Honey Mustard Sea Bass Recipe

Make a restaurant-worthy dish that takes hardly any effort with our honey mustard sea bass recipe. It features tender fish with crispy skin, covered in a sauce that perfectly balances sweet, tangy, and spicy. This remarkable combination is laid over mashed potatoes and fresh veggies, delighting your taste buds with an exciting array of flavors and textures.

Is Honey Mustard Sea Bass Healthy?

We believe the answer is yes.

Each serving of this dish contains 39.8 g protein – a macronutrient necessary for your body’s development. We also kept the saturated fat and sodium at 6.5 g and 578.2 mg respectively, amounting to less than 30% of the daily intake limit. 

This dish’s high protein level comes primarily from its main ingredient – the sea bass. This white fish is an excellent source of not only protein but also potassium, amongst other vitamins and minerals. This essential nutrient may have health benefits such as decreasing the risk of heart disease and kidney stones as well as improving bone health. 

The dish’s nutritional value is also increased due to the inclusion of potatoes and asparagus; both are great sources of fiber. This nutrient could positively affect the digestive system and lower the risk of type 2 diabetes. 

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Ingredients You'll Need

This dish may look spectacular, but it really only requires a handful of ingredients: a small amount of veggies and spices, and some sea bass fillets. These ingredients should be available at most markets and grocery stores. 

1. The Main Ingredients

• Sea Bass

Sea bass is ideal for anyone who wants to enjoy fish but doesn’t like that strong fishy taste because it’s quite mild and delicate. It also has a sweet undertone that’s intensified when cooked, along with tender meat that flakes into medium-sized pieces. Many find its flavor profile similar to haddock, halibut, and cod. 

You can buy it in fillets or whole, but we recommend the first since they require much less preparation. When picking out fillets, check for a fresh and slightly briny smell. Appearance-wise, the flesh should be bright, intact, and firm with a bit of moisture but not too much slime. 

These criteria remain the same for the whole fish. Just remember to also avoid ones with dull eyes, flimsy flesh, flaky scales, or slimy gills.

• Vegetables 

We served this fish with a generous amount of asparagus, potatoes, and green peas to turn it into a filling main. This combination adds a significant variety to the dish’s taste and texture. Plus, it brings fresh pops of green and gold that give an incredibly appetizing first impression. 

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2. The Sauce Ingredients

• Honey

We only used a small amount of honey to make the sauce, but it’s more than enough to create a sweet and floral taste that contrasts beautifully with the fish’s savoriness. 

• Mustard

We used Dijon mustard since it’s slightly more intense and tangy than the regular kind. Its smooth texture enables the sauce to carry a similar consistency, only a bit less thick because of the additional liquids.

• Mayonnaise

We also used some Kewpie mayo to further thicken the consistency and add some custardy sweetness to this sauce. This Japanese variety of mayo is usually available on Amazon or at Walmart. You can also make a near-similar substitute by mixing it with some sugar and rice vinegar to your regular mayo. 

• Lemon Juice

This staple ingredient does an excellent job of brightening the sauce with its signature zest and vibrancy. 

• Seasonings

Wanting to highlight the complex flavors of the bass, we kept it simple and just used a pinch of salt and pepper. 

Do You Eat the Skin on Sea Bass?

Yes, you do. Sea bass skin, especially when fried, becomes deliciously crispy and charred. Moreover, keeping the skin on when you cook it can prevent the flesh from falling apart.

The best way to enjoy the skin is by pan-frying or pan-searing. Ensure that the fillet is thoroughly dried before you cook and cook with the skin side down for the majority of the process so that it has time to brown.

How to Store and Reheat 

If you still have some raw fish, keep it in an airtight container in the fridge for around one or two days. In the freezer, it could last for several months if tightly wrapped in aluminum foil or other types of freezer-safe packaging. 

As for this dish, it tastes best when eaten within a day. The leftovers should be kept in an airtight container or covered with aluminum foil.

You can reheat it in the microwave for 1-2 minutes or in the oven for 10-15 minutes at 275 °F. Cover the dish with foil if you’re using the oven, so it doesn’t dry out completely. You can also use the stovetop and repeat the cooking steps, but be gentle when you flip to keep the fish from falling apart. 

