Pan-Seared Sea Bass in Tomato Sauce with Capers
Jul 29, 2022
My mother taught me how to prepare this dish, and I have been making it for a long time, adding my own takes to the recipe. The easy tomato sauce is made up of just 6 ingredients: tomatoes, garlic, shallots, capers, sugar, and fish sauce. (That’s why the recipe is great to share—it is accessible for anyone at any level of culinary ability.) Vietnamese, Mexican, and Italian flavors all blend in this simple, nutritious dish that’s perfect for a weekday dinner.
This recipe from Foo is featured in the Mix It Up episode during Season 1 of The Great American Recipe.
This recipe from Foo is featured in the Mix It Up episode during Season 1 of The Great American Recipe.
- Servings
- Serves 6
- Course
- Entree
Tags
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic
- 2 tablespoons minced shallot
- 4 Roma tomatoes, chopped
- Salt and ground black pepper to taste
- 2 (28-ounce) cans whole San Marzano tomatoes
- 3 tablespoons fish sauce
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 2 tablespoons capers
- 6 Chilean sea bass fillets
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
- 1 lemon, cut into wedges
Instructions
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Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and shallot and sauté just until translucent. Add the Roma tomatoes and salt and cook until the tomatoes are completely broken down, about 15 minutes.
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Transfer the contents of the skillet to a blender and add the canned tomatoes with their juices. Blend until thick and smooth. Pour the tomato sauce back into the skillet and add the fish sauce, sugar, and capers. Cook over medium heat for 15 minutes.
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Meanwhile, pat the fillets dry and season with salt and pepper. In another large skillet, heat the vegetable oil over medium heat and pan-sear the fillets for 8 minutes on each side.
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Ladle some of the tomato sauce into each plate. Place a fillet in the center of the plate and spoon a thin layer of tomato sauce over the fillet. Garnish with cilantro and squeeze a wedge of lemon over the fish.