Lemon Bass Pasta (Printable)

Vibrant pasta dish featuring grilled white fish with zesty lemon-butter sauce, fresh herbs, and garlic. Serves 4 in 40 minutes.

# What You'll Need:

→ Fish

01 - 4 white fish fillets (6 oz each), such as sea bass or cod, skinless
02 - 1 tablespoon olive oil
03 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
04 - 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
05 - Zest of 1 lemon

→ Pasta

06 - 12 ounces spaghetti or linguine
07 - 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
08 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
09 - 3 garlic cloves, minced
10 - Zest and juice of 2 lemons
11 - 1/2 cup reserved pasta water
12 - 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
13 - 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
14 - Salt and black pepper to taste

→ Garnish

15 - Lemon wedges
16 - Fresh parsley
17 - Grated Parmesan cheese

# How To Make It:

01 - Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta until al dente according to package instructions. Reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water, then drain and set aside.
02 - While the pasta cooks, preheat a grill pan or outdoor grill over medium-high heat.
03 - Pat the fish fillets dry with paper towels. Drizzle with olive oil and season evenly with salt, pepper, and lemon zest.
04 - Grill fish for 3 to 4 minutes per side until opaque and flaky. Remove from heat and cover loosely with aluminum foil to retain warmth.
05 - In a large skillet, melt butter with olive oil over medium heat. Add minced garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant but not browned.
06 - Stir in lemon zest and juice. Add drained pasta and toss to coat thoroughly, gradually adding reserved pasta water as needed to achieve a silky sauce consistency.
07 - Stir in chopped parsley and grated Parmesan. Season with salt and black pepper to taste.
08 - Divide pasta evenly among serving plates. Top each portion with one grilled fish fillet.
09 - Garnish with lemon wedges, fresh parsley, and additional Parmesan as desired. Serve immediately while hot.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • It tastes like summer on a plate, even in the middle of winter when you need a little brightness.
  • The lemon-butter sauce is silky and coating without being heavy or rich.
  • You can have this on the table in 40 minutes, which feels like magic for something this elegant.
  • The fish stays tender and flaky, and the pasta soaks up all that garlicky, citrusy goodness.
02 -
  • Don't skip reserving the pasta water, it's the only thing that will bring your sauce together without making it greasy.
  • Pat the fish completely dry before grilling or it will steam instead of getting those beautiful grill marks.
  • Add the garlic to the butter when it's warm, not screaming hot, or it'll burn and turn bitter in seconds.
  • Toss the pasta in the sauce off the heat if you're worried about it getting too thick, you can always add more pasta water.
03 -
  • Zest your lemons before you juice them, it's so much easier and you won't waste any of that fragrant oil.
  • If you don't have a grill, you can pan-sear the fish in a hot skillet with a little oil, it'll still be delicious.
  • Taste your pasta water before you reserve it, if it's not salty enough, your sauce will be bland no matter what you do.
  • For extra richness, add a tablespoon of cold butter at the very end and swirl it into the pasta off the heat.
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