In My Book, Fish Doesn’t Get Any Better Than This.
Chilean sea bass is a remarkably delicious fish. I’m so happy to now be able to purchase it sustainably sourced as I had stopped buying it for years because it has been over fished. When deciding what to do with it, I couldn’t get the idea of serving it with béarnaise sauce out of my head. It’s a classic sauce for a reason. I still find it to be one of the most delicious things I’ve ever tasted. While I didn’t want the flavor of the fish itself to be over shadowed, I also wanted some orange flavor, so I came up with this twist on a classic.
I removed the zest from a large navel orange in strips and blanched it. After it cooled I minced it and added it to the juice from the orange, which I had reduced down to 1 tablespoon. I then made my normal béarnaise sauce and whisked in the zest/juice mixture at the end. The sauce was now popping with orange flavor.
When making béarnaise sauce, I only use unsalted butter. I normally use salted butter for most everything, including all my baking, but this is one time when unsalted butter is necessary. I’ve found that salted butter will cause the finished sauce to be too salty, so unsalted it is. I’ve fully explained my technique for making the sauce in the instructions, but I think it bears repeating that when you add the egg yolks, you need to cook them until they are very thick. If you don’t, your sauce will be too thin. Please trust me on this. I’ve been making this same sauce for decades and cooking the yolks to the proper stage is the key to a successful béarnaise sauce.
I kept the preparation of the fish very simple. I wanted both the flavor and the texture of the fish to be predominate, without any distractions. After salting the filets, I placed them on a rack in the refrigerator, skin side up for an hour, at which time I removed them, patted them dry and lightly dusted the skin with potato flour, but cornstarch will also work.
They went into a hot skillet with only a little oil, skin side down, and I let them cook, undisturbed for 5 minutes. At this time, the skin was very crisp and brown. I flipped them and continued to cook until the center reached between 135° and 140°. Chilean sea bass can take a little more cooking than other white fish, due to its abundance of fat. In fact, I think it’s better when cooked to the higher temperature.
The crisp skin and the silky texture of the fish was so good with the sauce. It seemed like a match made in heaven. A few toasted pine nuts added a nice touch of crunch and muted flavor. I hadn’t forgotten how much I love this fish, but it still surprised me how truly excellent it is.
Chilean Sea Bass with Orange Béarnaise Sauce
4
servingsCrisp Sautéed Chilean Sea Bass is Topped with an Orange Flavored Béarnaise Sauce and Pine Nuts
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Ingredients
- Orange Béarnaise Sauce
1 large navel orange - juiced and zest removed in strips
1 medium shallot, finely minced
1/4 cup tarragon vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons minced fresh tarragon
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/8 teaspoon ground white pepper
1 tablespoon ice cold water
3 large egg yolks, beaten
2 sticks, unsalted butter, cut into 12 pieces, room temperature
2 teaspoons finely minced parsley , plus more for garnish
- Chilean Sea Bass
1 1/2 pounds Chilean sea bass with skin, cut into 4 pieces
kosher salt
Potato starch or cornstarch
2 tablespoons neutral vegetable oil
1 1/2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts
Directions
- Orange Béarnaise Sauce
- Bring a small sauce pan of water to boiling. Add the strips of orange zest and blanch for 1 minute. Drain and immediately plunge them into a small bowl of ice water. After a couple of minutes, remove the zest to a paper towel and dry thoroughly. Mince the zest very finely. Add the juice of the orange to a very small sauce pan and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and let it simmer until reduced to 1 tablespoon. Remove from the heat, pour into a small bowl, and let cool to room temperature. Add the minced zest and set aside.
- Place the shallot, tarragon vinegar, tarragon, salt and white pepper in a small sauce pan. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium low and cook until the liquid is reduced to about 2 tablespoons. Remove from the heat and add 1 tablespoon of ice cold water. Add the beaten egg yolks to the pan. Return to low heat and whisk until the mixture is thick. I think this is where most béarnaise sauces go wrong. You need to be courageous and really cook this until it is extremely thick without going too far and having it curdle. It will be very very thick. You’re now ready to start whisking in the butter.
- Whisk in one piece at a time, while moving the pan on and off the heat. The way to tell if you’re maintaining the proper temperature is to touch the bottom of the pan with the palm of your hand. If you can hold it there too long, then the pan is too cool. You should be able to comfortably touch it for only a few seconds. Continue until all the butter has been whisked in. Whisk in the reserved orange juice and zest reduction. Taste for seasoning. I usually add additional minced fresh tarragon, a little more salt and pepper, etc. Set aside and keep warm while preparing the fish.
- Seared Chilean Sea Bass
- Sprinkle both sides of the pieces of fish with kosher salt and let sit, skin side up, on a rack set over a plate, in the refrigerator for an hour. Remove from the fridge and pat dry. Lightly dust the skin side only with potato starch or cornstarch. Heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Add the fish skin side down and cook without moving the fish for 5 minutes. Flip the fish and continue cooking until the center reaches 135° to 140°. Remove the fish from the heat and serve with the orange béarnaise spooned on top. Add a few pine nuts and a little chopped parsley. Enjoy!
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When making béarnaise sauce, I only use unsalted butter. I normally use salted butter for most everything, including all my baking, but this is one time when unsalted butter is necessary. I’ve found that salted butter will cause the finished sauce to be too salty, so unsalted it is. I’ve fully explained my technique for making the sauce in the instructions, but I think it bears repeating that when you add the egg yolks, you need to cook them until they are very thick. If you don’t, your sauce will be too thin. Please trust me on this. I’ve been making this same sauce for decades and cooking the yolks to the proper stage is the key to a successful béarnaise sauce.
I kept the preparation of the fish very simple. I wanted both the flavor and the texture of the fish to be predominate, without any distractions. After salting the filets, I placed them on a rack in the refrigerator, skin side up for an hour, at which time I removed them, patted them dry and lightly dusted the skin with potato flour, but cornstarch will also work.
They went into a hot skillet with only a little oil, skin side down, and I let them cook, undisturbed for 5 minutes. At this time, the skin was very crisp and brown. I flipped them and continued to cook until the center reached between 135° and 140°. Chilean sea bass can take a little more cooking than other white fish, due to its abundance of fat. In fact, I think it’s better when cooked to the higher temperature.
The crisp skin and the silky texture of the fish was so good with the sauce. It seemed like a match made in heaven. A few toasted pine nuts added a nice touch of crunch and muted flavor. I hadn’t forgotten how much I love this fish, but it still surprised me how truly excellent it is.