Chilean Sea Bass + Brown Butter Sauce
Inspired by the black cod dish I had at Ebisu (San Francisco), which was hands down one of my favorite dishes of all time. I honestly did a terrible job of recreating it, but it still tasted amazing. It seems weird at first glance to pair a brown butter sauce with an already buttery/oily fish like Chilean sea bass, but it works beautifully. The addition of honey is the secret sauce that balances everything together. You can expect that I'll be making this again in the future.
Active Time: 15 min
Total Time: 15 min
Ingredients
> Chilean sea bass (8 oz)
> butter (2 tbsp)
> salt, pepper, Japanese chili pepper
> honey (1 tsp)
> ponzu (1 tsp)
> green onions
Instructions
1. Pat sea bass dry and lightly season both sides with salt and pepper.
2. Add butter into pan. Melt over medium heat. Once butter is lightly bubbling, place sea bass in pan. Cook for roughly 3-5 minutes per side, depending on the size of the filet. Stir the butter frequently to prevent it from burning.
3. Once fully cooked through (aim for around 115 degrees F internal temperature), remove the fish from the pan.
4. Continue to cook, stirring frequently, until the butter develops a deep golden brown and a nutty aroma.
5. Add the honey and lemon and whisk vigorously until fully incorporated. Pour/brush over the fish.
6. Top with some thinly sliced green onions and Japanese chili peppers and enjoy!
Notes/Tips:
> The honey makes all the difference. It turns a good dish into an amazing one.
> If you have any leftover brown butter sauce, it pairs really well with a whole-grain loaf or some olive bread. Again, the honey makes all the difference.