Prep: 5 mins
Cook: 5 mins
Total: 10 mins
Servings: 2 servings
Yield: 4 fillets
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
818 Calories
59g Fat
18g Carbs
54g Protein
Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 2
Amount per serving
Calories 818
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 59g 75%
Saturated Fat 35g 173%
Cholesterol 248mg 83%
Sodium 392mg 17%
Total Carbohydrate 18g 7%
Dietary Fiber 1g 2%
Total Sugars 6g
Protein 54g
Vitamin C 0mg 2%
Calcium 178mg 14%
Iron 2mg 9%
Potassium 853mg 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.)

Fillets of black sea bass are enhanced with a simple lemon-herb butter in this quick and easy seafood recipe. It adds a tangy, herbal taste that forms its own sauce as it melts over the lightly battered fish, creating a fresh weeknight dinner.

Prepping the fish for this recipe is simple: soak the fillets in milk for a few minutes, then dredge it in seasoned flour. It's best when sautéed in clarified butter, which won't smoke or burn at a higher cooking temperature. Making clarified butter at home is simple, and having it around can really step up your culinary game. For the lemon-herb butter, use something like a maitre d'hotel butter recipe, or try other flavors of clarified butter.

Serve the sautéed bass with brightly-flavored side dishes. Ratatouille, risotto, and roasted herb potatoes are fabulous with firm white fish, and you can't go wrong with a seasonal green salad.

Ingredients

  • 4 (4-ounce) fillets black sea bass

  • 1 cup milk

  • 1/4 cup flour

  • Kosher salt, to taste

  • Ground white pepper, to taste

  • 4 tablespoons clarified butter

  • 4 tablespoons lemon-herb butter

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Ingredients for sauteed bass with lemon herb butter
    The Spruce Eats / Ulyana Verbytska

  2. Soak the fillets in milk for a few minutes, then remove and fully drain them. If they're too wet when you dredge them in the next step, they may become too cake-y.​

    Soak the fillets in milk
    The Spruce Eats / Ulyana Verbytska

  3. Spread the flour in a shallow glass baking dish and mix in the salt and pepper.

    Spread flour
    The Spruce Eats / Ulyana Verbytska

  4. In a nonstick sauté pan, heat a tablespoon of clarified butter over a medium-high heat.​

    Heat clarified butter
    The Spruce Eats / Ulyana Verbytska

  5. Dredge the fillets in the flour, tapping them gently to knock off any excess flour.​

    Dredge fillets in flour
    The Spruce Eats / Ulyana Verbytska

  6. Place the fillets in the hot pan, with the flesh side down.​ Sauté for a minute or two or until browned. Then gently turn them with a fish spatula, making sure not to break the fillets.​ Brown this other side - about 1 to 2 minutes.

    Place fillets in pan
    The Spruce Eats / Ulyana Verbytska

  7. Transfer from the pan to a hot plate, two fillets per portion. Top each portion with a slice of herb butter and serve right away.

    Transfer from pan to hot plate
    The Spruce Eats / Ulyana Verbytska

Recipe Variations

  • This recipe uses black sea bass, but you can substitute striped bass, or any lean fish, such as snapper, tilapia or sole.
  • For a quick alternative to clarified butter, you can sauté the fillets in unsalted butter. Use six tablespoons (2 1/2 ounces, or 3/4 stick) and melt it but be sure to keep the heat in check so it doesn't burn or smoke.
  • Rather than the lemon-herb butter, try this recipe with anchovy butter, shallot butter, or garlic butter.