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Poached Sea Bass Recipe

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This poached sea bass recipe will be one of your favorite seafood meals!

It's full of flavor - the delicate fish, the briny olives, the aromatic wine, and the fresh herbs all combine to make this an amazing meal.

You can serve it on its own as more of a stew or alongside some white or brown rice.

Poached sea bass with tomatoes and olives in a skillet.

Why You'll Love This Poached Sea Bass

This healthy recipe is incredibly easy and quick to make. It's a wonderful way to enjoy sea bass and is full of tangy flavor.

The way the fish is poached, it ends up so tender and flaky and takes on the flavors from the sauce.

I think the Castelvetrano olives really make this dish - they add an amazingly flavorful and salty punch that livens up the meal.

Sea bass, roma tomatoes, white wine, butter, onion, spices, parsley, and olives.

Ingredients

Sea Bass - You'll need 2 sea bass fillets. Try to find 6-ounce fillets. I've found that to be a perfect amount per person. You can use skinless or skin-on fillets. Just remove the skin before serving.

Roma Tomatoes - You'll need 2 ripe Roma tomatoes for this dish. You'll slice them into ¼-inch rounds.

Onion - You'll use ½ a yellow onion, that you'll thinly slice.

Castelvetrano Olives - You'll need ¼ cup of Castelvetrano olives for this recipe. You'll halve them and add them once the fish is done poaching. Castelvetrano olives are a Sicilian olive with a beautiful green color and rich, sweet texture.

White Wine - You'll need 1 cup of white wine for this recipe. Any wine will work (don't use something expensive). I've used both a Sauvignon Blanc and a Chardonnay in this recipe and both were great.

Spices - You'll use 1 teaspoon of dried oregano, 1 teaspoon of red pepper flakes, 1 teaspoon of kosher salt, and ½ teaspoon ground black pepper.

Butter - You'll need 1 tablespoon of butter to sauté the onions in. You can use olive oil as well, but I love the rich flavor of the butter (it pairs especially well with the wine).

Parsley - You'll need ¼ cup of chopped fresh parsley to top the fish after cooking.


Instructions

Prepare your vegetables.

Cut tomatoes, olives, and onions on a cutting board.

Heat the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat.

Add the onions and sauté for 4 to 5 minutes or until they start to become translucent.

Place the fish on top of the onions and nestle the tomatoes around the fish. Top with oregano, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. Pour the wine into the skillet.

Sea bass and tomatoes in a skillet.

Cover and simmer for 6 minutes or until fish is cooked.

Poached sea bass and roma tomatoes in a skillet.

Top with olives and parsley.

Serve immediately with rice or on its own.

Sea bass with olives, tomatoes, and parsley.

How to Find Sustainable Seafood

For those of you that might be wondering about the sustainability of sea bass, I highly suggest checking out these recommendations from the Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch site.

It's great to check in advance of going to the store to see what seafood you can buy that makes less of an impact on the ocean and climate.

With the recommendations of this site and your local fishmonger, you'll be able to find great fish that's environmentally sustainable.

More Delicious Fish Recipes

If you like seafood recipes check out our pescetarian recipes or try one of these delicious recipes.

Poached sea bass with vegetables and rice in a bowl.

Tips for Making this Recipe

Links on some posts are affiliate links and as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Cooking Tips - Make sure to cover the skillet or frying pan you are using to poach the fish. This locks in the moisture and actually poaches the fish, tomatoes, and onions.

Specialty Ingredients - I highly recommend finding Castelvetrano olives for this recipe. They are often available in grocery stores in the deli section.

Storing Tips - This recipe will keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days in an airtight container.

If you try this recipe, let us know! Connect with us on Instagram and share your photos or leave us a rating.

Yield: 2 servings

Poached Sea Bass

Poached sea bass with tomatoes and olives in a skillet.

This poached sea bass combines with briny olives, aromatic wine, and fresh herbs for an amazing meal.

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 6 minutes
Total Time 21 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • ½ yellow onion, thinly sliced
  • 2 (6 ounces each) sea bass fillets
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1 cup white wine
  • 2 Roma tomatoes, sliced
  • ¼ cup Castelvetrano olives, halved
  • ¼ cup parsley, coarsely chopped

Instructions

  1. Heat the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
  2. Add the onions and sauté for 4 to 5 minutes or until they start to become translucent.
  3. Place the fish on top of the onions and nestle the tomatoes around the fish. Top with oregano, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. Pour the wine into the skillet.
  4. Cover and simmer for 6 minutes or until fish is cooked.
  5. Top with olives and parsley.
  6. Serve immediately with rice or on its own.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

2

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 260Total Fat: 9gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 42mgSodium: 1285mgCarbohydrates: 11gFiber: 3gSugar: 4gProtein: 14g

Dulce Reynes-Chomen

Sunday 16th of October 2022

The poached sea bass was good but a bit too spicy for me. Maybe I'll cut the spices down a bit and I'll be good to go. Thanks again Emily.

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