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–+ servings
A smoked sea bass fillet on a serving dish.

Traeger Smoked Sea Bass

To get plenty of smoky flavor into the fish, choose a thick fillet and keep a low heat on the pellet grill. Since sea bass cooks fairly quickly, this recipe works best for thicker fillets that take a bit longer to cook.
We added a light, refreshing lemon sauce that does not overpower the smoke-infused sea bass. For an extra vibrant flavor, we chopped the peel of a Meyer lemon. If you can't find a Meyer lemon, omit the chopped peel from the sauce and add lemon zest.
4.93 from 13 votes
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Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Servings: 3 to 4 servings
Calories: 387kcal
Author: Dahn Boquist

Ingredients

Meyer Lemon Shallot Sauce

  • 1 Meyer lemon
  • ½ cup olive oil
  • 4 garlic cloves minced
  • 1 shallot thinly sliced
  • 1 tablespoon chopped dill
  • 1 teaspoon each of thyme and oregano
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil

For the Smoked Sea Bass

Instructions

  • Preheat the Traeger to 275°F for about 15 minutes.

For the Meyer Lemon Shallot Sauce

  • While the Traeger heats up, make the sauce.
  • Slice the skin off the lemon, leaving about 1/4 inch of the fruit attached to the skin. You should have the center of the lemon without any peel attached. (see photos for reference). 
  • Dice the skin very finely (flesh, skin, and pith will get chopped and added to the sauce). Place the chopped lemon peel in a dish. 
  • Squeeze the juice out of the remaining portion of the lemon and add to the dish with the chopped lemon peel. 
  • Add the olive oil, garlic shallot, dill, oregano, thyme, honey, and sesame oil to the bowl. Whisk to combine, then set aside. 

For the Sea Bass

  • Brush both sides of the sea bass with olive oil and coat the grill grates with cooking oil. 
  • Season the sea bass with salt, pepper, and seafood seasoning if using.
  • Place on the preheated pellet grill, skin side down, and close the lid.
  • Cook for 18 to 30 minutes or until an Instant read thermometer registers 135°F to 140°F at the thickest part of the fillet (see notes). 

Notes

  • The skin on Meyer lemons is thin and does not have much pith. Adding the chopped skin and pith gives the sauce a punchy, vibrant flavor. If you don't have Meyer lemons, use a regular lemon and only add the yellow zest.
  • Apple or pecan pellets are our personal choice for sea bass.
  • Coating the fish and the grill grates is key to preventing the fish from sticking to the grill. 
  • If you don’t have seafood seasoning, a liberal sprinkle of salt and pepper works just fine. The Traeger grill adds a light smoky seasoning to the fish. 
  • The sea bass in the photos is 1 inch thick and took about 25 minutes to finish cooking. You will need to adjust the cooking time if you have a thinner (or thicker) fish. Use an instant-read thermometer to determine the final cook time.
  • We like sea bass cooked to an internal temperature of 140°F. The USDA recommends cooking sea bass to an internal temperature of 145°F. Keep in mind that the fish will continue to cook a few more degrees from residual heat after you remove it from the grill. Since this recipe cooks the fish at a low heat, we only noticed a 5°F increase in temperature. 
  • Since sea bass is a fatty fish, you can get away with cooking it over 145°F without drying it out. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1 | Calories: 387kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 37g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 30g | Cholesterol: 15mg | Sodium: 108mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 6g