Sea Bass with Lemon, Parsley and Olive Oil

Serves - 4

You’ll need

• 4 sea bass fillets, skin on
• 3 tbsp olive oil, plus a little extra for finishing
• 1 lemon, zest finely grated and juice reserved
• 1 small garlic clove, very finely grated or crushed
• Small handful flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
• Sea salt
• Black pepper

To serve

• Lemon wedges
• Boiled new potatoes, crusty bread, or a simple green salad

Method

1. Make the lemon parsley oil

In a small bowl, mix together the olive oil, lemon zest, garlic, chopped parsley, and a squeeze of lemon juice. Season lightly with salt and black pepper.

Set aside for 10 minutes if you have the time, just to let everything settle together a little.

2. Prepare the fish

Pat the sea bass fillets dry with kitchen paper and season both sides with sea salt and black pepper.

Heat a large non-stick frying pan over a medium-high heat and add a small drizzle of olive oil.

3. Cook the sea bass

Place the fillets skin-side down in the pan and press them gently for the first 20–30 seconds so the skin stays flat and makes proper contact with the pan.

Cook for 3–4 minutes on the skin side until the skin is crisp and golden and the fish is mostly cooked through. Turn the fillets carefully and cook for another 30 seconds to 1 minute on the flesh side, depending on thickness.

The fish should be just cooked and still delicate. Overdoing it would be a pity.

4. Finish and serve

Transfer the sea bass to plates or a serving platter. Spoon over the lemon parsley oil and finish with a little extra lemon juice and a final drizzle of olive oil if you like.

Serve with lemon wedges and whatever you have chosen alongside.

A couple of helpful notes

- The better the olive oil, the more this dish rewards you.
- Do not move the fish around too much in the pan. Let the skin crisp properly and it will release when it is ready.
- This is excellent with boiled new potatoes and green beans, though a hunk of bread to catch the juices would also be a very sensible move.