Chilean sea bass is known for being a luxurious dish, often found on the menu at high-end restaurants. This gourmet Chilean Sea Bass recipe is a sophisticated and elegant dinner. It is served with a Black Truffle Beurre Blanc Sauce that elevates the dish to a whole new level. This gourmet dinner can be prepared at home and taste just as decadent as it does in high-end restaurants.
A thick, tender Chilean sea bass fillet in a puddle of velvety smooth, black truffle butter sauce and garnished with a slice of truffle and bits of pimento.
Whether you’re gearing up for a date night or treating guests to an epicurean dinner, this baked Chilean sea bass is the gourmet dinner you need!
Don’t be thrown off by how fancy the black truffle beurre blanc sauce sounds, it’s very simple to make and VERY delicious. The black truffle butter in the sauce brings the whole dish together and takes the tender, flaky baked Chilean sea bass over the top. If you’re looking to impress, this is definitely the right recipe for the job!
Even though its flesh is white like bass, it is not actually a sea bass. The true name is Patagonian toothfish and it is actually a species of cod. It was re-branded under the name Chilean sea bass in order to make it more marketable.
What is so special about Chilean Sea Bass
Chilean Sea Bass is deliciously luxurious. It is rich, buttery, flaky, and so tender it practically melts in your mouth. Since it is high in fat, it is difficult to over-cook so if you leave it on the heat a little too long it will still be moist and flakey.
Is There a Difference Between a Beurre Blanc Sauce and a Hollandaise Sauce?
Both sauces are luxurious, buttery French cuisine sauces and will turn any recipe into a gourmet dinner. But there is a difference between a beurre blanc sauce and a hollandaise sauce.
Beurre blanc is emulsified with wine and lemon juice or vinegar. It usually has shallots or onions which gives it a little bit of texture. The French classic beurre blanc sauce does not have any cream, however, many chefs add a bit to help stabilize the sauce.
Hollandaise sauce is an emulsion of egg yolks, melted butter and lemon juice. It is generally smoother and thicker than a beurre blanc. Hollandaise sauce is one of the five mother sauces in French Cuisine.
What You Need To Prepare This Baked Chilean Sea Bass Recipe
- 2 Chilean Sea Bass Fillets
- Olive oil
- Salt and pepper
- Slice of black truffle (optional)
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- Shallot
- White wine
- Heavy cream
- Black Truffle Butter
- White pepper
How To Make this Recipe:
Before we get started, you’re going to want to bookmark-pin this recipe. This is a brief overview of the process but please scroll to the bottom of the page for the recipe card that gives full instructions and notes:
- Brush the fillets on all sides with olive oil and generously season with salt and pepper. Place the fillets, skin side down on the wire rack and transfer to a preheated oven.
- Bake the sea bass for 15-20 minutes until the fish flakes easily with a fork and an instant-read thermometer reads 145°F at the center of a fillet.
- For a crispy crust on top of the fillets, turn the oven temperature to ‘broil’ and brown the fillets for 2-3 minutes.
While the fish is baking prepare the Black Truffle Beurre Blanc Sauce:
- Heat some olive oil in a small skillet. Add the shallots and sauté until soft, do not let them brown.
- Pour the wine into the pan and let it reduce until it is just a film on the bottom of the pan. Stir in the cream and reduce until thick.
- Slide the pan off the heat and begin adding 1 or 2 cubes of butter while whisking the sauce. Continue sliding the skillet on and off the heat at 10-second intervals to control the heat. If the sauce becomes too hot the butter will separate and you will lose the emulsion.
- Keep adding butter pieces, whisking, and sliding the pan on/off the heat until all the butter has been incorporated and the sauce is smooth and creamy.
- Add salt and white pepper to taste. Transfer to a small pitcher or jar. Set the jar of sauce in a bowl of hot tap water to keep warm while preparing the fish.
Tips for success
- The fish filets we used were about 1-½ inch thick, so adjust the cooking time according to the thickness of your filets and cook until the internal temperature has reached 145°F. I actually cook the fish to a temperature between 135°F and 140°F for the best texture but food safety guidelines recommend a temperature of 145°F.
- When cooking the sauce, keep the heat on low and continuously remove the skillet from the heat every 10 seconds while whisking the butter. If the sauce gets too hot, then the butter will separate.
- The heavy cream is optional, but it helps keep the sauce from separating and makes this recipe so much easier.
- I have had great success with keeping just ¼ of the skillet over the heat while whisking the butter. This gives it just enough heat to melt the butter without allowing it to separate.
- If the sauce begins to separate, add a teaspoon of wine or another liquid while whisking vigorously. Once the sauce has come back together, continue adding the butter one cube at a time!
For the best results, use an instant-read meat thermometer and check the meat intermittently or use a leave-in meat thermometer so you don’t have to open the oven frequently. The above links are affiliate links from ThermoWorks . They make the best thermometers we have ever used and we highly recommend them.
This special dinner of Chilean sea bass deserves a pairing with a good dry white wine. I would suggest a Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris or Chardonnay.
