Sea Bass is a delicious fish, that has gained popularity in recent years due to being served in high end restaurants, but there’s no reason why you can’t enjoy it at home.

Whether filleted or whole, sea bass suits a range of cooking methods, including:

• Baking it whole in a salt crust, which seals the fish, keeping it succulent and moist
• BBQ or oven bake by tightly wrapping the fish in foil, adding some butter, herbs, or citrus fruit for flavour
• One of the most popular methods of cooking – pan-frying. This crisps up the skin, as well as adding texture and flavour to the finished dish.

How to Pan-Fry Sea Bass

1. Lightly coat the base of a non-stick frying pan with olive oil, before placing the pan over a medium-high heat. Don’t use too much oil, and ensure it is very hot before adding the fillets.
2. Sea Bass has a tendency to curl when exposed to heat, so score the skin three or four times with a sharp knife.
3. Use kitchen towel to dry the fillets before cooking to ensure a crispy skin. Lightly season both the skin and flesh side of the fish with salt and pepper.
4. Once the pan is hot, place the fish in the pan skin-side down. Press down on the fillets to help prevent curling, and to ensure even cooking.
5. Cook for 3-4 minutes, until the skin is golden and crisp, then carefully turn the fillets to cook for a further 1 minute. The fish is cooked when the flesh becomes opaque.
6. If the fish has not finished cooking in the last minute, remove the pan from the heat and leave the fillets to finish cooking in the pan’s residual heat before serving.
7. For extra flavour, rub some herbs or spices on to the fish before cooking – crushed garlic and finely chopped chilli work very well.