Sea bass baked with capers and green garlic butter
1 serving
50 minutes
Baked sea bass with capers and green garlic butter is a true culinary masterpiece of European cuisine. The sea bass, with its tender, juicy flesh and subtle ocean aroma, pairs perfectly with pickled capers that add a tangy zest, while the garlic butter enriches the flavor with depth and richness. This recipe embodies simplicity and sophistication, allowing the natural taste of the fish to shine through. Traditionally, sea fish is not salted before baking to preserve its natural brininess. As a result, it creates a dish perfect for both festive dinners and cozy family evenings. No garnish is needed—the lightness and richness of the sea bass speak for themselves, leaving an unforgettable gastronomic impression.
1
If you're lucky and the sea bass is already gutted and chilled, you're in for a treat! You just need to cook it. But if, like mine, it's whole and frozen, you first need to thaw it (a day before cooking in the fridge), then carefully gut it without damaging the gallbladder, or the fish will taste very bitter. Gutting the fish is quite easy—place it in a deep bowl or at least a kitchen sink, make an incision on the belly (you'll find it near the lower fins close to the tail), and carefully make a longitudinal cut until you hit the head bones. Then, I put on a plastic bag or disposable glove on the hand I'll use to remove the insides and gently but firmly pull out the contents; the gallbladder is right by the head, yellow-green in color, and is the hardest to remove, but with a bit of force, you can get it out too. After that, rinse the fish under running water and place it in a baking dish. There's no need to scale it; it will cook perfectly, and you won't even notice the scales.
- Sea bass: 1 piece
2
Drizzle the sea bass with lemon juice, sprinkle with ground black pepper and lemon pepper. Do not salt! Sea fish is not salted before baking as it has already absorbed the necessary amount of salt during its short life.
- Lemon juice: 2 tablespoons
- Ground black pepper: to taste
- Black pepper with lemon zest: to taste
3
Place the dish in a preheated oven at 200 degrees for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, remove the dish, add capers to the sea bass and the dish, place pieces of garlic butter on the fish, and bake for another 10 minutes, then check for doneness by piercing the thickest part of the fish with a toothpick - clear juice should come out or nothing at all.
- Pickled capers: 30 g
- Garlic oil: to taste
4
Place the fish on a plate, remove the capers from the mold, and drizzle with melted garlic butter. I usually don't serve any side dish with the fish, except possibly salad leaves.
- Pickled capers: 30 g
- Garlic oil: to taste