Description
Black sea bass with crisp skin, served over smoky romesco sauce. My most reliable method for dressing up a simple fish fillet. Ready in about 20 minutes.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 1 lb skin-on black sea bass fillets (about 6 small fillets), scaled and pin bones removed
- 1 to 2 tbsp Wondra flour
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- Chives or fresh parsley, chopped, for garnish
- Fine sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper
Instructions
- Let the fillets sit out of the fridge for about 15 minutes, then pat both sides completely dry with paper towels. Place a fillet skin-side up and make 3 to 4 diagonal cuts through the skin, about 1 inch apart and roughly 1/8 inch deep, cutting fully through the skin and just barely nicking the flesh underneath. Season the flesh side with salt and pepper, the skin side with salt only, then dust a light, even layer of Wondra over both sides and tap off the excess.
- Warm a heavy-bottomed stainless skillet over medium heat and add the olive oil. Once it's shimmering but not smoking, lay the fillets in skin-side down, one at a time, pressing each flat with a fish spatula for about 20 seconds before adding the next, working in two batches of three. Once a fillet holds flat on its own, leave it undisturbed for the remaining cook time, 3 to 4 minutes total on the skin side, until it releases easily from the pan and feels crisp when tapped.
- Flip to the flesh side and drop the garlic slices into the oil, spooning the sizzling oil over the crispy skin once or twice. Cook the flesh side for about 60 seconds, until it hits 135°F. Repeat with the second batch, the rendered fat from the first usually carries you through without adding more oil.
- Serve immediately, skin-side up over romesco, finished with sliced garlic and a scatter of chives or parsley.
Notes
A heavy-bottomed stainless skillet gets the crispest results. A lightweight stainless pan won't render the skin properly. Away from your own kitchen and without one on hand, nonstick works as a backup, you'll land a touch short of that same crispness but still get a good render.
Wondra gives the thinnest, crispest coat. Rice flour or all-purpose flour can also be used.
Garlic is easy to skip if you're out, but it's a small effort for a real payoff, especially against the romesco.
- Prep Time: 5
- Cook Time: 10
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Sautéing
- Cuisine: Mediterranean