Garlic Butter Sea Bass with Chimichurri and Charred Corn Skillet

Crisp skin, foaming garlic butter and caramelized sweet corn come together in one cast iron skillet. A bright cilantro chimichurri and a snow of finely grated hard cheese finish the sea bass in minutes, for a dinner that feels special without any complicated steps.

This garlic butter sea bass skillet is built on contrast. The fish is seared skin side down until the skin shatters, then the pan itself becomes the sauce. Sweet corn kernels are browned in butter first, so they pick up a toasty edge that holds up beside the rich fish.

A fresh chimichurri, made from cilantro, garlic and red chili, cuts through the butter with brightness and a little heat. Everything is cooked in one pan and plated in minutes, making it a practical choice for a weeknight or a relaxed dinner for two. Read through the steps once before you start, because the fish moves quickly once it hits the butter.

Ingredients

Why this recipe works

Searing sea bass skin side down in hot fat is what makes the skin crisp. The skin releases from the pan once it has browned, and the flesh cooks gently in the foaming butter while you baste it. Basting with a spoon transfers heat to the top of the fillet, so the fish cooks evenly without needing to be turned early.

Browning the corn before the garlic and fish is a deliberate sequence. Corn caramelizes best over steady heat with little moisture, and it sweetens as its natural sugars brown.

Adding the garlic butter afterward keeps the garlic fragrant rather than bitter, and the corn absorbs the nutty butter as it finishes. The chimichurri is added last so its fresh herbs and vinegar stay vivid rather than cooking down.

Notes and substitutions

Sea bass is the centerpiece of this dish, and a skin-on fillet is essential because the crisp skin is part of the texture. Choose fillets of similar thickness so they cook at the same pace.

Ask the fishmonger to remove any pin bones, and check the fillets with your fingertips before cooking. If sea bass is hard to find, branzino or snapper fillets with the skin on work well and cook in the same way.

This recipe needs a cast iron skillet that is large enough to hold both fillets without crowding. Cast iron holds heat evenly and gives a strong, golden sear on the skin.

A large chef's knife and a wooden board are useful for the chimichurri and the corn, and a box grater gives the hard cheese a fine, fluffy texture. Use tongs for flipping, and a spoon for basting. Adjust the chili to your heat preference, removing the seeds for a milder sauce.

• Sea bass: Branzino, snapper or cod fillets with skin on, cooked the same way
• Hard cheese: Finely grated Parmesan or Pecorino Romano
• Red wine vinegar: Fresh lime juice, about 1 tbsp
• Fresh corn: Thawed frozen corn kernels, patted dry

Equipment

• Large chef's knife
• Wooden cutting board
• Box grater
• Cast iron skillet
• Tongs
• Spoon for basting