Honey Chilean Sea Bass

This Hong Kong style honey-glazed chilean sea bass recipe combines the natural richness of the fish with the sweet, caramelized notes of the honey glaze. The marinade takes 5 minutes to make and you can bake the fish in 15 minutes! Serve with rice or baked vegetables for an easy weeknight meal!

Honey glazed chilean sea bass is a super easy recipe that will impress your friends and family at the dinner table! This dish is usually served at Chinese banquets and is considered a delicacy as the fish is known for it’s soft texture and sweet taste. Finding a thick cut of sea bass is the key to a juicy and flakey baked fish. I highly recommend getting the sea bass at Costco or your local seafood store.

Fish is a great protein that cooks quick and is healthy to make. If you want to cook more fish recipes, you can also try this super quick Chinese style ginger and scallion fish or this air fryer teriyaki salmon that takes less than 15 minutes to cook and is great with a bowl of white rice and steamed vegetables.

Can I use other types of fish?

You may substitute the chilean sea bass with other types of fish such as salmon, steelhead trout (great sustainable alternative to salmon) or halibut. All you have to do is add the marinade to your choice of fish. I recommend to pick a thicker cut of fish ◡̈ Honey glazed salmon is my favorite type of substitution.

picture of honey glazed salmon

Ingredients:

• thick cut of chilean sea bass or your favorite cut of fish – the type of fish can be substituted because this marinade works great for all types of glazed fish. The fattier the fish, the more delicious the recipe will be!
• char siu sauce (Chinese bbq sauce) – this sauce is sweet and savory. Unfortunately, it is hard to substitute this ingredients. This pre-made sauce provides flavor, color and texture that makes this fish taste authentic to hong kong.
• soy sauce – for savoriness and saltiness
• oyster sauce – for an extra kick of umami and sweetness
• honey is used for the marinade as well as for brushing on the fish to create a nice char!
• sugar – helps create the glaze for the fish.
• neutral oil – I like to use avocado oil as the oil gives the fish more moisture and makes it more juicy! Also avocado oil is great for cooking at high temperatures.

How to make honey glazed sea bass:

Make the marinade

• Mix 1 tablespoons char siu sauce with 1 tbs soy sauce, 1 teaspoon oyster sauce, 1 teaspoon honey, ½ teaspoon sugar, ½ teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon mirin.

Marinate the fish

• Pat fish dry with a paper towel and add marinade to both sides of the fish. If you want to make this quick, marinate the sea bass for 15-30 minutes before baking. If you have more time, I recommend to marinate overnight for a deeper flavor.
• Top the fish with some oil.

Bake

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Line baking pan with parchment paper. Add marinated sea bass on the parchment paper. Bake marinated fish for 10 minutes.
• Take out fish from your oven and turn your oven to 475 degrees Fahrenheit or on ‘broil’ setting
• Brush honey on all sides of the sea bass. Then return to oven to bake at 475 for 3-5 more minutes or until golden at the top. This step is to brown the top and caramelize the honey!

Garnish

• When its done, plate the honey glazed chilean sea bass and pour 1 teaspoon soy sauce on top before eating! Enjoy while hot.

Can I use an air fryer?

Yes, you can use an air fryer. Traditionally, this honey chilean sea bass is made in the oven, but the air fryer is great because it creates a crispy and char top! See instructions on how to make this honey glazed fish recipe in an air-fryer below.

• Preheat the air fryer to 350 degrees F and line the bottom with parchment paper.
• Add the marinated fish on top of the parchment paper and cook for 8-10 minutes.
• After 8-10 minutes of cooking, brush some honey on top of the fish.
• Turn the air fryer temperature to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and cook for 2-3 minutes and the top is crispy and golden brown. To ensure the fish is cooked, you can check if the internal temperature is at 145 degrees Fahrenheit or you can cut in the middle to see if it still looks raw!

What do you serve the fish with?

This honey glazed chilean sea bass is delicious with rice, veggies or a hearty salad. Here are some easy and quick sides you can serve the fish with:

• steamed eggplant with garlic sauce
• chinese stir fried green beans