Sea bass

[jaybone]

I went to the fish monger today and picked up a nice piece of sea bass. I'm thinking of pan searing it and making a nice white wine, cream sauce.

Serving it with some braised chick peas and fresh greens.

I've only ever had it at restaurants, but I'm assuming it is pretty similar to cooking halibut.

Anyone ever cook sea bass? Any tips or suggestions are more then welcome.

[AdamH]

A light cream sauce would be good, so would a fresh salsa or salsa verde or even a chimichurri sauce. Sea Bass holds up to lots of flavours and is nice and meaty.

I've never cooked it myself, but in restaurants it's usually been pan seared and finished for a few minutes in a hot oven (400 degrees for maybe 7 or 8 minutes or until form). I've had it with asian flavours like honey and miso glaze, or with something hotter and spicier as a spice rub.

[phishtaper]

ive never done it either, so i looked it up. was funny how much contradictory info i found ... "never steam seabass"; "seabass is best steamed", etc.

how did it turn out, jaybone?

[jaybone]

I stayed pretty true to what I know. I just seasoned it lightly and seared it for 2 or 3 minutes per side and finished it in the oven at 400 for just a few minutes.

The cream sauce is an old recipe I picked up from a chef I used to work for- shallots, white wine, heavy cream and finished with some room temp butter- I hit it with some thyme at the end.

It turned out great! Sea bass is a pretty oily fish so it is pretty easy to cook- it doesn't dry out very easily. It was sweet and tender and the seared crust was awesome! I served it with braised chick peas and leeks- with a bit of bacon rendered first.

Sea bass is pretty expensive $21/kg or $9.50ish/lb. It doesn't shrink much when you cook it so the serving sizes stay pretty true.

I'll make it again but it could definitely stand up to a spice rub or asian flavours- as Adam suggested.

I should add there are quite a few different fish being sold as seabass on the market. Look for a thick fillet with a nice white flesh. If it has been previously frozen the flesh will be very white. There is some talk about sea bass being an unsustainable catch- something to think about.