Chilean Sea Bass with Spinach-Avocado Pesto
Total Time: 30 min
Prep: 5 min
Level: Easy
Yield: 4 Servings
Ingredients
* 4 pieces (about 2 lbs.) wild Chilean sea bass
* kosher salt
* Freshly ground black pepper
* 2 c. baby spinach
* ½ c. fresh parsley, chopped, plus more for garnish
* 1 clove of garlic, smashed
* ¼ c. walnuts, chopped
* 2 tsp. fresh lemon juice
* Extra-virgin olive oil
* 1 avocado, pitted
* 1 lb. asparagus, ends trimmed
* 2 lemons, cut in half
* Flaky sea salt
Directions
Season sea bass with salt and pepper; set aside.
In the bowl of a food processor, add spinach, parsley, garlic, walnuts, lemon juice, ¼ cup olive oil, ½ tsp. salt and ¼ tsp. pepper. Pulse 2 to 3 times. Add avocado and pulse until well blended but the sauce still maintains some texture.
Preheat a large cast iron skillet over high heat. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil until very hot and almost smoking. Sear sea bass on each side for 3 minutes. Transfer to a plate and let it rest for a minute.
Meanwhile, return cast iron skillet to medium-high heat. Add 1 tsp. olive oil, asparagus and ½ tsp. salt. Sauté for 5 minutes, transfer to a plate for serving. Place lemons cut side down in the skillet, turn heat to high and sear lemon for 1 minute.
Serve sea bass on bed of asparagus and top with pesto and seared lemon. Garnish with parsley and sprinkle of sea salt.