Did someone say Foil-Baked Chilean Sea Bass with Lemon Parmesan Cream Sauce? Sounds good, right?! Making this delicious Chilean Sea Bass in foil along with garlic creamed spinach topped with a lemon parmesan cream sauce makes for the perfect dinner idea anytime!
Who doesn't love Chilean Sea Bass? It's rich, buttery, moist, and flaky and literally melts in your mouth. But what's really strange is it's not actually sea bass. It's original name, Patagonian toothfish, doesn't sound that appetizing so I don't blame them for changing the name (way back in 1977). 🙂
Chilean Sea Bass can be found in the southern ocean areas of Chile, Argentina, South Africa, and New Zealand which is probably why this variety cost more than the average fish per pound. If you've ever enjoyed it, you know it's worth every single dime.
Back home in Louisiana, the variety of fish options seemed to be limited to catfish, redfish, Sac-a-Lait, and perch. Once I began to travel, I was able to gain an appreciation for different types of fish that were more prevalent in other regions.
And that brings me to this delicious Foil-baked Chilean Sea Bass with Lemon Parmesan Cream Sauce!
How to bake Chilean sea bass:
- I kept the seasoning simple in this recipe. Just season the sea bass on both sides with sea salt, black pepper, and Creole seasoning.
- Sauté the minced garlic in butter for 1 minute. Add in the fresh spinach and heavy cream. You'll want to cook the spinach until it begins to wilt, but don't overcook it because you'll be putting it in the oven in a later step.
- Grab your foil and place half of the cooked spinach in the center. Place the sea bass over the spinach and seal the foil leaving enough room so the fish can steam. You'll bake the seabass on a baking sheet for 12 minutes at 400 degrees.
- While the fish is cooking, you can start preparing the Parmesan Cream Sauce. Add butter, flour, and minced garlic to a pan and sauté for a few minutes. Add your wine and chicken broth and cook for another 3 minutes. Lastly, add the heavy whipping cream, parmesan cheese, flour, garlic powder, oregano, black pepper, sea salt, fresh lemon zest, and freshly squeezed lemon juice.
- Once the fish is done, pour on the sauce and serve.
Baking this delicious dish sealed in foil along with garlic cream spinach adds additional flavor while it steams the fish to perfection.
The lemon sauce blended with the Parmesan cheese and whipping cream was a sauce experiment that ended up being a home-run. I actually use this sauce on so many recipes, including fresh pasta!
When you want to turn your kitchen into an upscale dining experience give this Foil Baked Chilean Sea Bass with Lemon Parmesan Cream Sauce a try - paired with your favorite red or white wine, of course.
Here are a few more seafood recipes you might enjoy:
- Honey Mustard Glazed Salmon
- Creamy Tuscan Steelhead Trout
- Creole Fish Etouffee
- Honey Balsamic Steelhead Trout
- Pan Seared Salmon with Succotash
- Baked Flounder with Tomatoes and Basil
- Hot Cajun Fish Dip
Foil Baked Chilean Sea Bass with Lemon Parmesan Cream Sauce
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 2 1x
Description
Baking this delicious Chilean Sea Bass in foil along with garlic cream spinach served topped with a lemon parmesan cream sauce makes for the perfect dinner idea anytime!
Ingredients
- 1 lb Chilean Sea Bass
- 12 oz. Fresh Leaf Spinach
- ¼ cup Heavy Whipping Cream
- 2 tsp. Minced Garlic
- 1 tsp. Black Pepper
- 1 tsp. Creole Seasoning
- 1 tsp. Sea Salt
- 2 tbsp. Butter
For the Lemon Parmesan Sauce:
- 1 Lemon
- ¼ cup White Wine
- ½ cup Chicken Broth
- 1 cup Heavy Whipping Cream
- 3 tbsp. Grated Parmesan Cheese
- ½ tsp. Garlic Powder
- 1 tsp. Oregano
- 3 tbsp. Butter
- 2 tbsp. All-Purpose Flour
- ¼ tsp. Sea Salt
- ½ tsp. Black Pepper
- 3 tsp. Minced Garlic
Instructions
For the fish:
- Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.
- Season the sea bass on both sides with sea salt, black pepper, and Creole seasoning and set to the side.
