Lee Rosen

Grilled Fish Week Day Two: Chilean Sea Bass from Living with your heart by Lisa Rosen Okay, let me preface this with a few words about Chilean Sea Bass. Interesting fact number one: The fish we call Chilean Sea Bass used to be called Patagonian Toothfish.  Apparently someone thought the Patagonian Toothfish needed an image makeover (no–really?), and dubbed it Chilean Sea Bass.  Sales skyrocketed. Which leads to interesting fact number two:  Chilean Sea Bass (or Patagonian Toothfish, or whatever you want to call it) is badly overfished (regretting that image makeover now, aren’t we?), and a lucrative black market has sprung up, further depleting the fish in the wild. So I have a couple of rules regarding Chilean Sea Bass consumption (these are my personal rules–the ones that I can live with.  Your personal comfort threshold may be different).  First off, I only eat it a couple of times a year, and only when I can buy it from a fishmonger who certifies that it was caught legally.  And I don’t eat it in restaurants (primarily because I’ve never seen it certified in a restaurant).* If you can live with all that, you should know that Chilean Sea Bass is overfished for a darn good reason.  It’s a delicious fish.  Mild to the point of being almost buttery, it has a clean, pure taste that is a perfect all by itself.  Go easy on the seasonings–it really doesn’t need much. I cooked this piece of fish by the exact same method as the wahoo from yesterday’s post, except that the marinade was half lime juice, half lemon juice, and nothing else.  I didn’t want the paprika and crushed pepper to muddy the delicate flavor of the fish. Summary:  marinate the fish for 20 or 30 minutes.  Clean grill and preheat.  When it’s hot, oil it carefully, and place the fish on the oiled spot, skin side up.  After about 4 minutes, gently turn it over.  Cook about 4 minutes longer. Serve with lemon or lime wedges. *The Monterey Bay Aquarium publishes a Seafood Watch Guide for consumers.  As far as I can tell, this is the most reputable source of information on how to choose fish that are both healthy to eat, and are fished in a way that is sustainable for both the planet and the fish species itself.  Honestly, I don’t eat a lot of fish, but even so, I’ve been relying on their recommendations for years.  They classify Chilean Sea Bass as a fish to avoid–by my (admittedly hypocritical) way of looking at the world, the appearance of Chilean Sea Bass on a restaurant menu tells me a lot about that restaurant’s priorities. Read more at feeds.rosen.com