Pan Seared Sea Bass with Sweet Soy Glaze

Sea Bass: I like you. I like you a lot.  You’re easy. You’re fancy. You’re versatile. You’re tasty. You’re perfect for dinner parties.  

And that’s just what I did with you a couple weekends ago.  

And it’s tricky to keep coming up with statements about you in first person so I’m switching to third (do I have that right? It’s been a while since I’ve taken an English class).  

Sea bass is so easy to prepare! And it seems so much fancier than salmon so it’s perfect for a special occasion.  For our dinner I marinated the fish in a sweet soy-sauce based marinade, pan seared it for a few minutes to caramelize the top, then finished roasting it in the oven.  10 minutes cooking time, and very little manual labor. Which, by the way, is the key to a successful dinner party.  Simplicity = calm and relaxed pre-dinner prep, a highlight of great ingredients, and more time for wine.

PS - You may have noticed how good the photos look in this post.  It's safe to assume these photos were NOT taken by me, but rather by my more photography-inclined friend Jessica.  With her iPhone. Same as mine. How did she do it???!!

Recipe

• 1 cup soy sauce
• ½ cup orange juice
• ½ cup brown sugar
• 2-3 tablespoons honey
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ginger (more to taste)
• 1/4 teaspoon chopped garlic (jar)
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 4 sea bass fillets, skin removed

Mix all marinade ingredients, and marinate fish in a large Ziploc bag for 1-3 hours.  Preheat the oven to 400.  Coat a nonstick grill pan with oil, and heat over medium high.  Add the fish; brown the first side for 3 minutes, flip for 1-2 more minutes, then transfer the pan to the oven (make sure it's oven safe), until fish is flaky - about 6-7 more minutes.  Serve with a popover.   (everything should be served with a popover).