Crisp Red Cooked Bass Fillets Recipes

PAN-FRIED STRIPED BASS WITH LEMON SAUCE

Steps:

• For the sauce, whisk together: 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, 1/4 teaspoon lemon zest, 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, Salt, Fresh-ground black pepper.
• Taste for salt and lemon juice and adjust as desired. The sauce will separate as it sits; this is not a problem.
• Season: 4 pieces striped bass, skin on (4 to 6 ounces each) with: Salt, Fresh-ground black pepper.
• Choose a heavy-bottomed pan for frying the fish. Take another, slightly smaller pan that will fit into the pan for the fish, and wrap its bottom with foil. This pan will be used as a weight to hold the fish flat against the frying pan to ensure that all of the skin will cook and crisp. (You will see the fish contract when it goes into the hot pan, as the skin shrinks on contact with the heat.) Warm the larger pan over medium-high heat. When hot, pour in: Olive oil, enough to generously coat the bottom.
• Add the pieces of bass, skin side down, and place the foil-wrapped pan on top of the fish. Cook until the skin is brown and crispy, about 7 minutes. Check now and then to see that the fish is indeed browning, but not overbrowning. Adjust the heat up or down to speed up or slow down the cooking as needed. When the skin is browned, remove the top pan and turn the fish. Cook for another minute or so, until the fish is just cooked through, but is still moist and tender inside. Meanwhile whisk the lemon sauce together again and pour it onto a warm plate. Serve the fish skin side up, on top of the sauce.
• Garnish the fish with a couple spoonfuls of chopped tender herbs such as parsley, chives, chervil, cilantro, or basil.
• Soak, rinse, and squeeze dry a tablespoon or so of capers. When the fish is cooked add the capers to the hot pan and sauté for a minute or two. Remove with a slotted spoon and scatter over the fish.
• Make a Beurre Blanc (Warm Butter Sauce; page 228) instead of the olive oil sauce.

SIMPLE OVEN-BAKED SEA BASS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450F°.
• In a cup, mix garlic, olive oil, salt, and black pepper.
• Place fish in a shallow glass or ceramic baking dish.
• Rub fish with oil mixture.
• (Optional) Pour wine over fish.
• Bake fish, uncovered, for 15 minutes; then sprinkle with parsley or Italian seasoning and continue to bake for 5 more minutes (or until the thickest part of the fish flakes easily).
• Drizzle remaining pan juices over fish and garnish with lemon wedges.
• Enjoy!

CRISP RED-COOKED BASS FILLETS

Steps:

• In a small saucepan whisk together the soy sauce, the Scotch, the gingerroot, the sugar, 1/2 teaspoon of the cornstarch, the aniseed, the cinnamon, and the water, bring the mixture to a boil, whisking, and simmer it, covered, for 5 minutes.
• While the sauce is simmering, pat the fillets dry between paper towels and rub both sides with the remaining 2 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch, shaking off the excess. In a large non-stick skillet heat the oil over moderately high heat until it just begins to smoke, add the fillets, skin sides down, and sear them, pressing them with a metal spatula to flatten them, for 4 minutes. Turn the fillets, strain the soy sauce mixture through a fine sieve into the skillet, and simmer the mixture for 3 minutes, or until the fish just flakes. Transfer the fillets, skin sides up, with a slotted spatula to plates and simmer the sauce, stirring, for 1 minute, or until it is thickened slightly. Spoon the sauce around the fillets and sprinkle the fillets with the scallion.