Roasted Whole Black Bass With Herb Stuffing Recipes

HERB-STUFFED WHOLE FISH

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 475 degrees F. Place a large oven-safe saute pan or baking sheet on the lower rack of the oven to preheat.
• Season the belly cavity of the fish with salt and pepper. Place 2 or 3 lemon slices and a few sprigs each of thyme, oregano and parsley into the cavity of each fish. Really, just fill the cavities with all the lemon and herbs that will fit.
• Now for the fun part! Close the cavity of each fish by "sewing" a skewer through the skin: Hold the skin together, tucking in the herbs, and weave the skewer up and down through the skin to seal the cavity. The skewer stays in while the fish is cooking. Season the outside of the fish with a generous amount of salt and pepper. Divide the olive oil among the 4 fish and use your fingers to rub it on, coating them well on all sides.
• Carefully remove the preheated pan from the oven and gently place the fish in it. There should be a searing noise -- that means you're doing it right! Return the pan to the oven and roast the fish for 15 minutes.
• Remove the fish from the oven and let rest for 2 minutes. Carefully remove the skewers and place the fish (herbs and all) on large plates for serving. Since these are whole fish, be mindful of the bones as you eat, and advise your guests to be careful as well.

BAKED WHOLE FISH WITH LEMON, HERBS AND GARLIC BUTTER

Steps:

• If the fish hasn't been gutted and scaled, do so.
• Heat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Prepare a roasting tin.
• Mix the butter, 2 minced garlic cloves, chopped rosemary and chopped thyme very well. Season well with salt and pepper.
• Spoon the compound butter into the fish cavities. Stuff the inside of the fish with lemon triangles (you will probably not be able to fit all of them into your fishes) and rosemary sprigs. Drizzle the fish with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. You can slash the fish two to three times if you like.
• Place the fish in the prepared tin, along with the extra thyme, garlic and remaining lemon slices. Bake for 20-25 minutes (a large sea bream takes about 25 minutes, branzino is probably ready after 20).
• In the meantime, mix the chopped tomatoes, capers, olives and parsley. Add enough olive oil to create a nicely dispersed condiment. Serve with the hot fish.

WHOLE ROASTED SEA BASS

Steps:

• Season the cavity and exterior of fish with salt and pepper. Cover with plastic, and refrigerate for 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Lightly brush with oil a baking dish that is just large enough to hold fish without crowding. Divide thyme, rosemary, and parsley evenly between each fish, and place inside cavity. Place 2 bay leaves in cavity of each fish, and place remaining 2 bay leaves in baking dish. Sprinkle scallions over and around fish; drizzle with olive oil.
• Transfer to oven and roast 15 minutes. Continue to roast, checking every few minutes, until the thickest part of the fish is just firm, about 5 minutes more.
• Drizzle fish with lemon juice and transfer to a cutting board; set baking dish aside. Working from the head to the tail, cut along backbone to separate the flesh from the bone. Carefully lift top fillet and transfer to a plate. Lift and discard bones. Gently lift second fillet to same plate. Repeat process with remaining fish. Drizzle with any pan juices before serving.

BAKED SEA BASS STUFFED WITH SHELLFISH

Steps:

• Set a rack in the upper third of the oven. Preheat it to 475 degrees. Soak the clams and mussels for 5 minutes in a large bowl of cold water. Scrub the shells using a stiff brush. Drain. Discard any shellfish that don't shut when tapped. Pull away fibers from the mussels.
• Put the clams, mussels and wine in a large pot, cover and set over high heat. Shake the pan occasionally and remove the shellfish as soon as their shells open. Shell the clams and mussels and place their meat in a bowl. Strain the juices through a paper-towel-lined fine sieve and into the bowl of shellfish. Let soak for 20 minutes.
• Transfer the shellfish to a large bowl. Set the juices aside. Pat the shrimp dry, chop theminto bite-size pieces and add to the bowl of shellfish along with the garlic, onion, parsley, lemon juice, olive oil and bread crumbs. Season all over with salt and pepper and toss gently.
• Line a baking sheet with 2 layers of foil, extending double the length of the pan. Pour some of the shellfish juices on the bottom of the pan and place the fish in the center. Season the inside of the fish with salt and pepper. Stuff it with the shellfish mixture. Moisten the skin side of the fish with some of the remaining shellfish juices. Fold the foil over the fish, crimping the edges to tightly seal it. In the upper third of the oven, roast the striped bass for about 40 to 45 minutes (or the small branzini for 15 to 20 minutes). Let rest for 10 minutes. Cut open the pouch. Remove the fins. Slice the fish across as you would a roast. Top each slice with some of the juices.

