Olive Oil–Poached Sea Bass Recipe

A pearly white filet of sea bass deserves more than a quick sauté. Bring out the best of the fish by poaching it in full-bodied olive oil. The oil’s almost citrusy flavor develops as it cooks, and the sea bass comes out tender and silky. Once you’ve mastered the technique, experiment with different types of seafood (even shrimp works!), herbs, and spices.

Olive Oil–Poached Sea Bass

Yield: 4 to 6 servings
Active Time: 8 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour and 10 minutes

Ingredients

4 to 6 filets sea bass
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
3 lemons, thinly sliced into rounds
1 bunch parsley, torn
1 bunch thyme
1/4 cup capers
2 small shallots, sliced
Extra virgin olive oil
Zest of 1 orange

Instructions

Preheat oven to 275 degrees.

Pat fish dry and season with salt and pepper.

Arrange some of the lemon slices in bottom of a baking dish. Place filets on top with parsley, thyme, capers, and shallots. Pour in enough olive oil to cover fish about 3/4 of the way. Top filets with extra lemon slices and orange zest. Place in oven, uncovered, to cook until fish is flaky and cooked through, about 1 hour.

Photo credit: Alicia Cho