Sea bass
The delicate flavour and texture of silvery-skinned European sea bass is highly sought after in restaurants and, increasingly, for home cooking. To meet the demand the fish, which is rather like white-fleshed salmon, is now being farmed.
Although some menus promote whole baby sea bass and serve one per person, the fish should be around 1.5kg in order to develop a good flavour, and can be as large as 4.5kg.
Sea bass is at its best treated simply, preferably roast, grilled or barbecued to give the skin a pleasing crackle, but sometimes steamed or poached, especially if it is a large specimen.
Serve roast sea bass with rosemary sauce, or a combination of olive oil, capers, garlic and lemon.
Fresh fish should be eaten on the day of purchase. If it is necessary to cook it the next day, place on a tray, wrap the container in cling film and store overnight in the coldest part of the fridge.
Frozen fish should be kept in the freezer and consumed within three months of purchase.
Related recipes
- Stuffed sea bass with stir fried greens
Danny Boome rustles up a feast of fusion style flavours with this succulent herb stuffed sea bass on crisp stir-fried greens - Baked fillet of sea bass in puff pastry with buttered asparagus and oyster foam
Create the ultimate tete-a-tete meal with Richard Phillips' sophisticated sea bass recipe, complete with a stylish, frothy oyster sauce - Salt crust baked sea bass with garlic, parsley and olives
Baking fish in a salt crust ensures tender, moist fish as James Tanner's stylish sea bass recipe demonstrates - Sea bass wrapped in a potato crisp with saffron infused creamy leeks
Creamy saffron leeks and succulent sea bass in a crisp potato coating make a delicious dinner party dish from Kevin Dundon - Pan fried sea bass with aubergine, chorizo and fennel
Full-on flavours tempt the taste buds in James Martin's dish of sea bass, chorizo, baby fennel and a glorious aubergine confit
