Pan-Seared Sea Bass with Sofrito and Saffron Rice

By Lauren Mitchell, Test Kitchen Director · Reviewed by AislePrompt Editorial · Published 2026-06-25 · Updated 2026-06-25

Delicate sea bass fillets pan-seared to golden perfection, served atop fragrant saffron-infused rice with a vibrant Spanish sofrito sauce. This spanish-inspired seafood ready in about 40 minutes pairs divided extra virgin olive oil, small, finely diced yellow onion, finely diced red bell pepper for a weeknight-friendly dinner that comes together with one pan and minimal cleanup. Each serving lands at about 380 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, about 150 g each sea bass fillets
• 4 tbsp, divided extra virgin olive oil
• 1 small, finely diced yellow onion
• 1/2, finely diced red bell pepper
• 2 medium, peeled and finely chopped tomato
• 3, minced garlic cloves
• 1 cup short-grain rice
• 2 cups, heated chicken broth
• 1/4 tsp, soaked in 2 tbsp warm water saffron threads
• 2 tbsp, chopped fresh parsley
• to taste sea salt
• to taste black pepper
• for serving lemon wedges

Instructions

1. Step 1: Rinse and drain 1 cup short-grain rice. In a medium saucepan, heat 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil over medium heat. Add 1 small finely diced yellow onion, 1/2 finely diced red bell pepper, and 3 minced garlic cloves; sauté for 4 minutes until softened and fragrant.
2. Step 2: Stir in 2 peeled and finely chopped tomatoes and cook for 5 minutes until the mixture reduces and thickens into a sofrito.
3. Step 3: Add the rice to the sofrito and stir for 2 minutes to coat the grains. Pour in 2 cups heated chicken broth along with 1/4 tsp saffron threads soaked in 2 tbsp warm water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 18 minutes until rice is tender and liquid absorbed.
4. Step 4: While the rice cooks, pat dry 4 sea bass fillets and season both sides with sea salt and black pepper.
5. Step 5: Heat remaining 2 tbsp olive oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the fillets skin-side down and cook for 4 minutes until skin is crisp. Flip and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes until fish is opaque and flakes easily.
6. Step 6: Fluff the saffron rice with a fork and stir in 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley. Serve each sea bass fillet over a bed of saffron rice with lemon wedges on the side.