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What to Serve With

This honey mustard sea bass dish is quite filling on its own, but you can pair it with a light side dish to make a complete meal. Here are some of our suggestions for quick and easy salads to accompany it:

• Spinach Salad Recipe
• Mushroom Salad Recipe
• Healthy Watermelon Arugula Salad Recipe
• Beet and Feta Cheese Salad Recipe
• Kale Salad Recipe

How to Make Honey Mustard Sea Bass

5 from 2 votes

Our honey mustard sea bass recipe features tender fish with crispy skin, covered in a sauce that perfectly balances sweet, tangy, and spicy. It comes together without hassle and tastes good enough to rival a restaurant dish.

- by Tuyet Pham, Luna Regina, 2022-08-29

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• cook TIME 20 mins
• prep TIME 10 mins
• total TIME 30 mins

• COURSE Main Course
• CUISINE American
• SERVINGS
  4

  servings
• CALORIES 496 kcal

INGREDIENTS

1x2x3x

• 22 oz skin-on, boneless sea bass fillets
• 20 oz potatoes (peeled, quartered)
• 12 oz asparagus (woody ends removed)
• 6 oz green peas
• 2 tbsp parsley
• 2 tsp traditional Dijon mustard
• 1 tbsp Japanese mayonnaise
• 1 1/2 tbsp honey
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter
• 3 tbsp olive oil (divided to 1 tbsp, 2 tbsp)
• 1/2 tsp salt (divided)
• 1/2 tsp pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

Image instructions

Prep

1

Prepare the Fillets: If the fillets have scales, slide a chef’s knife in the opposite direction of how the scales are laying and scrape in short strokes until the skin is clear.

2

Prepare the Potatoes: Hold a knife or a peeler in your dominant hand and the potato in the other. Start at the base and slowly rotate the potato to work your way over the entire vegetable. Remove any blemishes or dark spots that you come across.

Cook

1

Cook the Potatoes: Put 20 oz potatoes in a large microwave-safe bowl, cover them with plastic wrap, then heat them in the microwave at full power for 15 minutes.

2

Cook the Asparagus: Boil 12 oz asparagus for 3 minutes until it’s tender, then remove from the heat and drain the water.

3

Pan-fry the Fillets: Pan-fry 22 oz sea bass fillets with 1 tbsp olive oil on medium heat for 12 minutes on both sides or until the fish turns golden brown. Sprinkle 1/4 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper over the sides while you fry to season.

4

Mash the Potatoes: In a large strainer, mash the potatoes with a large and sturdy kitchen utensil until they reach a creamy smooth consistency, and leave a bowl underneath to catch the mashed potatoes.

5

Cook the Mashed Potatoes: In a pan, stir the mashed potatoes with 2 tbsp unsalted butter and 1/4 tsp salt over medium heat. Gently stir the mixture around for about 5 minutes.

6

Make the Sauce: In a small bowl, add 1 1/2 tbsp honey, 1 tbsp lemon juice, 2 tbsp olive oil, 2 tsp traditional Dijon mustard, and 1 tbsp Japanese mayonnaise, and stir until well-combined.

7

Serve the Dish: Lay the sea bass on top of a bed of mashed potatoes, asparagus, and 6 oz green peas. Drizzle a generous amount of sauce over the fish and sprinkle 2 tbsp parsley on top. Enjoy hot.

NUTRITION

Nutrition Facts

How to Make Honey Mustard Sea Bass

Amount Per Serving (1 serving)

Calories 496Calories from Fat 203

% Daily Value*

Fat 22.6g

35%

Saturated Fat 6.4g

40%

Cholesterol 145mg

48%

Sodium 559mg

24%

Potassium 1237mg

35%

Carbohydrate 38g

13%

Fiber 7g

29%

Sugar 12g

13%

Protein 34g

68%

Vitamin A 1841IU

37%

Vitamin C 29mg

35%

Calcium 72mg

7%

Iron 5mg

28%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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