Description
This recipe combines crisp-skinned sea bass fillets with a light and buttery brown shrimp sauce, often enhanced with lemon juice, capers, and fresh herbs. Inspired by classic British coastal flavors, Mary Berry’s version keeps things simple, allowing the sweetness of the shrimp and the crispness of the sea bass to shine.
Ingredients
For the sea bass:
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- Sea Bass Fillets (4, skin-on and boneless)
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- Olive Oil (2 tbsp)
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- Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper (to taste)
For the brown shrimp sauce:
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- Butter (75g / ⅓ cup)
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- Brown Shrimp (150g / about 1 cup, peeled and cooked)
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- Lemon Juice (1 tbsp)
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- Capers (1 tbsp, optional)
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- Fresh Parsley (2 tbsp, finely chopped)
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- White Wine (50ml / 3 tbsp, optional)
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- Salt and Pepper (to taste)
Note: If brown shrimp are unavailable, you can use small prawns or salad shrimp as a substitute.
Instructions
Step 1: Prepare the fish
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- Pat the sea bass fillets dry with paper towels and season both sides with salt and pepper.
Step 2: Cook the sea bass
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- Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat.
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- Place the fillets skin-side down and cook for 3–4 minutes until the skin is crisp and golden.
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- Flip and cook for another 1–2 minutes until just cooked through. Remove from heat and set aside, skin-side up.
Step 3: Make the brown shrimp sauce
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- In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat until foaming.
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- Add the brown shrimp, and cook for 1–2 minutes until heated through.
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- Stir in the lemon juice, capers (if using), parsley, and white wine (if using). Simmer gently for 1 more minute. Season to taste.
Step 4: Plate and serve
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- Place each sea bass fillet on a plate and spoon the brown shrimp sauce generously over the top. Serve immediately with your choice of sides.