Sea Bass are some of the prettiest fish in the sea. They also make for really good eating and are great to cook at home. Luckily for us seafood enthusiasts, there are some wonderful Sea Bass recipes about.
We’re lucky in Poole to have a Sea Bass nursery in the harbour, which means even the most unlucky of fishermen has a fair chance of landing a ‘schooley’. Of course, young sea bass must be released back into the sea.
Sea Bass really are beautiful and it’s only when you have a Sea Bass in your hand do you realise just how attractive they are.
They have an almost kind face, peering at you inquisitively with the big, black eyes. However, let’s not forget the Sea Bass is a formidable hunter, and I very much doubt its prey consider that face to be particularly gentle.
Farmed Sea Bass
The good news is, Sea Bass farms really well. You can tell if your Sea Bass is farmed as it has a sharper head as opposed to the much more rounded one of a wild Sea Bass.
Farmed Sea Bass are also normally smaller in size. However, a farmed Sea Bass is still a great fish to cook with at home.
Preparation and cooking
Sea Bass is enormously popular. If a restaurant carries only one seafood dish on their menu it’s normally Sea Bass. There’s a good reason for this. It makes for wonderful eating. Once its spiky dorsal fin has been removed it’s also an easy fish to prepare.
I like to bake Sea Bass whole, but it’s also easy to grill, steam and barbeque. Pan-frying a filleted Sea Bass is also a common and easy way to cook a Sea Bass. Owing to its popularity, I try not to buy Sea Bass too often. One those rare occasions I do, I tend to cook the fish whole.
Sea Bass recipes
In Floyd on Fish, Keith Floyd writes of Sea Bass, ‘This magnificent firm-fleshed fish for me is king. Far superior to even a good salmon. It is versatile – you can steam it, bake it, grill it, use it in la bourride and, thinly sliced, it can take pride of place in a Japanese sashimi.’
Floyd on Fish has a great Sea Bass in White Wine recipe that’s well worth a try. Meanwhile, Mitch Tonks, Fish, has a Sea Bass Baked with Fennel and White Wine.
My personal favourite is an absolute classic from Alan Davidson’s Mediterranean Seafood. Spigola al Forna, or Sea Bass cooked in the oven to you and I, is a simple, yet stunning dish.
You can read our reviews of all three books on our rather ace cookbook reviews section.
Of course, you can also buy the books at Amazon.
Seasonality
Avoid wild Sea Bass from March to mid-June, the fish’s breeding season. Additionally, if you intend to catch your own Sea Bass check for any limitations or restrictions in your area.
Sustainability
Read more on the latest Marine Conservation Society Good Fish Guide ratings.