Foil Baked Chilean Sea Bass with Lemon Parmesan Cream Sauce
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 (paid link) 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.
Tips & Substitutions
- 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.
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
- 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
For the Fish:
- 1 lb Chilean sea bass
- 12 oz fresh leaf spinach
- 1/4 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:
- 3 tbsp butter
- 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 3 tsp minced garlic
- 1/4 cup white wine
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 3 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1 lemon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Season the sea bass on both sides with sea salt, black pepper, and Creole seasoning. Set to the side.
- Heat a cooking pan to medium heat and add butter. Once the butter melts, add minced garlic and cook it for 1 minute. Add the spinach and pour heavy cream over the spinach. Cook spinach until it begins to wilt (but do not overcook as it will finish in the oven). Remove from heat.
- On 2 large pieces of foil, add half of the slightly cooked spinach to the center of each piece. Place the sea bass over the spinach and seal the foil together so the fish can steam.
- Bake the fish for 12 minutes on a baking sheet (paid link) to prevent leakage. Set to the side when done.
- While the fish is cooking, you can prepare the sauce. Heat a separate cooking pan to medium heat and add butter. Once the butter melts, add flour and minced garlic. Allow to cook for 1 to 2 minutes.
- Add white 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. Slice the lemon in half and squeeze both halves of juice into the sauce. Cook on medium-low heat until well blended.
- Remove the cooked fish and spinach from the foil. Pour on the sauce.
Notes
You can substitute any white, flaky fish in this recipe. For example, cod, red snapper, grouper, etc.
Feel free to use white cooking wine in place of white wine.
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.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Calories: 930
- Fat: 32.5g
This is absolutely the best dish I have ever made. I love chilean sea bass. I made it yesterday and today for supper. The sauce is amazing, the only thing I did was use half & half instead of cream. I did use the cream for the spinach. I did cook it longer the second time because it was a little underdone. I did something a little different. I grilled the fish a couple minutes on each side and then put it in the oven. It is such an amazing recipe.
Thank you for sharing, Liz K
Thanks so much for sharing Liz! Really glad you enjoyed!!
This Chilean Sea Bass recipe is delicious. My husband said it is restaurant quality. Thank you!
Wonderful feedback! Thank you, Kathy!
Literally amazing! Will definitely be in my regular rotation of meals now. Couldn’t find Chilean Sea Bass here so substituted it with cod. 10/10!
I love that this recipe is great with many types of fish. Cod is perfect!
This was AMAZING! My family and I prefer Trigger Fish, so that is what we used and it was delicious! We served it over orzo and decided it would also be nice over coucous or a long grain & wild rice mix as well. While we loved the sauce, we felt it was a bit decadent for an everyday meal and the fish didn’t really need it between the seasoning on it and the garlic spinach. So, we will add the fish and spinach to our weekly rotation, holding the sauce for more special meals. Thanks for a great recipe!
Thanks, JJ! Yes, the sauce is very decadent, so keep it saved for those special occasions. 🙂
I made the Foil Baked Chilean Sea Bass with Lemon Parmesan Cream Sauce, tonight. My husband, who fishes in Alaska and lakes near our home said it was the best fish dish he has had in his life. That is high praise. I followed it to the letter. First, I prepped all the food and had it ready to go as each step called for each ingredient.
The recipe was easy and made me look like a better cook than I am. Thank you for sharing this fabulous recipe with the world. I would also like to give this recipe 10 stars.
Wow! Thanks for sharing, Glenda! So glad you and your husband enjoyed it.
This recipe is amazing!! Gourmet. I have made it several times and love it!! Thank you
OMG! If I could only give 10 stars!!! As good or better than any I’ve had from better restaurants! Substituted asparagus for spinach, so cooked a little longer and didn’t put cream in it. Other than that, went right by the recipe. Everything about it was wonderful! Recipe does make a lot of sauce, plan to cook some Shrimp tomorrow to use it with over pasta!!
Just love this sauce just delicious & pretty easy to make.
I’d like to know if it’s possible to freeze this sauce since I usually make too much?
Hi June! Absolutely! You can freeze any extra sauce safely for up to 6 months. Just make sure to place it in an airtight container.
Excellent! This recipe turned me into a follower :). Thank you for sharing.
I saw the 5/5 reviews with so many comments and I thought – yeah, ok, no bots there for sure. But I only trust myself to cook fish in foil and I had a beautiful 1.5lb cut of Sea Bass, and every other recipe was pan-seared. I have no experience with pan-searing, so I came back here and went for it.
This. Is. High-end. Restaurant. Quality. 100%. And I’m not even the best cook! Amazing, 10/10. Thank you so much for posting!
Hi, Kari! We love this feedback! Thank you for trusting us and for trying this recipe. So glad you enjoyed it. 🙂
OMG This was so delicious!! I didn’t have enough spinach so i used some broccoli cut up real small, this was huge hit with the family, even the picky 11 year old 😁 Will be making again ASAP!
We love to hear that, Sharon!
Wow! Awesome goodness, and fun to make.
Thank you, Dotty!
Someone up top captured my sentiments exactly …DUDE!!!! Made this tonight using cod. Served over brown rice. Absolutely delicious!!! Hubby says we can try using halibut next time. Thanks so very much for sharing.
You are very welcome, Deborah! It’s great with so many types of white fish!
Question: Can I bake without the foil pouch just on a baking sheet? I’m thinking of doing like 8. Also, will the sauce break or do I need to put in a thermos to keep warm? I’m bringing to a dinner party at someone’s house. Thanks!!
