As a Chef, I always look for new items to try for dinner when food shopping. And this week my grocer was featuring Black Sea Bass that looked too good to pass up.
Black Sea Bass often referred to as Rock Bass is found in the waters of Florida, off the Gulf of Mexico and in the Atlantic all the way up to Maine.
Its flesh is firm and lean, with a mild, delicate flavor. Make sure the uncooked flesh is sparkling white and translucent, not opaque. Remember fresh fish should only smell like the sea, not fishy.
I was pretty sure we would enjoy the sea bass but just to be on the safe side I topped it with jumbo shrimp finished in a lemon scampi sauce (you really can’t go wrong with that topping). The Sea Bass was tender and flaky with a mild sweet flavor, and the lemon butter sauce with those delectable shrimp took the sea bass to the next level!
If you can’t find Black Sea Bass, this topping would work well on any white flaky fish, turning even Tilapia into a memorable meal or even without the fish served over pasta.
Can I use other fish for this dish?
Yes, you can. This lemon scampi sauce can also be made with or without shrimp.
Some of the other fish I would use this sauce with are:
- Flounder
- Cod
- Tilapia
- Mahi-mahi
- Red snapper
or just about any mild white-fleshed fish.
Fish is an excellent source of protein and is a good alternative to red meat. We try to eat fish at least once a week in our house and finding new ways to serve it is always fun. This topping can be used on many of your favorite fish and even chicken, so have fun experimenting.
If you liked this recipe you might also enjoy these fish recipes:
- Blackened Salmon with a Gorgonzola Cream Sauce
- Pan Seared Halibut
- Ginger Garlic Swordfish
- Grilled Atlantic Rockfish
Black Sea Bass with Shrimp in a Lemon Scampi Sauce
Ingredients
- 12-14 ounces black sea bass fillets
- 6 16-20 count shrimp Peeled and deveined Peeled and deveined
- 1 tablespoon capers
- 1 clove garlic – finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice more or less depending upon your likes
- splash of white wine
- 2 ounces vegetable stock
- 1 tablespoon of butter rolled in flour
- ½ teaspoon Italian parsley – finely chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350
- Place sea bass fillets in a baking pan and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, then sprinkle with sea salt and black pepper. add a little water to the pan to help keep the sea bass moist
- Roast Sea Bass for 15-20 minutes
- In a sauté pan add olive oil and chopped garlic, when the garlic starts to cook add the shrimp.
- Turn the shrimp over and add the capers.
- When shrimp are almost fully cooked add a splash of white wine.
- Add stock, lemon juice and butter rolled in flour.
- As the sauce begins to thicken up add chopped parsley, remove from heat and serve over plated Black Sea Bass fillets.
- Garnish with sliced lemon and serve with your favorite sides.
Christine Partridge
Loved this dish. Husband said he looks forward to having it again. Delicious 😋
Chef Dennis Littley
Thanks for the great review and I’m very happy to hear your husband enjoyed the dish!
Rosemary
Divine. This looks amazing. With restaurants not opened this is the perfect way to elevate home cooking. Thanks for sharing the various fish options. I’m going to have to make this soon!!
Bohemian Babushka
At this point, it would surprise Babushka if there was a recipe of yours she didn’t pin. Gracias for another good one.
Ruth I
This dish looks classy and expensive! I would give this a try, yum!
Cherise Kachelmuss
This looks awesome as I just told my husband we need to eat more fish but I am clueless about cooking it. I also just found a jar of capers that I didn’t know what to use on!
Kathy
This sounds like a great recipe. I have never had anything like it before either. I’m always interesting in trying out something new. I bet it’s delicious.
Lynndee
The seafood lover in me is drooling. I haven’t tried preparing a dish with capers before, though. I can’t wait to try this.
Mama Maggie's Kitchen
This is such a perfect timing! I am planning to prepare something special for my husband this dinner. This lack Sea Bass looks really delicious and satisfying!
Catalina
Such a fancy and delicious dish! I should make this for my husband for our romantic dinner!
Lizzie Lau
Your shrimp and lemon scampi sauce sounds delicious. I always have mahi in the freezer, so I’m going to try it out later this week.
veenaazmanov
A restaurant style meal and sea food homemade, sounds very interesting. This dish is a perfect treat too.
Sophie
Black sea bass is one of my favorites and it is really versatile. Whether pan-seared, oven-baked or steamed, it always comes out delicious. I can imagine how bright this dish tastes with the lemon caper sauce.
Saif
Seabass is one of my favorite seafoods. I love when you add the garlic, butter and other ingredients. It looks very creamy which makes me hungry.
Amy
Fantastic recipe. Combination of so many things that I love. It’s not always easy to find sea bass where I am, although I do love it. Glad I can use flounder instead cause I love that fish too and much easier to source. Going to try it on the weekend!
Christie Gagnon
I am always looking for new fish recipes. This looks delicious and I love how you topped the sea bass with scrimp scampi -so clever!
Amanda
This looks nice and easy to try as Summer is coming.
Amber Myers
I can see my family being a fan of this. They tend to love all dishes with shrimp.
Andrew
I love any kind of shrimp, but shrimp scampi is pretty much up there. So using shrimp scampi as a topping on another fish sounds real intriguing! Thanks for sharing.
Don’t think I’ve ever had sea bass though. Hows’ the taste? Is it very fishy?
Chef Dennis Littley
not fishy at all, it’s a mild white fish. The scampi topping is a nice was to make a dish extra special. It even works on chicken and steaks
Jen
This looks so good! I’ve never eaten bass, but I’ve heard it’s good for you. A book I read about chronic illness recommended it as a good choice.
Andréa Janssen
See brass with shrimp, such an excellent combination. This sounds like such a terrific dinner recipe!