Air Fryer Chilean Sea Bass Recipe on Basil Grits with Sauteed Eggplant

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I celebrated my birthday last week and normally we would have gone out to dinner but given the times we did not. Instead I ordered in my favorite fish – Chilean sea bass – from Sizzlefish. I haven’t had any of this delicious fish in my freezer for years so I am excited to have some now. My preparations for this buttery fish tend to be simple like Chilean Sea Bass in Lemon Sauce so as to let the fish sing. Since my air fryer scallops recipe was so successful I thought I would try the same thing with the fish and it worked beautifully. I am enjoying learning how to use my air fryer beyond making air fried chicken.

Air Fryer Chilean Sea Bass

Serves 2

2 6 oz Chilean sea bass fillets
2 pieces prosciutto

For the Grits

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1/2 cup grits
1 cup water
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp butter
1 TBS chopped fresh basil plus a little more for garnish

For the Eggplant

2 small or one medium eggplant
1 TBS olive oil
1 tsp salt
1 close garlic, minced
2 TBS dried cranberries
2 TBS pine nuts, toasted

Make the Eggplant:

Wash the eggplant and trim the ends. Cut the eggplant into 1/4″ dice.
Place a heavy bottomed saute pan over medium heat.
When hot add the oil, then the garlic. Saute until the garlic just starts to give off it’s aroma.
Add the eggplant, stir to coat with the oil. Sprinkle in the salt. Lower the heat and cover. Let cook for about 10 minutes, checking and stirring a couple of times. If you need to add a little water to the pan to keep the eggplant from sticking that is OK.
After 10 minutes stir in the dried cranberries. Keep on low, being sure that it doesn’t dry out.

Make the grits

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While the eggplant is cooking bring the water and salt to a boil.
Add the grits, stir and reduce the heat to medium.
When the grits have thickened add the butter, stir to melt. Cover and set aside.
Just before serving stir in the basil

Cook the fish

Wrap each fillet in a piece of prosciutto

Spray the rack with cooking spray and place the wrapped fish on the rack in the middle of the air fryer.
Cook on “fish” or at 390 for 10 minutes, turning once halfway through cooking

To Serve

Place the grits on the plate.
Stir half of the pine nuts into the eggplant mixture and put half of the eggplant on each plate
Top with a wrapped fillet.

plated air fryer chilean sea bass recipe — **The hubby brought me one lone cherry tomato from the garden so I used it to dress up the meal this night**

Sprinkle with the remaining pine nuts and chopped basil

How Was the Air Fryer Chilean Sea Bass Recipe?

DE-licious! Just like with the scallops the proscuitto about melted onto the fish and gave is such a yummy flavor. The eggplant was perfectly cooked and the basil grits were wonderful base. The pine nuts added a needed crunch and the dried cranberries were like little bites of sunshine in the middle of all the richness.

I am so pleased with how the air fryer cooked the Chilean sea bass that I will certainly consider cooking it this way again. That machine is so much more than just crispy food. This will certainly become one of my favorite Chilean sea bass recipes.

As it was my birthday I also made a mini ice cream cake. As it was not full sized it was much easier to pull off. I will share the recipe in the next few days. All in all it was a lovely way to celebrate.