How to cook pan-fried sea bass?

Cooking pan-fried sea bass fillets is remarkably easy, requiring only a pan, butter, and whatever flavouring you like; put your mark on it, cook. In this pan-fried sea bass recipe, we opt for chilli, spring onions, and green beans to add flavour and a little something delicious on the side. Salt the fillets and let them rest in the fridge for 1 hour before frying on a pan in melted butter with chilli and green beans for a few minutes, then add spring onions. Fry until the flesh is done and the skin is crispy, then serve right away.

How to get crispy skin on pan-fried sea bass?

There is more than one way to get crispy sea bass skin. First, make sure the skin is dry. Pat it dry with, for example, kitchen paper, and salt the fish, leaving it to rest in the fridge. This will draw out excess moisture. You can also score the skin with a sharp knife, making a few shallow cuts. This prevents the fish from curling up when cooking but be careful not to cut too deep into the flesh. Heat butter in a pan gently so it does not burn, then cook the fish skin-side down. Do not move the fish around before it starts to crisp up as this might break and tear apart the skin.

What to serve with pan-fried sea bass?

Fried green beans with slices of chilli and spring onions accompany a pan-fried sea bass perfectly. But you can also consider serving it with other side dishes. Try a classic with roasted potatoes, whip up a light, green salad, throw some sweet corn on the BBQ, or experiment with other vegetables, for example, grilled vegetables or a traditional ratatouille with its rich tomato sauce that perfectly complements the fish.

Pan-fried sea bass

1 hour 30 mins cooking time

The sizzling, the buttery texture, the crispy skin. Grab your pan, cook, unleash your Lurpak®, and fry up this pan-fried sea bass recipe. Served with a colourful medley of chilli, spring onions, and green beans, this dish comes together beautifully, singing with flavour and bursting with colours. Now is the time you turn ordinary into extraordinary. Let's get cooking.

Pan-fried sea bass

1 hour preparation time
1 hour 30 mins cooking time

Method

Start by salting the sea bass lightly, place the fillets on a plate skin side down, sprinkle with the sea salt, and leave for 1 hour in the refrigerator.

Cut the chilli and spring onions into slices, making sure to use all the spring onions’ green tops. Trim the green beans and cut them into 2-centimetre pieces.

Take the sea bass fillets out of the refrigerator and with a sharp knife slash the skin side of the sea bass diagonally so the flesh is just exposed, 3 times on each fillet. The salt should have evaporated.

Melt the butter in a frying pan until golden, place the sea bass fillet in the pan, skin side down, and press the sea bass down lightly to make sure the whole surface of the skin is in contact with the pan. Add chilli and green beans, let fry for 3-4 minutes, turn the fish over, add the spring onions, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and fry for another 1-2 minutes.

Serve right away.

Questions about pan-fried sea bass

Our pan-fried sea bass recipe is easy and simple, making it the perfect choice for when you need a delicious yet easy dinner idea. Melt the butter, fry up the fish, and savour an irresistible meal with a bit of heat. If you want to know more, you can read our answers to the most frequently used questions about it below.

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Flavourful, buttery pan-fried sea bass fillets

Go from simple to glorious with this simple pan-fried sea bass fillets cooked in plenty of butter. The butter makes all the difference, elevating it from good to delicious, adding flavour, and helping crisp up the skin. Enjoy the spicy kick of chilli, the subtle freshness and edge of spring onions, and the tenderness of the green beans. It is an easy dish with only a few ingredients, resulting in the most delicious buttery pan-fried sea bass. Serve it as a simple lunch or a light dinner maybe on a slice of sourdough toast

Spice it up with chilli, green beans, and spring onions

Pan-fried sea bass is truly delicious but adding the right flavours and textures can make it nothing short of marvellous. Chop, sauté, and fry spicy chilli, tender green beans, and punchy spring onions to create a flavour and texture symphony beyond every expectation. These ingredients spice up the dish, adding a new dimension to a simple pan-fried sea bass recipe.

And not only do they add flavour to the fish as it crisps up but they are also served alongside the fish so you can enjoy the thin slices of chilli and spring onions mixed with tender and fresh green beans for the perfect side.

If you are on the lookout for other sides to complement the pan-fried sea bass, we have some ideas for you. Serve with some butter-roasted potatoes with herbs grilled to perfection, traditional ratatouille with butter, or spicy corn on the cob with parmesan.

Butter: the sizzling secret to pan-fried sea bass with crispy skin

Without a doubt, crispy skin is the best thing about pan-fried sea bass. And how do you get it? Butter is the secret. Although tips like patting the skin dry, cooking with the skin side down first, and not moving it around the pan will also get you there, there is no tip as delicious as using butter. And plenty of it. It plays a significant role in getting that irresistible crispy skin. As it browns, it develops flavour, adding to the skin's crispiness and taste. Since sea bass is a relatively lean fish, its skin does not crisp easily, but using butter to pan-fry it makes it a lot easier. It gives a uniform, golden skin, and as it develops, it adds a delicious, nutty flavour.

Experiment with a Thai-inspired touch

With the red chilli and spring onions you are already halfway there, but take it a little further, cook. Create a Thai-inspired pan-fried sea bass. Fry finely chopped garlic and ginger with the red chilli, green beans, and spring onions, and add a few tablespoons of soy sauce, fish sauce, and brown sugar. When the vegetables have fried long enough to get tender, remove both sauce and vegetables before frying the fish in the pan. When it is cooked through, pour the sauce over the fish. You can add coconut milk and let it simmer for a few minutes if you want a creamier sauce. The result is a delicious Thai version of the recipe, adding a bit of heat and exotic flavours as well as creating a delicious sauce to use with the fish.

COOK, BAKE AND SPREAD WITH

Lurpak® Slightly Salted Butter

With Lurpak® by your side you’re always ready to cook, bake and fry up wonders, cook. With its delicate taste, Lurpak® Slightly Salted Butter enhances the flavour of whatever food you add it to. From a hearty pasta dish, your showstopper fruit pie, to some simple rustic crushed potatoes, its subtle notes complement every creation you rustle up in the kitchen. For people who love Good Food, Lurpak® makes it even better. Now sleeves up. Today we cook bold.

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