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Sea bream with spring onion and brown butter rice

By: Melissa Thompson

Published: 2 Mar 23
Updated: 5 Aug 24

Sea bream with spring onion and brown butter rice

“Sea bream is a lovely fish that is easy to cook and goes brilliantly with the strong flavours in this recipe,” says food writer Melissa Thompson. “The nutty butter soaks into the rice taking with it the lemon, chilli and spring onion, It’s a really quick Easter lunch or spring Sunday roast whose flavour belies the lack of time spent cooking it.”

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Easy
March 2023

Test kitchen approved

Serves 3-4
Hands-on time 30 min

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Gluten-free recipes

Nutrition: per serving

Calories: 421kcals
Fat: 24.1g (10.4g saturated)
Protein: 23.3g
Carbohydrates: 26.7g (1.2g sugars)
Fibre: 1.8g
Salt: 0.3g

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Ingredients

1 tbsp vegetable oil
125g long grain white rice, washed
2 sea bream, gutted, cleaned and scaled (ask your fishmonger)
3 spring onions, white and green parts separated and finely chopped
75g unsalted butter, chopped
1 red chilli, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tsp pul biber (aleppo chilli flakes)
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tbsp sesame seeds
Juice 1 lemon
Small handful chopped parsley

Specialist kit

Large steamer

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Method

Heat the vegetable oil in a saucepan over a medium heat and add the whites of the spring onions. Add the salt and rice, then cook according to the packet instructions.
Meanwhile, set up a large steamer. Cut 3 slashes along the top of each sea bream and season the skin with salt and pepper. Steam the fish for 10 minutes or so until cooked through (the flesh will be opaque all the way through).
Heat the butter in a small saucepan over a medium heat, stirring occasionally until the butter foams, keeping an eye on it so it doesn’t burn.

Spoon the rice onto a large warmed serving platter and lay the steamed fish on top. Sprinkle over the chilli, garlic, pul biber, smoked paprika and sesame seeds. As soon as the butter starts to smell nutty and has turned a medium dark brown, remove from the heat. Squeeze the lemon juice over the fish, followed by the hot brown butter – it should sizzle as it hits the spices and aromatics. Sprinkle with parsley and bring to the table, serving the fish first, then mixing the rice with the butter and other ingredients.