Welcome to the Snack with Sash renaissance. This era is characterized by eating good, looking better, and cooking a whole fish whenever you can. Cooking seafood, other than shrimp of course, was a little intimidating for me! Despite countless seafood weeks in my lab classes, one of my biggest culinary fears is overcooked fish. It's a crime I refuse to commit.
This recipe not only made me face my fears, but convinced me that the best way to eat fish is whole. My partner and I made this during our week-long baecation — a week where we could truly unwind from a hectic semester and let the fact that we are seniors sink in.
Cooking is the ultimate love language for us, and this fish we prepared was our favorite meal of the week. Some ideas we jotted down in the morning became a full fledged meal by the end of the night. Our baked sea bass was part of a larger feast, and those recipes are coming soon! If you needed a nudge to embrace your inner Snack with Sash and cook a lovely lil' meal — let this be your sign.
Baked Sea Bass
from prep to plate!
Green Goodness Paste
7 to 8 whole scallions, roughly chopped
1 generous handful of parsley, including some stems, roughly chopped
1 generous handful of cilantro, including some stems, roughly chopped
*if your tastebuds don't agree with cilantro, feel free to use even more parsley!
1 shallot, roughly chopped
1 knob of ginger, roughly chopped
3 cloves of garlic, smashed
1 habanero, with seeds and pith removed, cut in half
Juice of one whole lime
Salt and Pepper to taste
Sea Bass
1 sea bass or white fish of your choice, gutted and cleaned with head and tail still on
Pre-heat your oven to 400°F.
Blend the Green Goodness paste using an immersion blender, mortar and pestle, or food processor, and set aside.
Put a piece of parchment paper large enough to wrap your fish onto a sheet tray. Set aside.
Place your fish onto the parchment and cover with the Green Goodness paste. Do not forget the insides of the fish!
Wrap the parchment around the fish. Start by folding top down then fold the sides inward.
Use anything you have on hand to secure the parchment.
This fish is cooked en papillote, but my love and I did not have butchers twine — so we got creative and used toothpicks. If you're crafty like we are, sprinkle some water on your toothpicks so they do not burn in the oven!
Bake your fish for 25 minutes or until flakey and falling off the bone.
Plate and Serve.
This fish is best enjoyed with someone you love, eating with your hands because you can't believe how easy and delicious all of this was. Cheers!