Pan fried sea bass makes an impressive main any night of the week. This is a quick and easy recipe served with spiced chickpeas, sweet roast tomatoes and a drizzle of coriander sauce.
We're going a bit fancy today 🎩
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I love love love this dish. We've been eating more fish recently and sea bass is one of our favourites because it's affordable and takes on flavour really well.
For this dish I kept the sea bass really simple and just pan fried it in olive oil to make sure I got that crispy skin.
Then it's all about the sides! We've got spiced chickpeas with a delicious mix of coriander, cumin, sumac and smoked paprika. Tomatoes roasted until they're soft and collapsing. All topped off with a bright and zingy coriander sauce.
The end result is something packed with flavour which also looks so fancy and impressive.
Why we love this recipe...
It's an easy but impressive main course which looks beautiful which is actually super easy to put together. It's even simple enough for a weeknight.
This is also a healthy recipe packed with good for you veggies, pulses and spices so it makes a delicious light summer dinner.
If you're not a fan of sea bass you can switch it for a different fish of your choice. It would work great with any other white fish or even salmon fillets instead.
This recipe is gluten and dairy free so it's great for lots of people following a special diet.
Ingredients
Sea Bass Fillets: I used boneless skin on sea bass fillets which were about 100g each.
Cherry Tomatoes: These are roasted until super soft and collapsing.
Chickpeas: I used tinned chickpeas which are just drained and rinsed before cooking.
Spices: The chickpeas are cooking in a combination of ground coriander, ground cumin, sumac, smoked paprika and chilli flakes.
Coriander Sauce: This is a mixture of fresh coriander, lemon juice, garlic, chilli and olive oil which is blended into a smooth sauce.
How to make it
Make the coriander sauce: Put everything except the olive oil in a blender and blend until everything is chopped the stream in the olive oil with the motor running until you have a smooth sauce.
Roast the tomatoes: Toss the tomatoes with olive oil, salt and pepper and roast for 30 minutes until soft.
Make the chickpeas: Mix together all of the chickpea spices. Heat the olive oil over a medium-low heat, add the spices and garlic followed by the chickpeas. Allow to cook while you cook the fish.
Fry the fish and serve: Season the sea bass fillets with salt and pepper, heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a frying pan and fry the fish on both sides until cooked through. Serve the dish by splitting the chickpeas between two plates and topping with the sea bass, tomatoes and sauce.
FAQs
How long do you fry sea bass for?
Sea bass is quick and easy to fry. It takes 3-4 minutes to fry a fillet of sea bass to perfection. I like to start with a little more time with the skin side down to get it nice and crispy and then flip to finish cooking the fish through.
How do you know when sea bass is cooked?
The best way to tell that sea bass is cooked is to gently poke with a fork at the thickest part and see if it flakes easily. It will also lose its raw/translucent look.
Want more? Try these other fish recipes!
- Smoked Mackerel Salad with Quinoa
- Quick and Easy Pasta Puttanesca
- Spiced Baked Fish with Cucumber Salad
- Baked Cod with Potatoes & Chickpeas
- Smoked Salmon Pasta with Asparagus
- Honey Soy Salmon with Noodles & Pickled Cucumber
- Tuna Avocado Toast
Recipe
Pan Fried Sea Bass with Spiced Chickpeas
Ingredients
- 2 Sea Bass Fillets mine were about 100g each
- Salt and Pepper
- 2 tablespoon Olive Oil
- 10 Cherry Tomatoes
For the Spiced Chickpeas
- 1 400g tin Chickpeas drained and rinsed
- 1 teaspoon Ground Coriander
- 1 teaspoon Ground Cumin
- 1 teaspoon Sumac
- 1 teaspoon Smoked Paprika
- Pinch Chilli Flakes
- 3 tablespoon Olive Oil
For the Coriander Sauce
- 15 g Coriander
- Juice of 1 Lemon
- 2 cloves Garlic
- 1 Green Chilli deseeded
- 4 tablespoon Olive Oil
Instructions
- Start by making the coriander sauce. Put the coriander, lemon juice, garlic and chilli in a food processor and pulse until everything is chopped. Keep the motor running and stream in the olive oil and blend until everything is smooth. Store in the fridge until ready to use.
- Heat the oven to 200°C/400°F. Drizzle the tomatoes with the olive oil and plenty of salt and pepper then roast for 30 minutes until collapsing and soft.
- Mix together the spices for the chickpeas and add a pinch of salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil over a medium-low heat then add the spices and garlic and stir gently. Add the rinsed chickpeas and allow to cook gently while you cook the fish.
- Season the sea bass fillets with salt and pepper on both sides. Heat a frying pan with a tablespoon of olive oil over a high heat. When it's hot add the fish skin side down and press down gently with a spatula. Leave to cook for 3 minutes without moving it then when it releases easily from the pan flip and cook for another minute on the other side. Remove the fish to a plate.
- Split the chickpeas between two bowls then top with the fish, add the tomatoes and top with the coriander sauce.
Notes
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Irina says
It is a great idea to serve sea bass with spiced chickpeas! Your recipe reminds me to include chickpeas in our menu. I am going to try to make it following your recipe: I just hope to get the same result as yours.:)
Anita says
Love those spice chickpeas. I can eat them just as snack. 🙂
Haley D. Williams says
Love how healthy and flavorful this is! Perfectly spiced (I personally love the chickpeas the most!)
Emily says
I'm trying to eat more fish lately and this fried sea bass hit the spot! I love the flavorful chickpeas too!
Mary says
I love these flavors! The sumac and the coriander sauce take this one over the top!