- Heat cooking pan to medium heat and add butter. Once the butter melts, add minced garlic and cook garlic for 1 minute. Add the spinach and pour ¼ cup of heavy cream over the spinach. Cook spinach just until it begins to wilt (but do not overcook as it will finish in the oven). Remove from heat.
- Tear 2 large pieces of foil and add half of the slightly cooked spinach in the center of each sheet. Place the sea bass over the spinach and seal the foil together so the fish can steam.
- Bake the fish for 12 minutes within the foil on a baking sheet to prevent leakage. Set to the side when done.
For the sauce:
- While the fish is cooking, heat a separate cooking pan to medium heat and add butter. Once the butter melts, add flour, minced garlic, and allow to cook for 1 to 2 minutes.
- Add white wine (or white cooking wine) and chicken broth and cook for 3 minutes. Add the heavy whipping cream, parmesan cheese, garlic powder, oregano, black pepper, and sea salt.
- Zest the skin of the lemon into the sauce and slice the lemon in half and squeeze both halves of juice into the sauce. Cook on low/medium heat until well blended
- Remove the cooked fish and spinach from the foil. Pour on the sauce. Serve hot.
Equipment
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Notes
You can substitute any white, flaky fish in this recipe. For example, cod, red snapper, grouper, etc.
The 12 -minute cooking time is for an average-sized 6 oz. (around 2 inches thick) Chilean sea bass. If you have a larger or thicker piece, you may need to cook your Chilean sea bass for up to 8 minutes longer. Adjust your cooking time in 2-minute increments if you are unsure.
When you remove the fish and spinach from the foil, be sure to drain/discard any excess liquid that would have developed during the baking process. The only liquid you'll need is from that delicious sauce!
I like a lot of sauce and will typically use the leftover sauce for other recipes later in the week. The lemon Parmesan sauce is perfect on many other dishes, including pasta!
If you are not planning for (or do not want any) excess sauce, you can split the recipe for the Lemon Parmesan Sauce in half.
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Calories: 930
- Fat: 32.5g
Keywords: chilean sea bass,lemon parmesan cream sauce, baked fish, foil baked fish, baked chilean sea bass, roasted bass
I made the recipe with sea bass. The lemon Parmesan cream sauce was phenomenal. Recipe actually made too much sauce. Sauce with the spinach was watery
★★★★
Yes, this makes a lot of sauce. You can half the recipe if you don't need as much. To ensure it is not watery, I typically allow the fish and spinach to drain before placing it on a serving plate to serve with the sauce. A lot of liquid is developed during the baking process. Glad to hear you enjoyed the sauce.
Well, this dish was certainly delicious! I had to cook mine a bit longer, like an extra 7-8 min but I’m assuming we had larger cuts of fish.
I didn’t have any spinach on hand so I left it out and it still turned out well! Added a little “extra” butter, but really, we did have large cuts of fish. I also added a bit more parm, salt, pepper and garlic salt, than the recipe called for. Adjusted to taste. So good! We ended up just dipping our fish in to the Alfredo and no o want to use the leftover for pasta!
★★★★★
That sauce is certainly great with pasta! And yes, you may need to adjust the cooking time for larger or thicker cuts. Glad you enjoyed it!
Hello! I was hoping to try this dish out this week. I am dairy free so would you recommend making a cashew cream sauce in place of the heavy cream for both the fish and sauce?
Unfortunately, I haven't tried it with anything aside from heavy cream so I can't be certain on how it would turn out. However, since cashew cream can have a thick and creamy texture, it is worth a shot.
I tried this recipe last night with Ripple (pea protein) milk instead of dairy milk and it was delicious. Ripple is not as heavy as cream of course, but it's similar to whole milk and thickened up just fine. I did include the cheese, since the recipe only calls for a little parmesan. But, you could probably leave it out and have a nice garlic cream sauce.
★★★★★
Thanks for sharing, Brienne!
Wow!!!
I have to say, My wife and I are just wanted to say what a wonderful recipe!, The flavours work so well together.
An absolute hit for us. Highly recommend
Well done Dude!
Matt & dawn UK
★★★★★
Matt and Dawn - thank you for taking the time to provide your feedback on the recipe! Glad to hear it was a hit!!
Delish! I pan seared the bass in ghee. Awesome sauce, I love the freshness the lemon adds.
