Ready to graduate from salmon? This 15-minute sea bass sheet pan recipe is super tasty and super easy to make! Because there is VERY little cleanup involved, try it on a busy weeknight.
Imagine having an easy, healthy, and impressive dinner with very little clean up required. That’s what I get with my baked sea bass and zucchini sheet pan recipe. As the kitchen picks up the aromas of lemon, roast veggies and delicate sea bass, Dustin often asks me, “wow what’s the special occasion?!” What he doesn’t know is that it took me just 10 minutes of prep work…and will take even less time to clean up.
But that can be our little secret. Give this recipe a try when you want to jazz up your weekly dinners without spending hours in the kitchen. It’s a healthy choice made on a sheet pan (so we can truly say it’s a one pan meal). And, if you don’t like the “fishy” taste of some seafood, you’re going to love sea bass.
Have we talked about the presentation? There’s a reason this recipe is one of my hottest pins on Pinterest. If you’re a visual person like me, you know how this is an important part of an enjoyable meal/ experience.
Is Sea Bass Good For You?
Sea bass is a great fish to eat and contains numerous health benefits. Not only is this fish low in calories, but it’s also a wonderful source of protein, selenium and essential omega-3 fatty acids. This sea bass sheet pan recipe also has the added benefits of any veggies you include.
- Omega-3 Fatty Acids: Sea bass has around 0.65 grams of combined EPA and DHA, which are types of omega-3 fatty acids. Studies show that omega-3 fatty acids reduce your risk for cardiovascular diseases.
- Selenium: Your body depends on selenium to produce antioxidants and to synthesize thyroid hormones. And sea bass, according to the National Institute of Health is the perfect source of this nutrient.
What Does Sea Bass Taste Like?
Sea bass is a white fish, just like cod, halibut, and grouper. And like most of the white fish, the flavor has a delicate and mild taste (not fishy). When cooked, the flesh is usually moist, buttery, and tender flakes. Yum!
Flavor Profile Summary
| Feature | Description |
| Flavor | Mild, delicate, sweet |
| Texture | Moist, firm, buttery, meaty |
| Flakes | Medium-sized |
| Oiliness | Lean |
| Color (when cooked) | White |
Can I Eat Sea Bass Skin?
You can eat sea bass skin as long as it has been properly cleaned and the outer scales are fully removed. When sold in your local grocery store, sea bass are usually ready to cook…but it doesn’t hurt to double-check. To do so, simply run your hand over the skin to check for leftover scales. If you find any, use your knife and scrape the back side of your sea bass from the tail towards the head (the scales will naturally fall off).
*Sea bass skin is typically safe to eat and best served when it is crispy and crackly. If you are poaching or steaming the fish, it’s better to take the skin off.
Is It Best to Cook Sea Bass In A Sheet Pan?
Sea bass is one of the most versatile fish available in the market. You can grill them, pan-fry them, or even en papillote them ( a French thing). So why do I choose to cook it on a sheet pan? Well, it’s the easiest and simplest method to cook a tasty sea bass meal. And we love simple.
All you have to do is arrange your ingredients in one layer on your sheet pan, sprinkle with some seasoning, add a squeeze of lemon + soy sauce, and pop it into the oven for less than 15 minutes. You can also totally relax while enjoying your sea bass sheet pan recipe because you’ll know there’s very little clean up involved afterwards (yay less dishes!).
What Sides Go With This Sea Bass Sheet Pan Recipe?
Whether you’re pan-frying your sea bass or using a sheet pan like me, you may want an additional side dish to round out your meal. Here are some of my favorite side dishes that go especially well with sea bass.
- Caprese Salad with Garlic Balsamic Vinaigrette
- Healthy Green Bean Casserole
- Roasted Acorn Squash
- Sugar Snap Peas with Lemon
- Southern Style Green Beans
- Oven-Baked Asparagus Fries
- Thyme Roasted Carrots
- Easy Parmesan Roasted Cauliflower
How Do You Know When It’s Cooked?
An easy way to check your sea bass for doneness the fork test. To use this simple method, just nudge the fish with your fork. A fully cooked sea bass will easily break off into flakes. But if it’s still opaque and firm, try baking it for a few more minutes. Or, if you’re measuring the temperature, aim for 135 degrees F. Sea Bass will cook a bit even after you remove the it from the oven, making it reach the recommended 145 degrees F.
How Do You Store Sea Bass?
We rarely have any leftovers whenever I cook this sea bass sheet pan recipe. But when we do, I store it in a glass, airtight container once it has cooled down to room temperature. I suggest eating any leftovers ASAP (preferably the next day) to avoid any bacteria growth. The FDA actually recommends that you store cooked fish for about 3 to 4 days only.
Do I Need To Use Parchment paper?
On the note of easy cleanup, I highly recommend using either tin foil or parchment paper to make it even easier. I’m partial to parchment paper, but tin foil will do just as well. Oh, and make sure your sheet pan is a rimmed baking sheet, not a flat cookie sheet to avoid any spills.
As you can imagine, the options for sheet pan dinners are endless – as long as you include proteins and veggies that cook in roughly the same amount of time, you’re all set. Get my top 5 sheet pan meals here!
More Healthy Fish Recipes
- Salmon Fish Sticks
- How to Make Baja Fish Tacos
- Teriyaki Salmon
- Almond Crusted Sea Bass
- 30-Minuted Halibut Piccata with Asparagus
- Lemon-Herb Tilapia
- 2 tbsp lemon juice approx. 1 lemon, freshly squeezed
- 2 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 6- oz fillets sea bass
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 large shallot minced
- 15 cremini mushrooms whole
- 4 small zucchini sliced in half lengthwise
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Preheat oven to 500 degrees F and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
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In a small bowl, combine freshly squeezed lemon juice and low sodium soy sauce and then set aside.
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Arrange sea bass filets, skin-side-down, at one end of the baking sheet.
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Place the zucchini halves, cut-side-up, next to fish and then place 10 medium cremini mushrooms at the opposite end.
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Season everything on the sheet pan with about 1/2 tsp. kosher salt and 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper.
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Pile the minced shallot evenly on top of each fish fillet.
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Drizzle the lemon and soy sauce mixture over the fish, zucchini, and mushrooms.
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Place in the oven and bake until the fish is just opaque in center and the zucchini and mushrooms are tender, about 12-15 minutes.
Recipe Video
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Your ingredients list has 1 tbsp of olive oil on it. Your recipe doesn’t say anything about olive oil. Did I miss something?
So simple and easy! Tastes great.
Very easy recipe and mine turned out pretty good! I would suggest adding some honey to the lemon juice & soy sauce to sweeten it up. Without it, the drizzle was very sour. Maybe I added a bit too much lemon juice.
This was delicious and super easy.