Pan-Seared Vermilion Rockfish with Brothy Beans and Sage Pesto
Recipes
Pan-Seared Vermilion Rockfish with Brothy Beans and Sage Pesto
November 3rd, 2025
Vilda Gonzalez
Pan-searing fish is a great method to lean on when you’re after crispy skin and minimal effort. In this case, our Seremoni Grade Vermilion Rockfish is simply seasoned in salt and seared in a hot, oil-kissed pan until the skin is golden and crispy. Cooking the beans really couldn’t be simpler; you just toss everything in the pot and let it simmer away on the stove until the beans are soft, steaming, and surprisingly craveable. The trick to a good pot of beans is to season them generously with olive oil and salt before cooking. A bay leaf and a strip of kombu are also non-negotiable, the rest is forgiving. This particular pot is cooked with hearty herbs like thyme and sage, and is later paired with a sage and pistachio pesto.
Ingredients
For the brothy beans
- 1 lb cannellini beans, or a similarly sized white bean
- Plenty of filtered water
- 1 Tbsp fine sea salt
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1-2 bay leaves
- 1 small strip of kombu
- A small handful thyme sprigs
- A small handful sage leaves
- 1 medium shallot, halved and peeled
- 2 tsp white wine vinegar
For the sage pesto
- 5 medium cloves of garlic, halved and thinly sliced
- ½ cup plus ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 packed cup sage leaves
- ½ cup toasted pistachios
- ¼ packed cup parsley leaves
- ½ tsp freshly cracked black pepper
- ¾ tsp fine sea salt
- ½ cup finely grated parmigiano reggiano
- Zest and juice of ½ a lemon
For the pan-seared fish
- 2 6 oz skin-on filets Seremoni Grade Vermilion Rockfish
- 1 tsp fine sea salt to season
- Drizzle neutral, high smoke point oil
- A squeeze of lemon, to serve
Begin by soaking your beans the night before you intend to cook them. To do so, add the dried beans to a large mixing bowl and cover generously with water. The following day, drain the beans and transfer them to a medium saucepan. Add enough water to cover the beans by an inch. Add all of the remaining listed ingredients.
Bring the beans up to a bare boil over high heat, just until you see the first bubbles erupt on the surface, then reduce the heat to maintain a gentle simmer. The beans want to waltz, not rage in a mosh pit. Cook for 30 to 45 minutes or more depending on the size and age of your beans. When cooked, they should be soft and creamy throughout.
Take the beans off of the heat and season with the white wine vinegar. Allow them to cool in the pot, giving all of the flavors a prolonged moment to mingle.
To make the pesto, begin by adding the sliced garlic and ½ cup of olive oil to a small pot. Set it over medium-low heat and cook the garlic until it has softened and smells aromatic, but not so long that it takes on any color, about 3-4 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and fold in the sage leaves. They will wilt and turn a beautiful forest green as they saturate in the oil.
Add the pistachios and parsley to a food processor and pulse until the nuts resemble a coarse meal. Add the sagey garlic oil, the remaining ¼ cup of olive oil, salt, pepper, and parmigiano. Pulse a few more times to bring the mixture together. Add the lemon zest and juice and pulse one final time. Taste for seasoning and adjust with another pinch of salt, grind of pepper, or squeeze of lemon if needed.
To cook the fish, season both sides of the filets with salt, about ¼ teaspoon per side. Heat a carbon steel or stainless steel pan over medium-high until just smoking. Add a small drizzle of oil to the pan, then immediately place the filets skin-side down in the hot pan. Weigh them down with steak weights, a small pan, or just the palms of your hands. The weight helps to prevent the fish from curling on contact with the heat, and helps to ensure especially crispy skin.
Lower the heat to medium and cook undisturbed for 4-5 minutes, until the skin is crackly and golden. Flip the filets and cook for one more minute on the other side. When cooked, take them off of the heat.
To serve, spoon a healthy few ladlefuls of beans and their broth into a small pan and heat over medium heat until they are warmed through. Season with a generous squeeze of lemon. Serve the warm beans in bowls, topped with the crispy vermillion rockfish and a large spoonful of sage pesto.