★★★★★
Ghee sounds fantastic!
It was very tasty I will make it again.
★★★★★
Awesome! Thank you!
Great recipe! I did it without spinach but substituted for asparagus on the side. Sauce is having a great texture and very tasty!
★★★★★
Thank you! It really does go great with any vegetable.
I eat gluten free, therefore, I substituted the flour with almond flour. I also substituted the butter for ghee and the heavy cream for evaporated milk. Awesome recipe and super delicious!!
★★★★★
Awesome! Glad it still worked out for you!
This was amazing!! Whole family loves it. I will be making again very soon. Thank you so much for sharing recipe!
★★★★★
Awesome! Thank you for trying it out!
Thanks for this awesome recipe!!! It is a elegant entire and delicious!! Wouldn't change a thing!!
Thanks, Pamela! That's great to hear! Thanks for sharing. 🙂
Very good. I’d use about one tablespoon less flour for my sauce and then half the salt amounts for personal preference but incredibly easy to make and really simple to clean up. I’m full without feeling overly stuffed. And it feels clean which is nice.
★★★★★
Thanks, GG! Glad you gave it a try and found ways to make it your own the next time you enjoy it! Thanks for stopping by and sharing your feedback.
Great dish. I enjoyed making it as much as eating it. Easy and delicious!
★★★★★
Thank you! And thanks for giving it a try!
OMG this was so good!!! Served over couscous to soak up the sauce. The sauce alone is worth making again,
★★★★★
Awesome, Laura! Yes, the sauce is amazing by itself and can be used in so many recipes! Thanks for sharing your feedback.
I made this using halibut it was so delicious I’ve done it twice so far and I did save this off as you suggested it’s great
It was so easy to do unbelievable and well worth it thank you
★★★★★
Halibut is great with this recipe! Thanks for sharing your feedback!
I pan seared the sea bass, but the sauce was fantastic. Thank you!
★★★★★
Pan-seared is also a great option with this sauce! Thanks for letting me know you enjoyed it!
Absolutely delicious! and super easy!
★★★★★
Thank you!! Glad it was a hit!
I always use the same recipe for Ch Sea Bass to be safe, as it is so expensive. Tonight I tried this recipe. It's FABULOUS!! We Loved it!! Thank you for a New recipe!!
★★★★★
Hey, Donna! I get it! It is hard to step out when you already have your tried and true recipe --- why change it when it works. However, I am glad you gave my Chilean Sea Bass a shot! Happy to see your family enjoyed it.
Love this recipe, but it has taken me a little longer to cook the seabass. Love the cream sauce and made broccoli too!
★★★★★
Hello Kris! Yeah, cooking times may vary a little depending on oven temperatures and thickness of the fish. Glad it still turned out great for you!
This was incredible!!!! I'm staying in Kauai, Hawaii for a few weeks and bought fresh sea bass from a local fish market, I searched recipes and finally settled on this one and boy am I glad that I did! It was one of the best dishes that I've ever cooked. Thanks so much!
★★★★★
That just made my day, Ashton! Thanks for stopping by and letting me know how much you enjoyed it. It's comments like this that keep me cooking.
Thank you!!
I can't have heavy cream. Any recommendations for substitutions? I was thinking half and half or evaporated milk. Thank you.
Hello, Sue. I'd go with half-and-half plus butter. Melt ¼ cup butter and slowly whisk in ¾ cup half-and-half. This is the equivalent of 1 cup of heavy cream. If the sauce is on the thin side, add a tablespoon of flour (at a time) to thicken it.
Thank you!!
This was quite possibly the best fish I have ever eaten! Thank you!
★★★★★
What a compliment! Thanks, Andrea!
5 stars all the way. Outstanding! Thank you for such a delicious recipe.
★★★★★
Hey Kerry! Thanks for stopping by and sharing what you thought of the recipe. Glad you enjoyed it!
Hi can this lemon parmesan sauce be prepared and frozen ahead of a big
dinner party to save me time ( and stress ! ) thanks
Hello, Chris! It absolutely can be frozen ahead of time.
This was sooooo good! Super easy. Didn’t have creole , used Trader Joe’s “ Chile lime” blend
Nice substitution! Thanks for checking it out Jr!
