Sous Vide Sea Bass

Name: Sous Vide Sea Bass
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 60 min
Ingredients: 12-16 ounces sea bass; 3 tablespoons unsalted butter (softened); 2 tablespoons white miso paste; 1 garlic clove (thinly sliced); 1 teaspoon sambal

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This tender and moist Sous Vide Sea Bass requires just 5 ingredients and it cooks in the sous vide water bath in only 45 minutes! A quick sear in a hot skillet before serving results in delicious and crispy skin!

Using the sous vide method for cooking sea bass means moisture and flavor are locked in and you never have to worry about dried out fish.

Overhead view of a piece of sous vide sea bass on a plate with a fork.

The controlled temperature of a sous vide water bath makes cooking fish almost foolproof. These recipes for sous vide swordfish, sous vide salmon, sous vide halibut and sous vide cod are some of our favorites and never fail us.

And, since sea bass is an expensive fish, cooking it sous vide guarantees perfect results every time!

Serve this as an elegant dish for a dinner party or date night with some coconut jasmine rice and Instant Pot carrots.

What is Sous Vide?

Sous vide is basically a method of cooking using what is called an immersion circulator. This immersion circulator circulates water in a temperature controlled water bath at a certain temperature to perfectly cook your food every time.

Because the temperature doesn't change, and it keeps your meat (or dessert, veggies, etc.) at the same temperature, your risk of overcooking becomes very minimal.

To learn even more about sous vide cooking, head over and read "what is sous vide cooking."

What is the Water Displacement Method?

The displacement method is where you slowly submerge a ziplock bag in water pushing the air out of the top of the bag (the bag should be slightly open at the top to allow air to escape).

Use a clip (I use binder clips) to clip the bag to the side to keep it from floating and getting air and/or water inside.

Tools Used

More sous vide seafood recipes

A piece of sous vide sea bass on a white plate.

Why this recipe works

Sea bass tends to be expensive so you want to make sure you get value for your dollar by cooking it well! The sous vide ensures your fish stays moist and tender.
The sous vide locks in moisture and flavor so you don’t need to worry about dry or rubbery fish.
The recipe is pretty hands off as the sous vide water bath does most of the work for you.
If crispy skin is your favorite part, no worries. The sea bass gets a quick sear once it comes out of the water bath so the skin gets browned and crispy.

What is sea bass?

The term ‘sea bass’ actually refers to a family of fish. Black sea bass and striped bass are examples, both of which are found on the east coast of North America.

Sea bass usually have a mild and sweet flavor with a white flesh once cooked.

A popular sea bass, Chilean sea bass, is actually a toothfish and is just marketed as sea bass.

Ingredients

Please refer to the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and quantities.

You’ll need 12-16 ounces of sea bass for this recipe, or about 3-4 small fillets, with the skin on.

The fillets are cooked in a paste consisting of 3 tablespoons of softened, unsalted butter, 2 tablespoons of white miso paste, 1 garlic clove (thinly sliced) and 1 teaspoon of sambal.

White miso has a mild, sweet and umami flavor. It’s a soybean paste where the soybeans are fermented with rice.

The addition of sambal adds a little spicy flavor. If you don’t have sambal (often called sambal oelek), you can use sriracha or even this homemade sambal belacan.

Step by step instructions

Heat a sous vide water bath to 110F degrees.

Mix the butter, garlic, miso paste and sambal in a bowl to form a paste.

Butter, miso, garlic and sambal mixed together in a glass bowl with a spatula.

Rub the mixture over the sea bass and seal in a vacuum seal bag.

Sea bass fillets, garlic, miso, sambal and butter in a vacuum sealed bag.

Cook for 45 minutes in the water bath.

Remove from bag, reserving the liquid.

Heat a skillet over medium high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of the reserved liquid.

Add the sea bass and cook for 60 seconds to slightly crisp the skin.

Add the remaining reserved liquid on top, remove from heat and serve.

Expert tips

To ensure the sea bass fillets cook evenly, make sure they’re all the same thickness and arranged in the sealable bag in a single layer.
If your fillets are thick, you may need to increase the cooking time by about 15 minutes or so.
When sealing the bag, make sure the air is removed to avoid bacteria getting in the bag.
The sealed bag should also be completely submerged in the water bath. I like using something heavy like a sous vide sinker weight to prevent it from floating.
If the bag starts to float, just open the bag, remove the air and reseal it.
Be sure not to sear the fillets for too long as they may overcook.
No need to flip the fish as you just need to crisp the skin. If you brown the flesh, the sea bass will overcook.
For the best results, make sure you buy high quality sea bass from a reputable source.

Sea bass on a white plate with a fork flaking a piece off.

Common questions

What is the best temperature to sous vide sea bass?

For moist and tender sea bass, I recommend setting the temperature of your sous vide water bath to 110F degrees. This will result in sea bass that is just warmed through, similar to this sous vide tuna.

When cooking fish to this temperature, I recommend buying high quality fish from a reputable source. If you are at greater risk for food borne illness, you should cook it to a higher temperature. Read more from the FDA regarding seafood safety.

Higher temperatures will produce different textures. At 120F degrees, the sea bass will have a flaky texture, and at 132F degrees, it will be firm.

How long does it take to sous vide sea bass?

It only takes 45 minutes to cook sea bass in a sous vide water bath.

Do you need to leave the skin on the sea bass?

I normally leave the skin on because we love sea bass finished with a crispy skin. You can remove it, if you prefer. I actually think it’s easier to remove the skin once the sea bass fillets are cooked.

Can you use frozen sea bass for this recipe?

Yes, you can use frozen but you'll need to thaw it first. I prefer to use previously frozen fish when cooking fish to a low temperature as freezing helps kill parasites that might be present.

Overhead view of a sea bass fillet on a white plate.

Serving options for sea bass

Did you make this recipe? Leave a comment below and let me know how it turned out!