Bass /Morone labrax/, also called sea wolf, is a predatory marine fish with flattened and laterally extended silver body. The back of the bass is dark green, the belly white and the sides are silvery. The gill flaps have two prongs and a dark stain. Mouth of the bass has great, brush- like teeth. The maximum weight of bass is 12 pounds and maximum length - 34" (90 cm).
Bass is present mainly in the Atlantic and Mediterranean. As a whole, sea bass is one of the rarest fish to find. Live single or form small flocks. Sea bass breeds in the spring or summer, in the sea or the lower reaches of the rivers.
Sea bass is one of the tastiest fish in the sea. Its flesh is moderately thick and greasy. The meat of wild sea bass is tough, but tasty. Farmed sea bass is fatter, but without the flavor and taste.
First sea bass appeared in American stores under the name branzino. In the menus of American restaurants, it appeared less than a decade ago, when it was also quite popular in Europe.
Composition of sea bass
100 g of fresh sea bass contains 125 kcal, 24 g protein, 54 mg cholesterol, 0.7 g saturated fat, 2.6 g fat, 0.4 g omega-3 fatty acids.
Selection and storage of sea bass
Tender and juicy meat of the bass has a strong aroma and flavor. Usually, it is sold cooled. When you buy a whole sea bass, it must be placed on ice. As with other species, its eyes should not be murky, but fresh and bright.
Choose cleaned specimens, because the scales are numerous and very difficult to remove, and they must be completely removed before cooking. If you're buying fillets or cutlets of bass, avoid those without skin, because it is difficult to determine whether in fact it's bass or not.
Cooking sea bass
Fresh sea bass is suitable for steaming, cooking on the grill, or in foil. Sea bass is a fish with delicious skin that does not need to be cleaned, because it is very crispy when frying and baking.
Before cooking the fish, wash it with cold water. Make sure its eyes and gills are completely eliminated because the fish is not always thoroughly cleaned. The gills give an unpleasant bitter taste, which makes eliminating them mandatory. Smaller specimens are suitable for grilling on a plate or in a pan.
Bones of sea bass are best cleaned after cooking because the meat is low in fat and does not disintegrate in cooking. Southern European cuisines prefer bass with garlic, and in a classic French recipe, it is cooked with dill.
We present simple and classic recipe for Grilled Sea Bass.
Ingredients: 2 pcs. Sea bass, the juice and rind of 1 lemon, 50 ml olive oil, 3 cloves of garlic, thyme, pepper, salt.
How to cook: fish is cleaned and washed. Add salt inside and out. In a small bowl, mix lemon juice, olive oil, lemon peel, garlic, black pepper. Strain to obtain a smooth sauce.
Sea bass is wrapped in a large piece of foil and before closing, each is topped with the above sauce. Place thyme in and seal the foil very well to not leak sauce out. Bake for 30 minutes in a preheated 390°F (200 °C) oven. Serve with a light dressing.
Bass goes with many different Mediterranean spices and garnishes - garlic, olive oil, tomatoes and tomato paste, thyme, red pepper. Oriental spices suitable for bass are ginger, sesame, chili.
The taste of the sea bass is well combined with white wine, beer, all alcohol-flavored anise. A classic, however, is for it to be combined with chilled Riesling.
Benefits of sea bass
Sea bass, like most fish species, is an extremely useful and valuable health food. It contains essential omega-3 fatty acids that protect against a number of serious illnesses and have a number of health benefits.
Sea bass is low in fat, making it suitable for dietary food. The consumption of fish at least once a week helps to reduce the risk of deposits of fat on the walls of blood vessels, thereby significantly reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease.
