15-Minute Pan-Fried Sea Bass: Healthy Fish You Can Try at Home

I didn’t start cooking whole fish until I moved to Spain. You might be surprised, but I was a vegetarian for almost 7 years, and then a pescatarian for another year before I returned to eating meat. As I quit eating fish and meat products when I was 18, I didn’t learn to cook fish, whether whole or filleted. Lubina, or Spanish sea bass was one of the first fish recipes I tried, and I immediately fell in love. Lean, filling, and delicious – I love to eat Spanish sea bass at least a few times per month. But one of my favorite lubina recipes has to be the simplest – just a pan-fried sea bass with some crushed garlic and herbs. Preparing the whole fish in a frying pan makes it extra crispy and succulent.

In this recipe, I share how to make it at home in just under 15 minutes (if you buy cleaned fish). Go straight to the recipe:

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Why should you try cooking Spanish sea bass?

Besides being delicious, Spanish sea bass is also very healthy. It’s a lean fish, low in fat but high in nutrients. Naturally caught in the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, Spanish sea bass contains only 1.3 grams of fat per 100 grams of fish and an impressive 18 grams of protein. It’s also high in iron, zinc, iodine, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus, and vitamins B, D, and A, as well as many other goodies necessary for a healthy body.

I like cooking sea bass whole as I get extra nutrients from the fish skin, which is one of the best sources of natural collagen. The fish also doesn’t have many small bones, making it easier to eat and enjoy.

What will you need to prepare pan-fried sea bass at home?

I know I say this in many of my recipes, but frying sea bass in a pan is one of the easiest and fastest whole fish recipes you can make at home. As long as you can get your hands on a whole sea bass, you’re set. You’ll only need a large frying pan to fit the entire fish and a big spatula to flip it. Don’t worry if the fish breaks; mine does sometimes too.

Three steps to prepare pan-fried sea bass

1. Clean the fish

If you can buy the fish already cut across the belly and cleaned, that’s perfect. But if you buy the whole fish, with the gut and all, cut it diagonally and remove the organs. Also, scale the fish, but not too aggressively so as not to damage the skin (trust me, the crispy skin is one of the healthiest parts of the fish, high in collagen and omega fatty acids). Wash it under cold water and pat it dry with a paper towel.

2. Pan-fry the fish

Heat a large frying pan with a few tablespoons of olive oil. The pan needs to be hot enough so the fish skin doesn’t stick to the surface. You can try putting a tiny piece of fish in the pan to see when it starts to sizzle. This means it’s ready.

Place the fish skin-side down. Adjust the heat to make sure it cooks through but doesn’t burn. Season the exposed side with salt and pepper and a bit of thyme. You can add other spices as you like, but in most seafood restaurants in Spain, you’ll get it done just like that – the simpler, the better. Let it cook for 4-5 minutes.

During these few minutes, add crushed garlic cloves, rosemary sprigs, and two teaspoons of butter. Let them become fragrant and baste the fish with the buttery liquid.

Then comes the trickiest part – flipping the fish. If you can, ask someone for help or use two spatulas to get a good angle and flip the fish. Don’t worry if it breaks; it’ll taste the same. After flipping, repeat the seasoning and basting process.

3. Serve

Once the fish is crispy and cooked through, remove it from the heat and transfer it to a plate. Garnish the cooked sea bass with fresh parsley and the golden-brown garlic you used to create the baste. Serve it with crispy potatoes, rice, or enjoy it on its own. Skanaus!

Did you like the recipe? Rate it below and leave a comment to let me know how it went!

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