Sea Bass- best method of cooking

KC81

I love pan fried sea bass. I fillet it (not very well) and fry it quickly and usually have it with roasted cherry tomatoes in tomato sauce.
Ive been told im wasting it by not cooking it whole. Is it waste to not fry it whole.

Blub2k4

Personally I just gut them and then pop them in my steamer, I cant remember what I prepared it with the last time, if the fishing is successful soon I hope to be able to update this thread however as the last bass I caught was too small to keep.

bonkey

KC81 wrote:

Ive been told im wasting it by not cooking it whole.

Presumably by someone who's a big fan of whole-cooked fish.

Is it waste to not fry it whole.

Its a matter of preference.

I know some people who just won't do whole fish because they've issues with bones, and would rather taket he time to filet and debone before cooking rather than waste so much time fiddling with the cooked result that it goes cold before they've finished.

Others like the initial presentation and so-forth, but still find that its too messy to eat.

There's no "only way" to cook anything. Arguably there's no "best way" either.

Blub is clearly a steaming fan. I've never really been a fan of steamed fish cause I prefer the texture I get from roasting, grilling or frying (as long as I don't overdo it).

Which of us is right, or could we both be?

If I had a bass, I'd cook it whole (stuffed with herbs, lemon and garlic) if I was doing it on the BBQ (grill), or fillet it to roast it if I was cooknig indoors.

Had some fantastic roasted filets of sea bass with an almond and fennel crust when I was back in Ireland recently, f'r example.

If you care that much, try other methods once or twice and make your own decisions. At the end of the day, the right way for you to cook your own food is the way you prefer it....but never rule out trying something new once in a while.

jc

Blub2k4

bonkey wrote:

There's no "only way" to cook anything. Arguably there's no "best way" either.

Blub is clearly a steaming fan. I've never really been a fan of steamed fish cause I prefer the texture I get from roasting, grilling or frying (as long as I don't overdo it).

Which of us is right, or could we both be?

I'd love to say you're wrong just cos it'd be a rare oppurtunity

As Bonkey says there's no right or wrong in this case, I just happen to particularly like steamed bass and I would think it a shame to treat it so roughly and fry it. Having said that it can also be good fried, it just wouldn't be my choice with bass.

CJhaughey

I have had great results with seabass baked in foil in the oven. I think that if you like eating all of the fish then cooking whole is the way to go.
Personally I eat almost every part of a fish when I cook them whole, The cheeks on many fish are incredibly meaty and it is a shame to throw them out.
likewise with the throat of the fish,(triangular section between the gills).
These have a texture that is quite different from the rest of the fillet.
However not everyone enjoys picking at fish until there is nothing left.
I would strongly recommend using the fish skeleton to make stock with even if you don't cook the fish whole.

Baked in foil
1 Bass Scaled. Use the back of the knife and slide down the fish until all scales have come off, do this outside.
1 lemon sliced thin and de-rinded.
Root ginger
Salt + pepper

The technique I usually use is to get a piece of tinfoil wide enough to wrap the fish in whole, make 3-4 slashes in the fishes sides and put sliced ginger in the slashes and the cavity, just thin slices will do.
Sprinkle some salt over the fish and a little black pepper don't forget to use salt and pepper inside the cavity as well.
I also sliced a few thin slices of lemon and placed them in the cavity and on the skin this is optional.
Derind the lemon of it can be bitter.
Bake at 220c for about 10mins per inch thickness
I like mine cold like salmon.

The Hill Billy

I'd go with CJ on this. I've done it in this manner with everything from wild salmon to pollock.

What also suits this method of cooking (depending on taste of course) are:
lay the fish on a slices of lemon fennel bulb
a few knobs of butter & chopped fresh dill on the fish & in the cavity
a bay leaf or two
a splash of vermouth (Martini) or dry sherry

Shabadu

I did the ruth rogers & rose grey way of stuffing it with fennell seeds and roasting it whole on sliced lemon & fennell w/ a splash of white wine once. Uber-yum.

KC81

Yep am liking the cooked in foil approach. Have done this with salmon and its been lovely.