Pan-Fried Chilean Sea Bass With Creamy Polenta & Pea Sauce

A simple way to make Chilean sea bass… served with a light creamy polenta and pesto-like pea sauce to make it a complete platter of wonderfulness (and food version of the Mexican flag!). Don’t be intimidated- it’s not as threatening as it may appear 🙂

(Please read note below about Chilean sea bass.)

We don’t do Chilean sea bass much in my house… it’s one of those fish you have to be careful about. If you’re going to buy it, you really want to make sure you’re getting it from a place that fishes/gets it legally and ethically. This can be hard to do, so go to a reputable fish market and ask the counter to make sure. If it’s fishy (ha- I love puns), then you may want to go for a substitute (this is my understanding anyway… I’m no fish expert, but better safe than sorry!). Beyond the ethics, it can be a spendy fish, so it’s a doubly rare treat for us 🙂

Since it is such a special fish, you really want to make sure you don’t let it get over-powered by seasonings and herbs, but instead let it’s natural flavors shine. So this method is super simple- it’s just lightly coated with some flour, salt, and pepper and then pan-fried until golden brown and crispy (yumm!). The polenta and pea sauce add flavor to the dish as a whole, but the fish itself should be cooked simply and shine as the star 🙂

This little thyme trick I did was a last minute idea… since thyme is in the polenta, I thought it’d make a beautiful addition. Plus, it’s suggestive; I love seeing hints as to what I’m going to be eating, so not only is it pretty (the main reason I like it, logic aside), it also give the eaters a little clue about the flavors they’ll be diving into! It reminds me of pressed flowers… me gusta. You could use any herb really, but like I said, thyme is both pretty and purposeful here… but if you don’t have it, a different small-leafed herb such as oregano would work well. 🙂

If you can’t get your hands on Chilean Sea Bass, try Sablefish (or Black Cod)

Serves 2

INGREDIENTS

For the sea bass…

2 Chilean sea bas fillets, about 3/4 pound each

1/2 cup flour

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1 tbsp olive oil & ghee (or butter)

For the polenta…

1/2 cup yellow corn meal

1 cup low-sodium chicken broth

1/2 cup milk

2 tbsp Parmesan (or other sharp cheese)

1 tbsp ghee (or butter)

3/4 tsp mined garlic clove

3/4 tsp chopped fresh thyme

1/4 tsp salt

1/8 tsp pepper

For the pea sauce…

1/2 cup frozen peas

1 tbsp olive oil

2 garlic cloves

1/4 cup dry white wine

1/4 cup low sodium chicken broth (substitute water if preferred)

small handful fresh basil leaves

small handful fresh parsley (I use Italian)

2 tbsp Parmesan cheese

1/4 tsp salt

1/8 tsp pepper

(note: this sauce ends up tasting pesto-ish with the garlic and basil- if you’d prefer a lighter flavor, start with half the garlic and basil and then add on from there as you like)

Optional garnish…

handful cherry tomatoes, halved

large fresh basil leaf, chopped

dash of salt and pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS

You can choose to prep your fish first and then set it aside while you prepare the polenta and sauce or wait to get the fish going until the end… I did it first, but your choice 🙂

Either way, here’s what you’ll do!

Clean your fish fillets- remove any bones that may be hiding in there, rinse, and pat dry

Mix flour, salt, and pepper together on a flat surface

Press fillets (individually) into the seasoned flour

Cover both sides well, shaking off any excessive flour

(If doing this step first, set aside and move onto polenta… you can freshen up the flour right before cooking the fish)

To make the polenta…

Finely mince the garlic and fresh thyme

Heat ghee/butter in a medium sauce pan over medium heat

Add garlic and thyme- cook for a few minutes until fragrant

Then add corn meal, chicken broth, and milk

Using a whisk, stir it together until well mixed

Let cook for about 5 minutes, until it begins to thicken

Add Parmesan cheese…

And salt and pepper

Whisk together, turn heat to low, and let simmer

The polenta will get thicker the longer it sits- if you want to thin it out (I sure did),

just add more broth or milk and whisk it up until it’s the consistency you want

To make the pea sauce…

Start by heating the frozen peas, garlic cloves, and olive oil together in a sauce pan

over medium heat- just until peas are thawed

Then add wine- lower heat a wee and let cook on a low boil for about 5 minutes,

until garlic if softened (the alcohol in the wine will cook off)

Pour peas, garlic, and wine into a food processor

Add parsley, basil, Parmesan, broth, salt and pepper

Blend until smooth and creamy

Add sauce back to pot and keep warm on low- taste and adjust seasonings as desired

It should be flavorful, but not so much so that it dominates the meal 🙂

Okay, now you’re ready to cook up that fish!

If you haven’t already coated the fillets in the seasoned flour, do so now

If doing thyme leaf decor, pick out a nice little piece of thyme (or other herb) for each fillet

Heat a large pan over medium/high heat

When hot, add olive oil and ghee/butter

Add fillets (one at a time if you can’t fit both spaciously- you don’t want to crowd the fish),

so that the side with the thyme leaves is face-down

Turn heat to high and let cook for about 3 minutes, until nicely browned

Flip over fillet and repeat to brown both sides

When done, set fillets on cutting board or other working surface

Okay… ready to plate! (Remember to check the consistency of the polenta before serving- as mentioned above, it likely will have thickened and need a little liquid to thin out)

Scoop some polenta onto plates