Enjoy this gourmet chilean sea bass recipe. It is an amazing dinner fit for royalty! ♥️
Some Other Recipes We Are Sure You Will Love:
- This Spanish Romesco seafood stew is s spicy spin on cioppino with chorizo sausage, a plethora of seafood, and a flavorful romesco sauce. What a spectacular dinner!
- For a fast dinner with a ton of flavor, make this broiled cod with chive butter. Serve it with some ricotta mashed potatoes or wild blend rice to soak up the savory chive butter.
- These cheesy shrimp and grits make a filling and delicious dinner. This is gourmet comfort food at its best!
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Chilean Sea Bass with Black Truffle Beurre Blanc Sauce
Ingredients
For the Chilean Sea Bass Fillets:
- 2 Chilean Sea Bass Fillets 1-½ inch thick, 6 oz. each
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- salt and pepper
- Slice of black truffle for garnish
For the Black Truffle Beurre Sauce
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 medium shallot finely minced
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- ⅓ cup dry white wine
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
- 4 ounces Black Truffle Butter
- Coarse salt to taste
- Pinch of white pepper
Instructions
For the Chilean Sea Bass:
- Preheat the oven to 425°F and set a wire rack over a baking sheet, coat with non-stick oil spray.
- Brush the fillets on all sides with olive oil and generously season with salt and pepper. Place the fillets, skin side down on the wire rack and transfer to the preheated oven.
- Bake the sea bass for 15-20 minutes until the fish flakes easily with a fork and an instant-read thermometer reads 145°F at the center of a fillet.
- For a crispy crust on top of the fillets, turn the oven temperature to ‘broil’ and brown the fillets for 2-3 minutes.
While the fish is baking prepare the BlackTruffle Beurre Blanc Sauce:
- Brush the olive oil on the bottom of a small skillet set over medium-low heat. Add the shallots and sauté until soft, do not let them brown.
- Pour the lemon juice and wine into the pan and let reduce to where it is just a film on the bottom of the pan. Stir in the cream and reduce until thick.
- Slide the pan from the heat and begin adding 1 or 2 cubes of butter while whisking the sauce. Slide the skillet on and off the heat at 10-second intervals to control the heat. The temperature of the sauce should never go higher than 130°f. If the sauce becomes too hot the butter will separate and will lose the emulsion.
- Continue adding butter, whisking, and sliding the pan on/off the heat until all the butter has been incorporated and the sauce is smooth and creamy.
- Add salt and white pepper to taste and transfer to a small pitcher or jar. Set the jar of sauce in a bowl of hot tap water to keep warm while the fish is baking.
To serve:
- Spoon a puddle of the black truffle beurre blanc sauce on each plate and place a fish fillet in the center of the sauce. Garnish with chopped pimento, parsley, and a slice of black truffle.
Notes
- Our fish fillets are 1-1/2 inches thick, adjust the cooking time according to the thickness of the fillets and an instant-read thermometer reads 145°f.
- Adding the cream to the beurre blanc sauce is optional but it will keep the sauce from separating.
- Keep the heat on low. Slide the skillet on and off the heat at 10 second intervals to control the heat while whisking the butter. If the sauce becomes too hot the butter will separate and loose the emulsion.
- I have had great results with leaving 1/4 of the skillet sitting on the edge of the heat while whisking the butter. There is just enough heat to melt the butter at a steady rate.
- If your sauce begins to separate, stop adding butter and add a teaspoon or two of wine or other liquid while whisking vigorously. Once it comes together again, finish whisking in the butter a cube or two at a time.
- We like our sea bass cooked to an internal temperature of 135°F. The USDA recommends an internal temperature of 145°F. Remember that there will be some carry-over heat and the fish will continue to cook a few degrees more when you remove it from the heat.
Char Linhard
Tuesday 9th of March 2021
O-M-G. This dish was absolutely mind-blowing! I am a new lover of sea bass and I was trying to find a recipe similar to the Black Truffle Sea Bass from Matsuhisa. I cooked this dish last night, and WOW!!! My husband and I were speechless! I must say, this dish might be better than Matsuhisa's version. The beurre blanc was explosive, and the sea bass was flaky, buttery, and crispy on top. I was a bit nervous because I have never cooked fish at home before but the recipe was so thorough, accurate, and easy to follow! I can't wait to make this dish again! Thank you, Pat!!!
Pat Nyswonger
Tuesday 9th of March 2021
Hi, Char! Thank you so much for your great review on this recipe. I am thrilled that your and you husband enjoyed this dish. Chilean Sea Bass is one of my favorite fish as it is so moist and buttery. I have more of this Chilean sea bass in my freezer and intend to post another recipe soon. We have a weekly newsletter that you can sign up for and the next one goes out on Saturday the 13th. Then if you want to get an email every time we post a new recipe, there is a link at the bottom of our newsletter emails that will sign you up to receive an email every time we post a new recipe (which can be several times per week).