How to Cook Sea Bass: The Techniques and Combinations That Make it Tasty

Sea bass is one of the most well-known and loved white fish for its delicate and versatile meat, often present on our tables. Its pulp is characterized by being sweet and slightly savory, with a firm consistency that becomes tender and juicy once cooked, highly digestible. Sea bass is appreciated for its nutritional properties: it is rich in high-quality proteins, B vitamins and minerals such as selenium and phosphorus. Furthermore, if caught, it is classified as lean fish, with 2.3 grams of lipids per 150 grams (if farmed, however, the fillets have 10.2), underlining that unsaturated fats reign supreme, where the delicious omega-3s stand out . In the kitchen, sea bass can be prepared in many ways, including baked, grilled, steamed or pan-fried, allowing you to discover a wide variety of flavors and combinations. A fish that adapts well to different cooking techniques, making it a great choice for many recipes.

1. Baked Sea Bass With Potatoes

A very simple way to bring sea bass to the table is to bake it. The fish must be gutted and cleaned well, then deprived of all the innards and then rinsed under running water. To flavor its meat, insert a clove of garlic and aromatic herbs of your choice, such as thyme, into the belly. Add salt, pepper, a little oil and place slices of lemon on the surface: this way the fish will be tasty and fragrant. In our recipe we accompanied it with roasted potatoes, a versatile combination that makes this dish perfect for an everyday dinner, as well as for Sunday lunch.

2. Sea Bass in Salt

A technique that enhances the flavor and texture of fish is salt cooking: already known in ancient Roman times, it is made by lining the sea bass (it can also be done with meat and vegetables) in a crust of salt, which traps the food juices inside, cooking without adding fatty condiments and maintaining the organoleptic properties and a tender pulp to the maximum. The result is a healthy and tasty dish: after cleaning and gutting it, stuff the sea bass with lemon slices and chopped parsley, then cover it with coarse salt. After 20 minutes in the oven at 395°F/200°C the fish is ready. To prevent the salt from penetrating the fibers, making the dish inedible, choose a medium-large sea bass (about 800 grams) and leave the skin, which acts as a protective layer.

3. Sea Bass in Foil

The oven is always the protagonist of this other easy and practical method, which in a few steps ensures tender, moist and tasty meat. The parcel is made by wrapping the whole fish (well gutted and cleaned) or already cut into fillets in a sheet of baking paper or aluminum foil (a good technique is to put the baking paper in contact with the food and a second layer of aluminum, which is more resistant to heat), in order to preserve the aromas and nutrients in the wrapping. A cooking method that lends itself to various customizations to give the meat the flavors you like most: in this recipe we first inserted garlic and sprigs of rosemary into the belly of the sea bass and then enriched the parcel with lime slices , spring onion segments , chopped parsley and white wine . It can also be made with typically Mediterranean ingredients, such as cherry tomatoes and olives, and following the seasons: in spring make room for diced asparagus , while in autumn mushrooms , such as mushrooms, are excellent.

4. Grilled Sea Bass

Handling fish as little as possible is the key to creating delicious recipes that everyone can enjoy. For a light and tasty seafood main course that makes you feel like you're on holiday 365 days a year, grilling or cooking on a plate is perfect. What's more, you don't even need to turn on the oven, which is a plus in summer. It goes without saying that the fish must be very fresh, clean and gutted. How can you best enhance it? In this case , a marinade adds flavour , which you can prepare by mixing together extra virgin olive oil , salt , pepper , aromatic herbs (rosemary, parsley, sage, oregano) and chopped garlic. Brush the inside and outside of the sea bass and before cooking, wrap it in cling film and let it rest for 20 minutes in the fridge.

5. Pan-Fried Sea Bass

Never underestimate pan frying, because although it may seem a bit banal, it actually holds some nice surprises . It is a very advantageous method when you have fillets available , including frozen ones , and you want to bring them to the table with simplicity and speed . To prevent the lean and delicate meat of the sea bass from becoming stringy, it is important to always create a sauce , which maintains the correct humidity. For example, Ligurian-style sea bass fillets are very inviting, with the fish seasoned with pitted Taggiasca olives (which give flavor) and toasted pine nuts , for a touch of crunchiness. Otherwise, you can opt for an alternative version of the classic lemon meat scallops, breading the sea bass fillets with flour and then cooking them sprinkled with lemon juice and white wine , in order to create an aromatic and appetizing base.

6. Sea Bass in Crazy Water

We were talking about surprises in the pan before… Here, sea bass all'acqua pazza is one of the most delicious recipes that can be obtained by opting for this cooking method. The technique is well known and is part of the Neapolitan tradition, where the fish of choice is the sea bream. Nothing takes away from its degree of refinement and authenticity by making it with another white fish like sea bass, where the rules to follow are the same. Cut some nice juicy cherry tomatoes in half and put them in a pan with extra virgin olive oil , garlic cloves , white wine, water and salt, thus preparing a liquid and tasty sauce in about 15 minutes: place the sea bass, flavor with chopped parsley and cover with the lid for 15-20 minutes, respecting the times. The secret to the success of the recipe is not to overcook the fish, keeping the pulp firm.

7. Sea Bass in Pasta Recipes

Sea bass meat is suitable for being minced or cut into cubes to make ragù and fillings for elegant fish-based pasta recipes, perfect for a special occasion. In the first case, by cutting the fillets into pieces, you can prepare a tasty sauce with cherry tomatoes, capers and olives, to be used as a condiment for linguine, spaghetti, calamarata or paccheri: take inspiration from the recipe for spaghetti alla chitarra with fish or that of paccheri with white fish ragù, using sea bass instead of cod. Otherwise, the chopped meat of the sea bass can be used as a filling for egg ravioli , in a mixture that includes herbs , boiled potatoes , nutmeg , garlic, oil, salt and pepper.

8. Steamed Sea Bass

Steam cooking allows you to keep the nutritional properties of sea bass intact, making this technique one of the healthiest and lightest, also suitable for those following a low-calorie diet. If you think it is a boring and not very tasty method, you will have the opportunity to change your mind: you can accompany the sea bass with a variety of vegetables, such as carrots, courgettes, asparagus, cauliflower, to be cooked at the same time. A good idea is to flavor the water with aromatic herbs or spices such as peppercorns and ginger: this simple trick will infuse a characteristic flavor to the sea bass, giving the final dish an unexpected punch.