Amp up your summer cook-out with this delicious Grilled buttery Chilean Sea Bass with a zesty Fire Roasted Hatch Chili and Corn Salsa that makes for the perfect weeknight or get together meal.
Grilling fish can be an intimidating undertaking, but when handled with care, it results in a rewarding payoff! Follow these important steps for delicious grilled Chilean sea bass that will impress all the neighbors.
Chilean Sea Bass
Chilean Sea Bass has a rich, melt-in-your-mouth flavor that launched it into popularity in the 1990s. It’s also called Patagonian Toothfish, is typically long-line caught, in the summer months, off the southern coast of Chile or in deep, cold waters near the Prince Edward Islands. When caught, Chilean sea bass is usually immediately frozen on the boat to seal in flavor and allow for safe transportation. This allows for year-round availability. It is most commonly sold as frozen filets or can also be found fresh. However, fresh sea bass is almost always “refreshed” (frozen and thawed product).
Because Chilean Sea Bass is slow-growing, it’s a sudden rise in popularity that made it difficult for supply to keep up with demand. It is on the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch list and should only be bought from a Seafood Watch partner. When shopping for Chilean Sea Bass, look for the blue eco-label of the Marine Stewardship Council or talk to your fishmonger about seasonality and possible substitutes; Striped Bass or Black Bass are great alternatives.
How to Cook It
Chilean Sea Bass filets are thick, flaky, tender and moist; perfect for grilling! Grilling on high heat creates a crust or ‘grill marks’ that help the fish release from the grill grates. Sea Bass is also excellent poached in a court bouillon or sautéd with olive oil.
Preheat grill to high heat 450° to 500°.
Brush fish with oil, season with salt and pepper, place on grill and cook for 6-8 minutes with lid closed, until marked and easily releases from grates. Avoid excess oil; too much oil will drip into the fire and cause the flames to flare up and impart a bitter flavor that will overpower the delicate flavor of the fish.
Flip the fish, close lid and cook for an additional 6-8 minutes until internal temperature reaches 130-140 degrees. Remove from grill and rest 3-5 minutes before cutting. Do not force fish from grates, patiently wait for the fish to release. Do not flip or turn more than once, the less you move the fish the less likely it is to break apart.
Hatch Chiles
Hatch chiles are a type of capsicum grown only in Hatch Valley, New Mexico. They are most similar to an Anaheim chili, ranging in mild to medium on the heat scale. They are readily available in local markets in New Mexico and can be found nationwide in Whole Foods or specialty stores, or online.
A blend of poblano and jalapeno peppers is a great alternative if you can’t find hatch chiles and the heat level can easily be adjusted by adding more or fewer jalapenos.
How to Make Hatch Chile Corn Salsa
- Preheat the grill to high heat between 450° and 500°, and make sure it is clean of any leftover food particles.
- Place the peppers and unshucked corn directly onto the grill.
- Next, drizzle the tomatoes and edamame in 1T oil and place them in a grill approved metal basket or on a sheet of foil. Cook all of the vegetables until the corn husks begin to char and the peppers are blistered on all sides (about 15 minutes).
- Once the veggies are cooked, remove from the heat and set aside. Once the corn has cooled, shuck it and trim the corn from the ear. Add it to a bowl along with the grilled edamame and tomatoes. Scrape the char off the peppers, seed and chop them; add to the bowl with vegetables and season with salt and pepper.
- Serve the salsa with the grilled sea bass and garnish with green onions and fresh herbs.
This salsa would be great on my Grilled Chicken with Hatch Chile Chimichurri.
Recipe Chef Notes + Tips
How to Store: It can be kept in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Store the salsa in the fridge for up to a week.
How to Reheat: Fish needs to be reheated gently to avoid overcooking. Preheat the oven to 275 degrees. Put fish on a rimmed baking sheet or glass dish, add a splash of water to keep the fish from drying out and reheat for 10-15 minutes; until internal temperature reaches 125-130 degrees. To reheat the salsa, simply saute with olive oil.
Avoid excess oil; too much oil will drip into the fire and cause the flames to flare up and impart a bitter flavor that will overpower the delicate flavor of the fish.
Do not force fish from grates, patiently wait for the fish to release. Do not flip or turn more than once, the less you move the fish the less likely it is to break apart.
When baking Chilean sea bass simply place on a cookie sheet tray lined with parchment paper, brush with oil, season with salt and pepper and cook for 12 to 15 minutes on 425°.
More Awesome Seafood Recipes
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Grilled Chilean Sea Bass with Hatch Chile Corn Salsa Recipe
Ingredients
- two 8 ounce pieces of fresh Chilean Sea Bass
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil
- 3 ears of corn un-shucked
- 2 hatch peppers
- 1 cups of edamame
- 1 cups of assorted cherry tomatoes
- sliced green onions
- fresh oregano leaves
- fresh basil leaves
- sea salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Vegetables: In a bowl coat the peppers, tomatoes, and edamame with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
- Next, place the un-shucked corn on a hot grill along with the hatch peppers. Place the tomatoes and edamame in a grill approved metal basket. Cook all of the vegetables until the corn begins to char black and the peppers are black roasted on all sides (about 15 minutes).
- Once the veggies are cooked, remove from the heat and add to a bowl. Once the corn has cooled, shuck it and trim the corn from the ear Add it to a bowl along with the grilled edamame and tomatoes.
- Scrape the char off the peppers, seed them and chop them. Add them to the bowl with vegetables and season with salt and pepper.
- Coat the sea bass with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, season with salt and pepper and grill on high heat until marked and cooked through, about 12 minutes.
- Serve the vegetables with the grilled sea bass and garnish with green onions and fresh herbs.
Notes
- Because Chilean Sea Bass is slow-growing, its sudden rise in popularity made it difficult for supply to keep up with demand. It is on the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch list and should only be bought from a Seafood Watch partner. When shopping for Chilean Sea Bass, look for the blue eco-label of the Marine Stewardship Council or talk to your fishmonger about seasonality and possible substitutes; Striped Bass or Black Bass are great alternatives.
- Avoid excess oil; too much oil will drip into the fire and cause the flames to flare up and impart a bitter flavor that will overpower the delicate flavor of the fish.
- Do not force fish from grates, patiently wait for the fish to release. Do not flip or turn more than once, the less you move the fish the less likely it is to break apart.
- When baking Chilean sea bass simply place on a cookie sheet tray lined with parchment paper, brush with oil, season with salt and pepper and cook for 12 to 15 minutes on 425°.
- A blend of poblano and jalapeno peppers is a great alternative if you can’t find hatch chiles and the heat level can easily be adjusted by adding more or fewer jalapenos.
Samantha says
This was great! No sea bass here right now, but used halibut steaks and it worked wonderfully. Also used pablano and jalapeño instead of hatch chile… nice heat. Squeezed a little fresh lime juice into veggies, and wow did it pop! Will definitely make this again.
Angie says
Really enjoyed it… we added a couple of charred tomatillos to balance put the not quite ripe hard mango we added… thank you. I worked in Aztec and truly enjoyed eating all the hatch chili sauces there last year. Sadly, the peppers were not in season so I could not take any home.
Ashley Matsko says
Thank you for mentioning Hatch Green Chile! We would love to send you a free box of our Hatch Green Chile as a thank you. If you’re interested, please send me an email.