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.
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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
- Garlic Ginger Swordfish Recipe
- 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.
veenaazmanov says
A restaurant style meal and sea food homemade, sounds very interesting. This dish is a perfect treat too.
Sophie says
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 says
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 says
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 says
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 says
This looks nice and easy to try as Summer is coming.
Amber Myers says
I can see my family being a fan of this. They tend to love all dishes with shrimp.
Andrew says
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 says
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 says
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 says
See brass with shrimp, such an excellent combination. This sounds like such a terrific dinner recipe!
Joyce Hibma says
This was amazing! I wish I had made double. Thank you!
Chef Dennis Littley says
Thanks for the great review Joyce, I’m happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe!
Amy Ancel says
This looks delicious and I plan to make it this weekend as my fishmonger has super fresh Black Sea bass just in off the boat! My question is, should the fillets be skinned or do you leave the skin on?
Thanks and yum!
Chef Dennis Littley says
you can actually cook it with the skin on and when you go to take it out of the baking dish, it should lift off the skin fairly easily. You can also have your fishmonger clean it and just cook the filets. Personally I would leave it on
Hull Manwaring says
Had tonight over spinach! Fantastic!Thanks!!!
Kim says
Woah! These look AMAZING!
Chef Dennis Littley says
thank you!
Janet says
Found this recipe onPinterest. My family loves sea bass and I was looking for a new recipe – this one was perfect! We served this over linguine and the kids absolutely devoured every last bit!
Chef Dennis Littley says
I am thrilled to hear that your family enjoyed my sea bass recipe Janet. Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a comment and for the great review!
Frances Sunshine Hopkins says
Cooked for my son and I, was absolutely delicious! Thank you
Chef Dennis Littley says
Thanks for letting me know you and your son enjoyed my sea bass recipe Frances!