Pan-Seared Sea Bass with Lemon and Capers
Delicate sea bass fillets pan-seared to a golden crust and finished with a tangy lemon-caper butter sauce. This Mediterranean-inspired seafood recipe, ready in about 20 minutes, pairs sea bass fillets, salt, black pepper for a weeknight-friendly dinner that comes together with one pan and minimal cleanup. Each serving lands at about 320 calories and feeds 4, so it slots cleanly into a weekly meal plan and pairs well with a quick salad or grain on the side. Tap "Plan a meal with the AI" below to drop this recipe into your week and send the ingredients straight to Instacart. Nutrition values are approximate, calculated from USDA FoodData Central (fdc.nal.usda.gov) — verify against ingredient labels for any health-driven dietary plan.
Ingredients
- 4 fillets (6 oz each) sea bass fillets
- 1 tsp salt
- 0.5 tsp black pepper
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 cloves, minced garlic cloves
- 2 tbsp, drained capers
- 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 2 tbsp chopped, for garnish fresh parsley
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Equipment for this recipe
Tools this recipe's steps call for, with a link to each on Amazon.
Instructions
- Step 1: Pat dry 4 sea bass fillets and season both sides with 1 tsp salt and 0.5 tsp black pepper.
- Step 2: Heat 3 tbsp olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering.
- Step 3: Place the fillets skin-side down in the skillet and cook for 4-5 minutes without moving, until the skin is crispy and golden.
- Step 4: Flip the fillets and cook for another 3-4 minutes until the fish is opaque and flakes easily.
- Step 5: Remove the fillets to a warm plate and reduce heat to medium.
- Step 6: Add 3 tbsp unsalted butter, 2 minced garlic cloves, and 2 tbsp capers to the skillet; cook while stirring for 1 minute until fragrant.
- Step 7: Stir in 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice and cook for 30 seconds to create a sauce.
- Step 8: Spoon the lemon-caper butter sauce over the fillets and garnish with 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley before serving.