ROASTED WHOLE BLACK BASS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Rinse the fish and dry thoroughly with a paper towel. Score each side of the fish 3 to 4 times on a bias, about 1/2-inch deep. Combine the parsley, tarragon and thyme into 1 large bunch with the stems attached, and separate out one-third of the bunch. Finely chop the separated, smaller bunch. Mix with one-quarter of the fennel slices, one-third of the fronds, garlic and capers and 2 of the lemon slices, making a sort of herby citrus marinade. Mix the chopped herb mixture with the olive oil and rub the mixture inside and outside of the fish as well as inside the slits. This will allow the herby citrus flavors to permeate through the fish. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Place half of the remaining herbs, fennel, lemon slices, garlic and capers in a bed on the bottom of a roasting pan and the other half inside the cavity of the fish. Place the fish in a roasting pan. Evenly distribute the wine and butter pats in the pan, and place in the oven. The wine will help keep your fish moist and help steam it, as well as making a great sauce with the butter. Roast until the fish has cooked through, or until the skin is crispy and the fish is flaky, 25 to 30 minutes. Carefully transfer the fish to a serving platter with a bed of the Israeli Couscous (be careful, the fish is tender and can break). Pour the sauce from the pan over the fish and fillet to serve.
• Bring 3 cups salted water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add the couscous, cover and remove from the heat. Allow the couscous to sit until the water is absorbed, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in the currants, fresh herbs, lemon zest and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper and stir in a small glug of olive oil before serving. Yield: 6 servings.

WHOLE STRIPED BASS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F.
• Trim the fins from the fish, rinse and pat dry. Set aside.
• Rub the bottom of a roasting pan with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Place 1/2 of the parsley, dill, lemon and onion in the center of the roasting pan. Make sure that this mound of aromatics is high enough to prevent the fish from touching the bottom of the pan. Rub the fish inside and out with 1 tablespoon of the oil. Season the fish inside and out with the salt and pepper and lay on the bed of aromatics. Place the second half of the aromatics on top of the fish and drizzle with the remaining tablespoon of olive oil. Cover the roasting pan tightly with aluminum foil and cook for 30 to 35 minutes or until the fish reaches an internal temperature of 120 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer. Remove from the oven and allow to sit for 10 minutes before transferring whole to a platter lined with the additional fresh parsley. Serve immediately.

WHOLE ROASTED BASS

Steps:

• Score the flesh of the fish from top to belly to 5 equal incisions from head to tail. Repeat this process on both sides. Season with salt and pepper on both sides and in the cavity. Make sure the seasoning is inside the incisions. Repeat this process with the herb oil. Place the fish on the barbecue and grill for about 15 minutes on each side. Be careful when turning the fish over and removing from the grill. The fish will be more delicate when it is cooked. For maximum flavor brush the fish with herb oil as soon as you remove it from the grill.
• Combine all ingredients. This can be prepared in advance and used for multiple recipes.

WHOLE ROASTED FISH WITH HERBS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Make 3 diagonal slices about 1/2-inch deep on each side of the fish. Salt and olive oil the fish generously.
• Season the inside of the fish with salt and olive oil. Place 4 lemon slices, the bay leaves, a bundle of the mixed herbs and 2 of the garlic cloves inside the body cavity.
• Line a sheet tray with aluminum foil and arrange the remaining assorted herbs, lemon slices and garlic in the center of the tray and lay the fish on top.
• Fold the aluminum foil up around the sides of the fish to create a sort of baking dish. Add the white wine and place in the preheated oven and roast until the fish is just cooked through, about 30 to 35 minutes.
• Remove from oven, present and collect your kudos then fillet to serve.

SAUTEED BLACK SEA BASS WITH CAPERS AND HERB-BUTTER SAUCE

Steps:

• Pat fillets dry; slash skin side of each crosswise in 2-inch intervals. Season generously with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with flour to evenly coat, shaking off excess.
• Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high. When oil shimmers and wisps of smoke rise from skillet, add fish in a single layer, skin-sides down. Reduce heat to medium; cook, undisturbed,until skin is crisp and flesh is opaque halfway up sides and almost cooked through, 5 to 7minutes, depending on thickness.
• Flip and continue cooking until just cooked through, 1 to 2 minutes more. Transfer to plates, skin-sides up. Add vermouth to skillet; boil until mostly evaporated, 1 to 2 minutes. Add capers and butter; cook until butter simmers and sauce thickens slightly, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in herbs. Return fish to skillet, skin-side up; spoon butter sauce over top. Serve immediately.

WHOLE BLACK BASS WITH GINGER AND SCALLIONS

Steps:

• Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 400°F. Put baking dish in roasting pan.
• Rinse fish and pat dry, then rub inside and out with salt. Transfer to baking dish and sprinkle with scallion strips (white and pale green) and ginger.
• Stir together soy sauce and sugar until sugar is dissolved, then pour over fish. Add enough boiling-hot water to roasting pan to reach halfway up side of baking dish. Oil a large sheet of heavy-duty foil, then tent foil (oiled side down) over fish and tightly seal around roasting pan. Carefully transfer roasting pan to oven and bake until fish is just cooked through, 30 to 35 minutes.
• While fish bakes, cut enough scallion greens diagonally into very thin slices to measure 1/2 cup (reserve remainder for another use).
• Just before serving, remove foil from fish and sprinkle with scallion greens. Heat wok over high heat until a bead of water vaporizes instantly. Pour oil around side of wok, then tilt wok to swirl oil, coating side, and heat until smoking. Remove from heat and immediately pour oil over scallion greens and fish.