Preserved Lemon-Pistachio Sauce with Black Bass

Crisp-skinned bass or snapper with a buttery pistachio and preserved-lemon sauce, finished with parsley.

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Watch the butter as it browns

Use a separate skillet for the sauce so you can tend the fish and nuts independently. Add the lemon ingredients off the heat and taste before salting.

Preserved Lemon-Pistachio Sauce with Black Bass

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Pan-seared fish with a warm brown-butter sauce of pistachios, garlic, preserved lemon, and fresh lemon juice.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Servings: 4 people
Course: Dinner
Ingredients Equipment Instructions Notes

Ingredients
  

Fish:
  •  
    4 4-6 Oz. Black Bass or red Snapper Filets skin on, patted dry
  • 1 Tbsp. Vegetable Oil
Sauce and Assembly:
  • 4 Tbsp. Unsalted Butter cut into pieces
  •  
    2 Tbsp. Raw Pistachios coarsely chopped
  • 4 Cloves Garlic finely chopped
  •  
    3 Tbsp. Preserved Lemon Peel finely chopped
  • 2 Tbsp. Lemon Juice fresh
  • Kosher Salt to taste; use lightly because preserved lemons are salty
  •  
    Parsley leaves for serving
  •  
    Freshly ground black pepper to taste, for fish
  • 1 Tbsp Water for sauce

Equipment

1 Large nonstick skillet
1 Medium skillet
1 Fish Spatula
1 Food thermometer

Instructions
 

Fish:
  1. Season fish on both sides with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Arrange fish, skin side down, in pan and cook, pressing down lightly on filets with a spatula, until skin is browned and crisp and flesh is nearly opaque, 5-7 minutes.
  2. Turn the fillets and finish cooking until the thickest part reaches 145°F (63°C), or the flesh is opaque and separates easily with a fork, about 1 minute more depending on thickness. Transfer skin side up to a platter.
Sauce and Assembly:
  1. While the fish cooks, heat the butter and pistachios in a separate skillet over medium heat, stirring often, until the nuts are fragrant and the butter solids turn golden brown, about 5–8 minutes. Watch closely and reduce heat if they darken too quickly.
  2. Add garlic and cook, stirring until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Remove from heat and add preserved lemon peel, lemon juice, and 1 Tbsp. water; stir vigorously and swirl pan to emulsify sauce. Season with salt.
  3. Pour sauce over fish; top with parsley.

Notes

Use preserved lemon peel, not fresh peel; remove seeds and chop finely. Taste before adding more salt. The listed water and pepper were already called for in the original method. Makes four portions, one fillet each. Timing is approximate with two skillets cooking at once.

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Adapted from Shilpa Uskokovic’s black bass recipe at Bon Appétit.

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