★★★★★
Excellent really good my husband and I are on a keto diet only love it thanks for sharing
Lindsey
★★★★★
Thank you for sharing. This is a good recipe for the Keto diet. Thanks again, Lindsay!
My husband and I love this recipe. We are having a dinner party this weekend and this is the main course. Wondering what wine you would or have paired with it?
Thanks so much! I think a good Malbec or even a Pinot Noir would be great. I personally don’t drink a lot of white wines, but I would think a Riesling would pair well. Please let me know how it goes. Thanks again!!
Delicious, but its quite a bit of prepping work…
★★★★★
Thanks so much Carolyn for giving it a try. Yes it can be a bit of prep work but hopefully it was worth it. Thanks again!
This recipe was a huge hit in my house! Thank you!
★★★★★
Thanks for trying it out Jennifer! Glad you enjoyed!
Dude!!!!! This is soooo freakin’ good. We grilled the sea bass (‘cause we live in Florida and the weather is beautiful this time of year). I sautéed the spinach first and then added it to the AMAZING sauce at the end. Great recipe. Will watch for more from you. ??
★★★★★
★★★★★
Wow this is awesome. Thanks so much I truly appreciate that. I'm glad you all enjoyed it.
Is this recipe Paleo?
Hey Holley -- Because of the dairy products (cheese, butter, heavy cream) used in this recipe, it is technically not Paleo.
Want to make this for our family of six. Do you think I can bake 6-8 filets on a bed of the creamed spinach in a 9x13 baking dish, then covered tightly with foil and baked? Then pour the sauce on top of fish after plated? I don't want to do individual foil packets.
Lynn I think that idea will work fine as long as a fish is covered and sealed with foil paper I think you would still have the same effect so I say go for it!
Just made this this evening. My husband and I are huge fans now! We enjoy new recipes especially fish ones. This had perfect flavor. I paired it with plain couscous, so not to take away from the flavors of the fish. My only issue was getting the sauce thick, but the sauce still had amazing flavor.
Molly this is so awesome! Thanks so much I really appreciate it.
Good day! Would you mind if I share your blog with my myspace group?
There's a lot of folks that I think would really appreciate
your content. Please let me know. Thank you
Yes that is not a problem at all. I appreciate the support so thank you.
I know people have substituted other white fish, but what about a SALMON fillet for this recipe? Not sure if that sauce would pair well with salmon (?) Whole recipe sounds REALLY good. Can't wait to try it!
Thanks so much Karen. I'm not sure about Salmon to be honest. Because of its flavor profile, it may not blend well with the other ingredients in this dish. But I'm an experimental type of person so I would probably make a small batch to test it.
Just wondering if it can be made in parchment paper instead of foil? Going to try it any way. Will let you know
Hello Melinda honestly I'm not sure. I've never tried to use it to cover anything so I can't say that I know. I apologize.
Might give this a tweak, substituting homemade egg noodles & peas.
Very complimentary with that delicious sauce.
Cool sounds like I need to come take a cooking class from you Richard. Thanks a lot!
Hi Eric,
I made this with Cod (we are from Boston and it is readily available) . Me and my
Husband loved it. Absolutely delicious. We are always looking
For ways to elevate our fish dishes and this really hit the mark!
Thanks so much for the recipe.
This is pretty awesome Cindy I truly appreciate it!!
Not a big fish cooker so how would I do this with frozen fish?
Hello Amy, I think fresh fish would be a lot better. I wouldn't recommend frozen but if that's all you have then make sure you allow it to sit long enough to completely thaw before cooking.
I have tried several recipes each successful but this one is the best. My wife Karen and I loved it so much that I made it three times in two weeks.Each time I made I knew what I was going to eat the next day. Spaghetti with the extra sauce.My wife fell in love with sauce and decided to use it with spaghetti. That too was a hit. Thanks.
Arthur, thanks so much for sharing this. This is what keeps me inspired to continue trying to be creative and try to make good food for food lovers. This is awesome!!
This was delicious!!! It was SO easy to make! We paired it with buttered spaghetti noodles and put some of that yummy sauce over it. We used cod from Costco and it tasted fantastic. (also more affordable option) Very simple directions! We loved it so much we are going to make it again tonight for my parents.
