This Chilean sea bass with beurre blanc is served with seared scallops, fingerling potatoes, and sugar snap peas for a filling and beautiful dinner. If you’re looking to create an upscale dinner, this sea bass with scallops and beurre blanc is absolutely the way to go.
I had the pleasure of shooting a beautiful pescatarian restaurant while living in New York City, and I was so inspired by all of the dishes.
For this recipe, I channeled the inspiration from the restaurant into an incredible and flavorful dinner. I don’t often buy Chilean Sea Bass (also known as Antarctic Toothfish). Regardless of what you call it, this fish is oh-so-buttery and so delicious.
A beurre blanc sauce is created using a flat whisk. The whisk is great for allowing you to evenly incorporate the ingredients in the sauce pan, regardless of the shape of your pan. The long handle also keeps your hands out of the heat. I added a touch of cayenne powder because the sauce is quite rich. The hint of spice brings it back down to earth a bit.
How to Make this Chilean Sea Bass with Beurre Blanc:
First. start by preparing the vegetables. Boil the potatoes until they are just about ready to be drained. Add the sugar snap peas for a quick boil and then drain both.
Next, prepare the beurre blanc recipe. You need a fine mesh sieve or cheese cloth for this, so be sure to have it ready. Start by cooking shallots, vinegar, white wine, and black peppercorns in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Once boiling, add the butter, one cube at a time, whisking after each addition. Continue adding the butter and whisking until the sauce is velvety and smooth. Strain through a fine mesh sieve and keep warm.
From there, cook the fish first and rest it. Next, cook the scallops.
To assemble the fish, arrange the halved potatoes and cut sugar snap peas on a plate and spoon the beurre blanc over. Arrange the scallops on the potatoes and place the sea bass on top. Place a few pieces of microgreens on the dish and spoon more beurre blanc over, if you like.
Looking for more seafood recipes? Check my archives!
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Chilean Sea Bass with Beurre Blanc
Equipment
- Medium pot
- Small pot
- Fine mesh sieve
- Skillet
Ingredients
- ½ pound Chilean sea bass or another firm white fish such as cod, halibut, or flounder
- 6 sea scallops muscle removed
- 6 fingerling potatoes gold or red; halved lengthwise
- 6 ounces sugar snap peas trimmed and halved or cut into thirds
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons butter divided
- 2 tablespoons olive oil divided
- Sunflower microgreens or any other microgreen or parsley, for serving
Beurre Blanc:
- ¼ cup dry white wine
- ¼ cup white wine vinegar
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- 2 small shallots peeled and minced
- 6 ounces unsalted butter cubed and chilled
- 10 black peppercorns
- Salt and a touch of cayenne powder to taste
Instructions
Boil the Potatoes:
- Add the potatoes to a medium pot and cover with water and season with salt. Bring to a boil and cook for 15 minutes or until just under fork tender. Add the sugar snap peas and boil for 2-3 more minutes. Drain and keep warm.
Make the Beurre Blanc Sauce:
- In a small saucepan, add the shallots, white wine, white wine vinegar, and black peppercorns. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to medium and cook for 5 minutes or until the liquid has reduced to about 2 tablespoons.
- Add the heavy cream and whisk to combine. Add the butter, one or two cubes at a time, whisking with a flat sauce whisk after each addition until all the butter has been added and the sauce is thick and velvety. Season with salt, pepper, and a touch of cayenne to taste.
- Strain the sauce into a bowl through a fine mesh sieve and keep warm. Note: you may need to whisk the sauce to reincorporate the ingredients before serving.
Make the Fish and Scallops:
- Heat 1 tablespoon of butter and 1 tablespoon of oil to a medium skillet over medium-high heat until the butter is frothy and melted. Add the fish, skin-side down, and cook for 5-7 minutes or until the skin is very crispy. Gently flip and cook for an additional 5-7 minutes or until the fish reaches 135ºF. Transfer to a plate and cover with aluminum foil to rest for 5 minutes.
- While the fish is resting, heat the remaining butter and olive oil in the same skillet. Add the scallops and cook, without moving, for 1 1/2 minutes per side. Remove from heat.
To Serve:
- Divide potatoes and sugar snap peas between plates. Place a filet of fish on top and arrange the scallops beside the fish. Spoon the beurre blanc sauce over top and garnish with microgreens. Enjoy with the remaining white wine!
This sauce was both simple and amazing !! It was the perfect finishing touch to our sous vide Chilean sea bass!!
Yay! I’m so happy you enjoyed it!! Beurre blanc is really the best 🙂
Fantastic, original and surprisingly filling!