Lemony Dukkah-Crusted Sea Bass with Smashed Peas

An easy-baked white fish recipe that takes 15 minutes and tastes restaurant-fancy? Sign me up! This simple crusted sea bass is filled with lemon and garlic flavors, baked on a bed of smashed peas for lightness, and finished with a nutty Dukkah for an unexpected, absolutely delicious crunch. 

This easy-baked white fish recipe comes from my first cookbook. I mash up thawed frozen green peas a bit in a baking dish before mixing in minced shallots and a simple sauce of lemon juice, olive oil, and garlic. Then I nestle in sea bass fillets, drizzle with more of the sauce, and top them with Dukkah—I’m a sucker for the nutty stuff and will sprinkle it on almost anything!

The crunchy Dukkah, creamy peas, and zippy sauce have just the right balance for the luxurious, meltingly tender texture of the fish. I used sustainable Chilean sea bass from a fishery near me in Georgia, but you can use any quality meaty white fish that’s available to you, like halibut or cod.

This weeknight-friendly recipe boasts a bright and summery flavor but it’s seasonally flexible. Make with thawed frozen peas and fish on repeat, all year round. 

Table of Contents

1. Ingredients and Substitutions 
2. Ingredient Spotlight
3. How to Thaw Frozen Peas
4. How to Make this Crusted Sea Bass Recipe
5. What to Serve with Dukkah-Crusted Sea Bass
6. More Baked Fish Recipes
7. Lemony Dukkah-Crusted Sea Bass with Smashed Peas Recipe

Ingredients and Substitutions 

This “fancy”-feeling crusted sea bass uses easy-to-find pantry staples and a few goodies from the freezer aisle, particularly if you make the dukkah yourself. Here’s what you’ll need:  

• Chilean sea bass: You can use frozen, just be sure to thaw it in your refrigerator overnight. The skin ensures it roasts a bit more gently, but if you’re working with a skinless fillet just check on it at the 10-minute mark. Any meaty white fish can work here too, like cod or halibut.
• Garlic and shallot add sweet and savory flavor – See my easy guide to mincing garlic for tips. Other alliums can work in their place, like yellow onions, green onions, or white onions. 
• Lemon: Acidity is key to lifting the savory, buttery nature of the fish. Lime is a worthy substitute. 
• Olive oil: I recommend something peppery and rich for this recipe, like our Spanish Nocellara.
• Frozen peas: You can take the time to shell and blanch fresh peas in the summertime if you’d like, but frozen peas work very well year-round and will save you quite a bit of time. See “How to Thaw Frozen Peas” below for tips.
• Simple seasonings of kosher salt and ground black pepper enhance the flavor, while letting the Dukkah shine. 
• Dukkah: A nutty, earthy, and aromatic Egyptian condiment–see “Ingredient Spotlight” below for more details. To make it, grab hazelnuts, almonds, sesame seeds, pistachios, fennel seed, cumin, coriander, cayenne, and salt. 
• Parsley: This dish is rather savory and rich, so you need some fresh herbs for balance. I like the peppery, lemony flavor of parsley here, but other tender green herbs would be tasty too, like dill or cilantro.

Ingredient Spotlight

Dukkah, pronounced “doo-kah” or “dua’ah” is Egypt’s famous blend of nuts, seeds, and warming spices like coriander, cumin, and cayenne. Every home cook has their own blend, but generally speaking, it’s nutty, savory, crunchy, earthy, sometimes slightly sweet from the fennel, and very aromatic. 

We eat it as a snack with Pita Bread and olive oil, but it also makes a flavorful and crunchy crust for fish, salads, roast vegetables, and more. 

• MAKE YOUR OWN: Make my Egyptian Dukkah Recipe and stock up on the spices you’ll need at our shop.
• WHERE TO FIND DUKKAH: I haven’t found Dukkah to be very common at your average grocery store, but specialty grocery stores—the ones with fancy oils and chocolates and things like that—sometimes carry it. Better bet is making it yourself, or checking your local Middle Eastern Market.
• MORE WAYS TO USE IT: Top Roasted Rainbow Carrots, add gluten-free crunch to Heirloom Tomato Salad or White Bean Hummus, and make your Roasted Cabbage that much sexier! 

How to Thaw Frozen Peas

If you think of it, just take your peas out of the freezer and place them in your refrigerator to thaw for a few hours. You’ll roast them in the oven so if they’re still a little cold in the center that is perfectly fine, they just need to be tender enough to mash. Other methods: 

• Submerge the bag of frozen peas in a bowl with cold water until they’re softened. 
• Microwave them with a touch of water in short bursts, stirring until softened.

How to Make this Crusted Sea Bass Recipe

My goal with this dish was to create a simple one-pan recipe you can make year-round. I think it worked out well! Here are the steps:

• Get ready. Position a rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 400°F. 
• Make the sauce. In a small bowl, whisk together 5 minced garlic cloves, the juice of 2 large lemons, and 1/3 cup olive oil. 
• Make a bed for the fish. In a 9 x13-inch baking dish, place 2 cups of thawed frozen peas and season with 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Use the back of a fork to lightly mash the peas. Add 2 minced shallots and 1/4 cup of the lemon-garlic sauce. Mix to combine, then spread the mixture evenly over the bottom of the dish.
• Flavor the fish. Nestle the fish, skin side down, in the pea mixture. Season the top of the fish with salt and pepper, then pour the remaining sauce over the fish. Top with 5 tablespoons of dukkah, pressing the dukkah down with the back of a spoon. 
• Bake the fish. Place the dish on the center rack and bake until the fish is cooked through and flakes easily. This should take about 15 minutes, but start checking earlier as this will depend on the thickness of your filet. 
• Finish and serve. Garnish with the parsley and remaining dukkah. Serve immediately with the lemon wedges. 

What to Serve with Dukkah-Crusted Sea Bass

Whenever I make a fish with a lemony-garlicky dressing, I love a grain to soak it up. The tenderness of the fish goes particularly well with the crunch of Lebanese Rice, but really any grain will do. 

For a salad, go for something to match the season. In the summertime, I eat my go-to Tomato Cucumber Salad with just about everything. In winter, this Fresh Fennel Orange Salad matches the fennel note of the Dukkah beautifully.

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