Connie this is so awesome! Thanks so much for sharing I appreciate that and its give me encouragement so thanks again!!
Holy cow!! Delicious!
Thanks, Lupe! Glad you enjoyed it!
★★★★★
This looks delicious, going to try this out....but what if I don't use Chilean sea bass and just use regular season bass...will it still turn out delicious?
Hello Puja! Absolutely, any sea bass would be equally perfect for this recipe.
wow sounds delish. cooking this tomorrow for guests. to save time am wondering if it will work with the full filletted fish. will use regular sea bass or nile perch as we dont get the chilean sea bass in my country.
Hello Mel! Any white flaky fish will do so regular sea bass or perch would work perfectly. And you should be fine with covering the entire/whole fish filet in foil (on top of the creamed spinach). Enjoy!
Any recommendations for the white wine , first time cooking with wine?
Hello Jasmine! You can actually just go with the "white cooking wine" that you can get from your local grocer. It would be located near the vinegar. Hope you enjoy it!
Never, repeat NEVER, use “cooking wine” as a substitute for white wine.
Read the label....would you drink it? You cook with what you like to drink.
Thank you Richard for the info I will definitely keep that in mind.
I agree!
This looks so good. I'm trying this tonight.
Thanks Marcia!
Frozen Chilean Sea Bass is sold at Costco in the US. It's quite pricey, but worth it. I'll be doubling the recipe for 4 adults. Sounds delicious!
Yes it can be a little pricy but other white fish can work as well. Thanks James!
Absolutely gorgeous and what a perfect recipe. Chilean sea bass is one of my favorites and this sauce is out of control!!
Thanks a lot Heather!
When it comes to fish, it’s the sauce that firs it for me. And this one is perfection!
Thank you Lorie!
I have not tried Chilean sea bass before!! Not sure if that is available in Australia. Will have to check it out as the recipe sounds amazing,
Any white fish would be just fine Vanessa. Thanks!
What a beautiful piece of fish! It looks perfect on its own, but your lemon Parmesan cream sauce has me drooling.
Thanks a lot Abby!
I'm not sure if I've tried Chilean sea bass...perhaps I was deterred by the price but will have to give it a try. Your preparation looks delicious! Pinned to my recipes to try board.
Yes it can cost but you can substitute a different white fish of preference and I'm sure it would come out just as good. Thanks David
Superb recipe!! We do love our seafood and Chilean Sea Bass is right up there. It is one special fish and I really like how you included the creamy spinach in the foil packet. This is a keeper of a recipe. Will be trying it out soon.
Thanks a lot Marisa! Please let me know how it goes.
This looks absolutely fantastic. My fella is Keto and this looks like it would fit really well into his diet.
Ok good deal thanks a lot Jenni!
This looks AMAZING. I love sea bass, but it often comes out a little bit flavorless. I think that would be impossible with the garlicky spinach and cheesy sauce that you paired it with, so I can't wait to give it a try.
Daniela I appreciate that thanks
So delicious! At the last minute I realized my whipping cream was expired and substituted fat-free half & half and was pleasantly surprised that I didn’t miss the real thing. Thank you!
★★★★★
Awesome, Brenda! Glad it worked out. I think the butter made up for it. 🙂
I am totally in love with sauce. Such a flavorful recipe. Looks so perfect!
Thanks a lot Sri!
This was absolutely delicious. I'm not kidding, I licked my plate clean. I had to use flounder as no sea bass was available; I bet it would be even more delicious with the sea bass!
Thats really awesome to hear. Thank you for sharing Laura
Confession: I'm not usually a fish lover, but I would eat this dinner any day of the week! Perfectly cooked and totally gorg!!!
Wow thank you I appreciate that Kelly!
I'm not a huge fan of fish, but must admit, this looks very tasty!!! And I love when culinary experiments go well, that sauce looks soooo creamy and tasty! Perfect to finish the whole dish up.
Yummmm this is exactly my kind of fish recipe! I love foil wrapped fish because the flavors really bake into the fish. That lemon parmesan cream sauce has me drooling!
Thanks a lot Dominique
This looks amazing! Sea bass is one of my favorite fishes, but living in Louisiana, we always have catfish and freshwater bass in our freezer. I can’t wait to try this!
Thanks a lot Kerri I appreciate it.