How to Cook Sea Bass- 5 Easy Ways

Sea bass has a unique mild, sweet flavour, and the flesh is tender, firm, and rich in texture. If you are among those who recoil at the overly fishy taste or smell, then sea bass would delight you with its mild aroma that is slightly sweet and meaty in consistency. But how do you cook Sea Bass?

For all those who are not into seafood, Sea bass, being a delicate fish, will be a great dish to begin with. And for those who are great seafood lovers, Sea Bass would delight their tastebuds. In this article, you will learn how to cook Sea bass in different ways.

You can enjoy Sea bass grilled, pan-fried, steamed, or poached. Sea bass can be baked in the oven, too. It will taste delicious if you pan-seared it before baking. Drizzle with olive or coconut oil for extra flavour, and season with salt and pepper before serving.

Accompaniments such as rice, couscous, quinoa, or potatoes would do wonders for an already amazing and tasty sea bass fillet. Learning to cook Sea bass is not difficult, provided you master the recipe, starting with knowing the secrets to buying fresh fish.

1. What to Look for When Buying a Sea Bass?

When you are looking to buy the ultimate fresh fish to cook sea bass, then try to purchase freshwater variety as much as possible. Another critical feature to check the freshness of fish would be to seek out its eyes and gills.

So, while buying Sea bass, look for fishes with deep colour, bright red gills, and pink eyes. The fish is usually sold as 1 1/2 to 2-pound whole sea bass. Some Asian markets also sell live fish that is divine to cook and gives superb flavour.

One classic place to look for fresh fish would be in the water, and the next would be fish markets or fishmongers/retailers. Please remember that fish that are freshly caught have a firm texture, and cooking them will definitely be more accessible because they will not crack on the pan itself—becoming familiar with some essential terms before learning to cook sea bass.

1.1 What to buy- A Whole Sea Bass or Sea Bass Fillets?

While it is a cheaper and better option to buy the whole sea bass, many think that Sea bass fillets are much cleaner to cook with. You can most assuredly take the help of a fishmonger to get a whole sea bass cut into fillets.

But if you have purchased the fish as fillets, it is essential to pinbone the meat before cooking sea bass. To pin bone a fish, use your fingers on the flesh side to feel the bones and extend them outwards. Finally, use a tweezer to get them out. The important aspect before learning to cook sea bass is choosing the cooking method.

2. How to Cook Seas Bass?

There are many ways to cook sea bass, but the challenge is getting the fish ready for cooking. Before cooking Sea bass, pat the fish dry and season lightly.

Another critical point to note while cooking a whole Sea bass is to score its skin lightly to help the cooking process even on all sides. Choose a cooking method that would work for you, and generally, with enough practice, it will be almost impossible to mess up any recipe.

2.1. Learn How to Cook Sea Bass Inside a Parcel

If you have never cooked sea bass before, the most foolproof and easy way to perfect a sea bass recipe would be to steam them in a parcel. Even if you accidentally overcook the fish, the parcel will seal the steam to keep the fish juicy.

Fold a large piece of parchment paper or foil into half a width to look like a book when you open it. Place the fish fillet’s skin on one side of the fold.

After choosing the correct seasoning to add to the fish, top it with butter. If you like, you can add some herbs, lemon juice, and some white wine too. Finally, fold the paper so it is closed from the other side, and gently seal the edges by pressing them down.

2.1.1. Steam Sea Bass

Steaming Sea bass is very similar to cooking them inside a parcel. Steaming the fish slice on a frying pan is quite a direct way of cooking the fish fillets, which does not let the fish dry out.

After lining the steaming basket with parchment paper, lay the fish fillets skin side down. If using a whole fish, consider placing some aromatics inside the steamer cavity.

Now, cover and steam for 9-10 minutes for whole sea bass and 5-7 minutes for fillets. To serve the finished dish, add sauces and herbs and enjoy steaming hot sea bass cooked to perfection.

2.2. Know How to Cook Sea Bass by Roasting

If you are one of the many fish lovers who are particular about crispy skin texture but are unsure of the cooking method, then roasted sea bass will be your best option. First, brush some oil or your favourite marinade onto the fish to give the dish that extra zest and flavour.

The fish with the marinades need to be placed on the top shelf of the oven. Bake for 8 minutes if you use fish fillets and 15 minutes for whole fish. Roast some veggies tossed in oil, season them with salt and pepper, and serve the delicious oven-roasted crisp fish.

