Mexican Sea Bass with Mango Salsa

📋 Ingredients Notes

Here is a quick look at the ingredients in the recipe – it’s handy to use at the grocery store or as a summary of what you need. Skip to the recipe for quantities.

Avocado Crema

• avocado
• shallot – Red onion is a great substitute.
• cilantro
• lime – Please use fresh-squeezed lime juice!
• buttermilk – I always choose nonfat buttermilk to reduce fat and calories. The choice is yours to make.
• sea salt and fresh ground pepper

Mango Salsa

• mangoes – I try to find ripe, but firm mangoes. Gently squeeze the mango. It should not be hard, but give slightly like a ripe avocado or a peach would. They’re easier to break down, and hold up better in the salsa.
• fresh chile – Fresno, serrano, or jalapeno chile, stemmed, seeds and veins removed, minced. I love colorful food, so my first choice is red Fresno chiles. If I can’t get them, I can almost always get red jalapeños.
• scallions
• cilantro
• limes – Please don’t use bottled lime juice.😉
• sea salt and fresh ground pepper

Grilled Sea Bass

• sea bass portions – Substitute your freshest firm fish that can stand up to high heat and grilling… salmon, mahi mahi, shark, etc. Be careful with grilling time as you don’t want to overcook fish. See How to Cook Fish Perfectly with the 10-Minute Rule for pointers.
• olive or coconut oil
• sea salt and fresh ground pepper
• limes – This is optional, but we love to squeeze grilled citrus over the sea bass.

1. Make the mango salsa – I have been “hammering” the idea of mis en place lately. With a dish that cooks this quickly, you need everything prepped prior to grilling the fish. Add all prepared ingredients to a bowl, and stir to combine.
2. Make the avocado crema – Add avocado crema ingredients to the bowl of a blender or processor, and pulse until it is smooth. Taste for seasoning, and adjust as needed. NOTE: If doing any side dishes like this cilantro rice or red rice, prepare them as well.
3. Grill the sea bass – Last, but not least, grill the sea bass. Preheat your grill or stove top grill pan to very high heat. Rub the fish with a bit of oil, and season it with salt and pepper. When everything else is ready, cook the fish on both sides (and the top if applicable). My sea bass was about 2 inches thick. I seared it about 1 1/2 minutes on 3 sides… Perfection!
4. Plate the sea bass – To plate the fish, spoon a puddle of that tasty avocado crema on the plate. Top with the fish and top with a generous scoop of mango salsa. I know you’ll love it.

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🍷 Pairing Suggestions

As you can see in the photo, we enjoyed this dish with a bottle of Rombauer Chardonnay. It’s a special occasion bottle for us at about $40.00. We love the balance of oak and fruit, and it pairs well with a bold fish dish like this one. A more moderately priced but solid option would be J. Lohr Chardonnay at about $10.00. A good sauvignon blanc or white bordeaux would be fabulous as well!

To finish off this special meal, I suggest chocolate! Try the previously mentioned Mexican chocolate mousse, this chocolate mascarpone mousse or these Easy Brownie Truffles. What better way to say “I love you?”

Cooking and eating together is the way we celebrate at Andersen casa, and this sea bass with mango salsa is one of our favorites. I do hope you’ll give it a try!