Disciples of a high-fat diet will appreciate this keto-friendly sauce that comes together in a flash. (So will disciples of butter.) Think of it as a warm vinaigrette, packed with zesty preserved lemon and crunchy pistachios. The big, bodacious flavor belies the fact that it takes less than 10 minutes to make. We use it here with fish, but it goes just as well with poached or grilled chicken breast, seared scallops, and roasted cauliflower or butternut squash.
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Ingredients
Fish
4 4–6-oz. skin-on black bass or red snapper fillets, patted dry
Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
Sauce and assembly
4 Tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into pieces
2 Tbsp. coarsely chopped raw pistachios
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
3 Tbsp. finely chopped preserved lemon peel
2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
Kosher salt
Parsley leaves (for serving)
Preparation
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Fish
Step 1
Season four 4-6-oz. skin-on black bass or red snapper fillets, patted dry, on both sides with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper. Heat 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high. Arrange fish, skin side down, in pan and cook, pressing down lightly on fillets with a spatula, until skin is browned and crisp and flesh is nearly opaque, 5–7 minutes. Turn fish and cook just until flesh is opaque throughout, about 1 minute. Transfer, skin side up, to a platter.
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Sauce and assembly
Step 2
While the fish is cooking, cook 4 Tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into pieces, and 2 Tbsp. coarsely chopped raw pistachios in a medium skillet over medium-high, stirring occasionally, until nuts are golden and fragrant and butter solids are browned, 5–8 minutes. Add 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped, and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Remove from heat and add 3 Tbsp. finely chopped preserved lemon peel, 2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice, and 1 Tbsp. water; stir vigorously and swirl pan to emulsify sauce. Season with kosher salt.
Step 3
Pour sauce over fish; top with parsley leaves.
How would you rate Black Bass With Preserved Lemon–Pistachio Sauce?
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Delicious on Atlantic salmon, delighted to find use for the preserved lemons bought last summer. Definitely bold, not sure I would use on a mildly flavored fish.
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This was restaurant level good yet so quick and easy to prepare. I am relatively new to preserved lemons but once introduced to them, I haven’t looked back. Still, I didn’t initially see how all the flavors would come together. It’s the butter that unifies it all, with the pistachios giving the sauce added texture.
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I really enjoyed this recipe. While the ingredients are pricier, the steps are so simple that I didn’t have to worry about messing it up. I was only able to find salted roasted pistachios, just skipped the salt when finishing the sauce and it turned out really nice.
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Simple and absolutely delicious. The cooking time given for the pistachio-butter mixture was longer than needed: I had to discard the first batch of sautéed pistachios as the butter burned in a few minutes at medium heat.