2.3. Get Hands-on Experience on How to Cook Sea Bass on a Grill or Barbecue

If you like to cook a whole fish in the least amount of time, grilling or BBQ at a high temperature would do the trick. The charming char on the fish’s skin will delight fish lovers.

For extra flavour, stuff the fish with lemon slices and herbs. Now, start cooking sea bass on a medium-high heat BBQ or grill. Cook the whole fish for about six minutes on each side.

Fish fillets on BBQ must be placed skin side down, and for a grill, they should be skin side up. Flipping is unnecessary as the heat from beneath will cook the fillets. Basting the fish with herby butter straight after cooking will give the fish some delicious added flavour.

2.4. Pan Fry Sea Bass

The hardest way to cook sea bass is the pan-fry method. Pan-frying requires constant attention to get the perfect pan-fried fillet. The result would be extremely rewarding as the crisp skin on the whitefish will be a sight to behold and terrific to taste.

Some common mistakes to avoid would be cooking fish on low heat for a longer time and turning them over way too many times, causing them to break and lose their texture.

Get your sides and sauces ready before you begin with the recipe. Dust the outside of the fish fillet or whole fish with plain flour. Then drizzle olive oil on the frying pan and turn the heat to medium-high.

Fry the whole fish for 4 to 5 minutes per side and fry fish fillets for 3-4 minutes with the skin down. Flip over, add some butter to the pan and fry for another minute. Serve immediately on a warm plate.

3. How Do You Know if the Sea Bass is Perfectly Cooked?

This is fairly simple once you have mastered a simple trick. All one needs to do to check if the fish is done is gently press with a cutlery knife.

The perfectly cooked fish will no longer have a jelly-like texture, begin flaking easily, and turn opaque. Once it reaches a translucent texture, you need to understand that the fish will be done in a minute. Do not allow the fish to cook further at any cost, as it will continue to cook even after you remove it from the heat.

4. Gordon Ramsay’s Awesome Mediterranean Sea Bass Recipe

4.1.Ingredients

• Skin-on Sea bass fillets – 8 oz.
• Eggplant – 1/2 cup.
• Shallots/Onion – 1.
• Garlic – 1 large.
• Cherry Tomatoes – 6.
• White Wine – 2 tbsp.
• Tomato Puree – 2 tbsp.
• Vegetable Stock – 3 tbsp.
• Some olives and sun-dried tomatoes.1 Calabrian chilli, zest, and the juice of 1 lemon.

4.2. Method

• Heat a pan and add some olive oil. Brown the cut pieces of eggplant over medium heat. Once cooked, add in some lemon zest and season with salt and pepper. Remove and place on a paper towel.
• Clean the pan and add a teaspoon of hot oil, sliced onions, and garlic. Once it cooks lightly, add the sun-dried tomatoes and diced chillies. Next, gently mix white wine, vegetable stock, and tomato puree.
• Finish off by adding tomatoes, olives, and some torn oregano leaves. Remove and season with lemon zest.
• Season the Sea bass fillets with some salt and pepper, and on a mildly heated pan, fry them skin side down. Flip them after 4-5 minutes.
• Serve immediately with a plate of Couscous, prepared tomato sauce, and perfectly pan-fried fish.

5. Why is Sea Bass Famous?

Sea Bass is a considerably popular fish, and there are some very sensible reasons for this:

• It tastes great in Sushi, so it is commonly used everywhere.
• Sea Bass has low fat content and a very high protein content.
• It is excellent for your heart due to its omega-3 fatty acids.

Many international Michelin Star Restaurants serve delightful recipes using Sea bass. Most importantly, Sea bass is so versatile that it can be served in many ways. It can be eaten with eggs, rice, vegetables, or some delicious sauce. Even though it has high vitamin D and calcium content, which makes it a beautiful post-workout meal, its consumption should be moderate.

6. In The End

Sea Bass is one of the best fishes to cook at home. Home chefs find incorporating this versatile fish into any meal less time-consuming, inexpensive, and reasonably less difficult. Sea bass is a highly versatile fish that can be best cooked at home using cooking methods such as grilling, baking, or pan-searing.

It is advised to marinate the fish beforehand; a simple marinade of olive oil and lemon juice can significantly enhance the flavours of the fish. Preheating the oven or pan before cooking the fish is also wise.

overall sea bass is highly recommended for all fish lovers. It can be cooked easily using the earlier techniques and enjoyed with your favourite drink at home!