pan seared sea bass & mahi mahi
What’s not to love about a tender white fish that’s just so easy to prepare, needs little primping, and each succulent bit melts in your mouth~~when I scored and saw these two pieces of fish half price at the market, I knew they were mine~~without even thinking I scooped them up and only wished there’d been more!
Sea bass, also known as Suzuki, is popular in the cuisines of Japan, China, and Korea. If you want real sea bass then you need to have it be black or striped; if it’s ‘white’ sea bass, it’s actually a fish known as a Drum. Now Chilean Sea Bass is on the rare side, almost extinct and very expensive when you order in most restaurants! Really huge sea bass are groupers. Regardless of what you have, you’ve got all taste very similar, cook about the same and look alike~~so who really cares! Sea bass if perfect for grilling and also for pan searing~~it holds together well and retains its moist tenderness when cooked right!
Now mahi mahi is also called common dolphinfish or dorado~~the name fits because it means very strong in Hawaiian. Of course, that makes perfect sense! But now don’t get all concerned that you’re eating ‘Flipper’~~this is not that type of dolphin, which is a mammal.
Serves: 2
What you need:
1 Tbl. butter
1 4-5 ounce piece of sea bass
1 4-5 ounce piece of mahi mahi
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. chopped fresh chives
1 tsp. chopped fresh flat parsley
1 tsp. chopped fresh lemon thyme
2 Tbl. extra virgin olive oil
2 slices fresh lemon
What you do:
Put the butter on a plate and microwave on high for about 12 seconds to melt. Coat both pieces of fish in the melted butter then sprinkle with salt.
Over medium high heat let a cast iron skillet get hot. Add the fish and let it sear on one side for about 2 minutes. Flip and sear on the other side another 2 minutes. Reduce heat to medium, cover fish with a lid and let it cook another 3-4 minutes.
Turn off heat. Sprinkle fish with the fresh herbs. Cover with the lid and let it rest about 2-3 minutes. When ready to serve squeeze on lemon juice and drizzle each piece with one tablespoon of olive oil.
©alice d’antoni phillips www.allyskitchen.com