Hi Meredith! The foil seals in the moisture and almost steams the fish. However, this recipe is just as great without wrapping the fish in foil. Because I have not tested this technique with this recipe, I cannot provide an exact cook time. On the sauce breaking, place it into a container that doesn’t shock the temperature (you mentioned a thermos). There is very little butter and zero oil, so it should do fine. Bring a whisk just in case. 🙂
My husband and I love this recipe. I have made it several times and I have used it with halibut as well. The sauce is perfect!
Halibut is great with this sauce! Thank you, Brenda!
I’m trying his tonight, looks amazing! I’m thinking about adding cherry tomatoes to the foil packets, what do you think?
Absolutely! I love cherry tomatoes as well and it would be a great addition.
All I can say is DUDE!!!! Great recipe! Sea bass is one of my go to choices for dining out. I made it exactly as you suggested, didn’t change a thing. This will be a go to for special date nights for us! Thanks so much!!
The sauce was killer! I am a sauce girl and a keto person (used almond flour worked great). I did sear it in a pan and finished it in the oven instead of steaming, turned out great! Served over garlic cauliflower rice with fresh asparagus from the garden. Thank you for a keeper!
Thanks for sharing Carol. I am definitely a sauce lover so I’m really glad you enjoyed it. Almond flour is a great alternative so good deal!
Thank you so much for sharing this amazing recipe!! I made it with skin-on sea bass and seared the skin beforehand. It came out sooo delicious!
Michelle thanks so much for your feedback. I truly appreciate it and glad you enjoyed it.
Absolutely delicious! I made this recipe last night and my husband said it was worthy of a Michelin restaurant! I left out the flour and added extra cheese to the sauce to make it more keto-friendly and it worked out fine. I served it over sauteed mushrooms and very thinly sliced zucchini to keep it keto. My only feedback about the recipe is that I didn’t see the tip about halving the sauce recipe until I had already made it. It would be helpful if that was earlier in the text. (I will definitely use the extra in something else in the next few days though.)
Thanks, KL! That is quite the compliment! Your feedback is noted on mentioning the portion earlier. Glad it was a hit for you and your husband.
I made this for dinner tonight and it was a huge hit! Thank you for this recipe. My husband and I loved it. I served it over mashed potatoes.
Yes, Ashley! We love to hear it!
Definitely the best Csea bass recipe ever! So easy and delicious!
Whoo hoo! Thanks, Cynthia!
What’s a good substitute if you don’t have white wine
Hi, Jessica. You could sub white wine vinegar, chicken broth, or even ginger ale.
This was amazing, my son said it was like eating a 5 star meal. We served over mashed potatoes and stacked it to make it look fancy. Very easy recipe and will make again, thank you!! Cant wait to try out your other recipes.
Delicious!! I made this last night for dinner. My husband said it was better than a 5 start restaurant. My toddler even loved it! He loves sauces and this sauce is pretty fantastic!
I did not have heavy whipping cream handy so I used your advice on a previous comment (half and half plus butter). Yum!
Loved this recipe, Chilean Sea Bass never disappoints, but this sauce was a perfect coupling for it!! It was a perfect blend of richness, and mild flavor not to overpower the buttery flavor of the Bass.
Thanks a lot Lynn! Sea Bass is awesome and I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe. Thank you for sharing!
So, before making this recipe, I was banned from cooking fish in the house because I stink it up every time and the meal isn’t even that good. Until tonight! My family LOVED this and it was really so easy and no stink!! And, you can easily have this without the sauce (but I don’t know why you would!). Thank you!!!
Now that was a funny background story! Thanks so much for sharing. And really glad you can make fish in the house again! -)
You, Sir Eric, are a genius!!! I had my husband wrapped around my pinky after serving him this fabulous dish. I can truly say that I totally enjoyed making this as much as consuming it! Can’t wait to use the extra sauce … I think it would be lovely with some lobster and pasta!!! I will follow the Dude That Cookz from now on. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
Love to hear this! Haha. So glad you both enjoyed it, Gwen.
This was very decadent! I used sea bass and substituted 1/2 and 1/2 to lighten it up- worked great! We had extra brussel sprouts so I pulled off the leafs and cooked before I added the spinach in. The brussel spout held up nicer than the spinach and gave it nice texture. Didn’t have creole seasoning so I substituted Cajun just fine.
The Brussels sprouts sound great! Glad you enjoyed it!
does this dish require dried or fresh oregano?
Hi, Bekah. This recipe used dried oregano.
Simply amazing! This is a dish to impress, so I am making it for Christmas dinner for my parents. My 8 year old son loved it so much he asked for seconds. I cooked fettuccini then placed the creamed spinach and sea bass on top, then poured the sauce over it. This was my first time eating Chilean Sea Bass and it did not disappoint! The fish is hard to find and quite expensive, but so worth it. Thanks for sharing!
Yes, this fish is great for any special occasion and can be hard to find sometimes. We’re so glad your family loves it and I hope your parents did as well!
This recipe is phenomenal. My roommate says restaurant quality. The sea bass is worth the splurge. I could seriously eat this every week. Thank you. Amazing!
Hey Tanya! Thanks so much! I love to hear this type of feedback.
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!
This was super delicious easy beautiful. Made it twice
Awesome! This is definitely a favorite and I too make it often. Thanks for trying the recipe, Stefania!
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!
Hey Liana,
I just made this tonight with vegan cooking cream! You can get it at health food stores. Ours was made from soy, but there are other options like oat, too. Turned out great!
Thanks, Liana! Glad the cream swap worked well!
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!