Prep Time: 10 MINUTES | Cook Time: 25 MINUTES | Total Time: 35 MINUTES

To get plenty of smoky flavor into the fish, choose a thick fillet and keep a low heat on the pellet grill. Since sea bass cooks fairly quickly, this recipe works best for thicker fillets that take a bit longer to cook.

We added a light, refreshing lemon sauce that does not overpower the smoke-infused sea bass. For an extra vibrant flavor, we chopped the peel of a Meyer lemon. If you can't find a Meyer lemon, omit the chopped peel from the sauce and add lemon zest.

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Meyer Lemon Shallot Sauce

1 Meyer lemon

½ cup olive oil

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 shallot, thinly sliced

1 tablespoon chopped dill

1 teaspoon each of thyme and oregano

1 tablespoon honey

2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil

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For the Smoked Sea Bass:

1 sea bass fillet (1.5 pounds) 1 inch thick

2 tablespoons olive oil

salt and pepper

Optional: 1 tablespoon Spiceology seafood seasoning

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1. Preheat the Traeger to 275°F for about 15 minutes.

2. While the Traeger heats up, make the sauce.

3. Slice the skin off the lemon, leaving about ¼ inch of the fruit attached to the skin. You should have the center of the lemon without any peel attached. (see photos for reference).

    

4. Dice the skin very finely (flesh, skin, and pith will get chopped and added to the sauce). Place the chopped lemon peel in a dish.

5. Squeeze the juice out of the remaining portion of the lemon and add to the dish with the chopped lemon peel. 

6. Add the olive oil, garlic shallot, dill, oregano, thyme, honey, and sesame oil to the bowl. Whisk to combine, then set aside. 

7. Brush both sides of the sea bass with olive oil and coat the grill grates with cooking oil. 

8. Season the sea bass with salt, pepper, and seafood seasoning if using.

9. Place on the preheated pellet grill, skin side down, and close the lid.

10. Cook for 18 to 30 minutes or until an instant-read thermometer registers 135°F to 140°F at the thickest part of the fillet (see notes). 

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Notes

The skin on Meyer lemons is thin and does not have much pith. Adding the chopped skin and pith gives the sauce a punchy, vibrant flavor. If you don't have Meyer lemons, use a regular lemon and only add the yellow zest.

Apple or pecan pellets are our personal choice for sea bass.

Coating the fish and the grill grates is key to preventing the fish from sticking to the grill. 

If you don’t have seafood seasoning, a liberal sprinkle of salt and pepper works just fine. The Traeger grill adds a light smoky seasoning to the fish. 

The sea bass in the photos is 1 inch thick and took about 25 minutes to finish cooking. You will need to adjust the cooking time if you have a thinner (or thicker) fish. Use an instant-read thermometer to determine the final cook time.

We like sea bass cooked to an internal temperature of 140°F. The USDA recommends cooking sea bass to an internal temperature of 145°F. Keep in mind that the fish will continue to cook a few more degrees from residual heat after you remove it from the grill. Since this recipe cooks the fish at a low heat, we only noticed a 5°F increase in temperature. 

Since sea bass is a fatty fish, you can get away with cooking it over 145°F without drying it out. 

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Nutrition Information:

YIELD: 4 SERVING SIZE: 1

Amount Per Serving:

CALORIES: 387, TOTAL FAT: 37g, SATURATED FAT: 5g

TRANS FAT: 0g, UNSATURATED FAT: 30g, CHOLESTEROL: 15mg, SODIUM: 108mg, CARBOHYDRATES: 9g, FIBER: 1g, SUGAR: 6g, PROTEIN: 7g