Sea bass on the back

How to make a sea bass on your back .

A good recipe for baked fish is one of those simpler and more grateful dishes that we can prepare, and with some basic ingredients we will get a category dish.

Whether it is a sea bass, a sea bream , a turbot , … a good piece of fresh fish will make a difference on the table.

In this case I have opted for a typical dish from good Northern restaurants, sea bass on my back. It is so named because it is cooked “open” in half, without a central spine and with the skin side down, either on the griddle or in the oven.

This is a highly prized fish with excellent flavor and texture. In the kitchen it stands out for its versatility, since it could be cooked from many different options and with simple recipes.

On the blog you will already find enough dishes with sea bass: baked sea ​​bass , baked sea ​​bass with pea rice , sea ​​bass with salt  and baked sea bass with potatoes and apple .

In addition to being very nutritious and healthy, another of its virtues is the presence of few bones in its meat. For this reason it is a fish that will get along well with the smallest of the house.

Preparation of sea bass on the back

1. When we buy the sea bass, we will ask the fishmonger to prepare us to do it on the back, that is, open in half (including the head) and without the central thorn.
2. We preheat the oven to 200º C.
3. We wash the potatoes, peel them and cut them “in the bakery”, into somewhat thick slices. We are placing them on a baking tray, covering the entire surface. Salt to taste, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, and bake for 10-15 minutes at 180ºC.
4. We will use a large baking tray, suitable for the size of the fish, and a little high. In my case, since the tray was slightly smaller than the fish, I chose to remove the head from the sea bass.
5. After the baking time, remove the tray with the potatoes. We place on them the sea bass “open”, with the skin down.
6. We salt to taste, drizzle with a good stream of extra virgin olive oil and finally add the wine to the tray.

Sea bass baked. Final presentation

1. We now bake 15 minutes at 180º C, with the tray in the central position. Temperature up and down.
2. The time that the sea bass needs for its realization depends on its weight; for one kilo fish we will have to have it for 15-16 minutes and then we will add 10 more minutes for each kilo that the piece weighs more. If we get a sea bass of more than 1 kilo you will already have a luxury dish.
3. This recommended time and temperature is for the fish to be at its point, to better appreciate its texture and flavor. If you prefer more done, increase the total time by 5 minutes. If we are going to bake 2 sea bass of 600 g. for example, with 12 minutes they would be there.
4. Remember that each oven is a world and that yours, you know better than me. When baking, keep in mind how your oven works.
5. After time, turn off and let stand while we do the rehash.
6. We peel the garlic cloves, and cut them into thin slices. In a frying pan, pour a sheet of virgin olive oil and fry until golden.

Remove the sea bass from the oven and pour the sofrito on top. Finally, we add fresh parsley. We serve hot at the table, and enjoy this platform, worthy of the best restaurants.

Be sure to enjoy all the recipes for fish and seafood that we have on the blog. You can see all the photos of the step by step of this  recipe for baked sea bass in the next album.

Tips for a sea bass on your back

• For this recipe, I have ordered a wild sea bass from the neighborhood fishmonger, about 1 / 1.2 kg. The price of this type of fish is high, but I assure you that it is worth giving yourself a tribute from time to time. The difference from aquaculture is significant.
• Anyway, this dish can be perfectly made with an aquaculture sea bass. Nowadays it is possible to find large ration pieces, or even order a larger one (about 1 / 1.5 kg). The latter have an intermediate price, between the cheap and the wild.
• For all that has been mentioned, it is not surprising that the wild sea bass is present in the most prestigious restaurants and menus, especially those that are committed to fresh and quality products.
• What fish can you prepare open or on the back? Sea bass, sea bream, sea bream … whatever your pocket allows. To prepare this sea bass on your back, you will only need a few basic ingredients, and in just over half an hour you will have it ready. For pairing, I recommend a good Galician white wine, from one of the 5 Galician designations of origin.