Know Your Sea Bass!
Jun/110
Okay, so you found a wonderfully tempting sea bass recipe that you just can’t wait to try. Your mouth is watering just thinking about it. First, of course, you have to make a trip to the market to purchase the sea bass. But do you know what you’re really buying? There are several species of fishes that are referred to as sea bass, and some of them aren’t even remotely related to each other. That sea bass recipe you want to use might work great with some varieties of sea bass and not so great with other varieties.
When some people think “sea bass,” they think of Chilean sea bass, which isn’t actually a member of the bass family. That’s just a fancy marketing name given to the toothfish. Toothfish are relatively oily fish, so they’ll need to be cooked a little differently than very lean bass would need to be prepared.
Another sea bass is the black sea bass, which is similar to a small grouper. These fish are very lean, which will need to be taken into consideration with your sea bass recipe.
The Asian and Australian version of the sea bass is the barramundi, which can be found in both fresh and salt water. The freshwater species isn’t very good to eat, but the saltwater variety is tasty, with flaky white meat.
There’s also a species known as the giant sea bass that can be found in the northern Pacific. These fish are endangered and have been protected since 1982, so you’re not going to be cooking one of these big boys.