COOKING IN: Sea bass is a versatile fish - just make sure you buy wild, not farmed, writes Hugo Arnold.
It was a glorious moment. The waiter's large spoon hit the mound and along with the audible crack came an intense cloud of steam, smelling sweet and salty, with a kick of fennel discernable. We were sitting in a Milan restaurant and in moments the fish was deboned and lay in large, meaty flakes on our plates. A dressing of olive oil and a squeeze of lemon were all that were required, along with a well-chilled bottle of wine.
Our entire sea bass lunch - pasta, wine and coffees included - had cost about the same as just two main courses in a good restaurant here, and our bass had been wild. Most of the bass you buy in shops here has never seen the sea, and the same goes for sea bream.
Both these fish are ideal for the barbecue, the meaty skin crisping up to a crunchy finish. The only accompaniment required is a fresh tomato and avocado salsa laced with coriander, or something similar spiked with chilli. Roasted in a hot oven, the fish puff up with blistered golden skin, just waiting for a slick of olive oil and some tapenade, or maybe a simple salad of roasted red peppers spiked with capers and doused in balsamic vinegar.
While farmed salmon, a subject covered at some length here a few weeks ago, seems to be sold accordingly labelled, the serried ranks of sea bass, all of them similar-sized and similarly shaped, get no such labelling. The same is true of sea bream. Done well, there is everything to recommend aquaculture - a harnessing of nature and technology, but we should be told. Too much farmed sea bass exhibits flabby, flavourless flesh and a skin so devoid of character it is not worth grilling.
Both bass and bream have become favourites of restaurants, which demand "portion-sized" fish and a standard price, something the ocean is not accustomed to providing. But quality does vary, and you need to be wary when you shop. Farmed or otherwise, fish should have sparkling eyes, a good hue to the skin and an overall freshness, both in appearance and smell.
You can fillet if you wish - it certainly helps for serving - but the meat remains sweeter if you leave the bone in. Large fish can be cut in two or three. If you are grilling the fish whole, cut three slits in each side through to the bone. It looks good, but more importantly helps achieve even cooking.