Chilean Sea Bass with Mango Salsa (AKA My “WOW” Meal!)

Hello friends!

Drumroll please…

*spoken in announcer-style voice* TONIGHT, I am bringing you my GO-TO, cook-to-impress recipe.

Not only is it incredibly easy, fast and make-ahead-friendly, but it is hands down THE MOST delicious recipe I make.

And I cannot take credit for it. It is my mother’s recipe that she’s been making since I was a little girl. It has been made for first dates (it was the first thing I made for Steven), intimate dinner parties, big-group dinner gatherings, high school homecoming pre-dance dinners (thanks mom), or just a regular old weeknight meal.

My Chilean Sea Bass with Mango Salsa is going to have you singing a tune of culinary bliss!

And it’s SO HEALTHY too!

My mother always served it with wild rice and asparagus, which is how I normally serve it too, and just make my portion a “salad version” to be Specific Carb Diet (SCD) friendly.

But since Steven and I are BOTH eating SCD friendly (isn’t he a gem!), I decided to make it in a kale salad version, and dang was it delicious!

In addition to being Specific Carb Diet friendly, it is ALSO gluten free, paleo and dairy free!

And BONUS! The leftover salsa just gets better with time and is a great chip-dip, on sandwiches, in tacos, on chicken/steak/tofu, or simply eaten by the spoonful!

Here’s What You Need! (Serves 2)

1 lb Chilean Sea Bass — go for the splurge here, it is THE MOST delicious fish ever!
Fresh thyme
1 lemon, zest and juice
2 tsp EVOO

Mango Salsa:
2 ripe mangos, small dice
1 red pepper, small dice
1/2 english cucumber, seeded and small dice (also called a hothouse cucumber) — if using a “regular” cucumber, be sure to peel the waxy skin
1/4 red onion — minced
1 ripe avocados – diced (add right before serving to prevent browning)
1 bunch cilantro, minced
2 Tbsp EVOO
Juice of 2 limes
Salt and pepper

1 bundle of kale, stems removed and massaged with 2 Tbsp EVOO, salt and pepper

Tools:
Microplane zester
1 baking sheet
Tinfoil (I use nonstick and it’s a game changer! Truly!)
Large mixing bowl
Good chef’s knife (This is the one I use and love)
Fish spatula

Directions:
**The mango salsa can be made ahead of time!** To prepare, chop all the veggies and mango (minus the avocado) and combine in a large mixing bowl. Toss with the lime juice, EVOO, a healthy pinch of salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate until serving. Dice and mix in the avocado just before serving so it doesn’t brown.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Cut your sea bass into two equal filets. Place your filets on a tinfoil-lined, olive oil-sprayed baking sheet. Drizzle a tsp or two of olive oil on top of each filet, sprinkle with salt and pepper and lemon zest, and top with a few sprigs of thyme and a lemon slice. Finish with a squeeze of 1/2 a lemon.

Bake in the middle rack for around 15-18 minutes, until flakey and cooked through. The internal temperature should be 145 degrees F.

Meanwhile, massage your kale. This is really important, as it makes it softer, more easily digestible, and 1000% tastier! Put your de-stemmed, roughly chopped kale in a large bowl, drizzle it with 1-2 Tbsp EVOO and two healthy pinches of sea salt, and with clean hands, get in there and massage it. I liken the motion to hand-washing something in the sink. You’ll feel it begin to soften and break down, turning a deep emerald green color! Refrigerate until you’re ready to serve it. (This “prepped and massaged kale” can also be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days).

To serve, place a bed of kale on the plate, top it with your sea bass filet. Then heap a mound of mango salsa on top. (I also like to slice half an avocado underneath the fish, just for some extra buttery goodness.)

Serve with a crisp white wine, and prepare to have an out of body experience. hahha

Ok, this meal was PHENOMENAL. Truly. I mean that with every fiber of my being. If there was one meal you were going to try from my website, THIS IS IT! And if you’d rather serve it with wild rice instead of as a salad — TOTALLY COOL! Just make this dish!!

First of all, we need to talk about the Chilean Sea Bass. Not black sea bass, not just any old white fish…Chilean Sea Bass. It is, truthfully, a bit of a splurge (I only have it like, once a month)…but it is SO worth it. Seriously, there is no other fish out there like it: the mild sweetness, the BUTTERY FLAVOR — oh my gosh, it seriously tastes like it was cooked in a stick of butter, but that’s just the beautiful flavor of this fish! The flakiness and tender juiciness — my oh my, my mouth is watering just talking about it!!! I’m serious — treat yourself!!

And then the salsa! Holy cow, you guys – this salsa is BANGIN’! The sweetness of the mangoes is divine, with the buttery avocado and the succulently sweet sea bass. Plus the hearty, salty kale — it is truly a flavor, texture and visual trifecta!

It’s no wonder every time Steven and I host a dinner party, he always suggests this dish! BECAUSE IT IS AMAZING!

So thanks mom, for handing down this recipe to me. In fact, I’ve also passed it along to my best friend, and she too, has made it for her now boyfriend on one of their first dates too, so I guess…this is a romantic winner!

See ya tomorrow!

Happy coooking!

-Caralyn

“This is what the Lord says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life.” Ez 37:5

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