Best Sea Bass Veracruzana Recipes

SEA BASS VERACRUZ

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Combine tomatoes, olives, cilantro, jalapeno, lime juice, and capers together in a bowl. Place flour in a shallow bowl.
• Place fish on a flat work surface and season with salt and pepper. Dredge one side of each fillet in flour.
• Heat oil in a large, ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add fish, flour-side down, and saute for 3 minutes. Transfer to a plate. Stir broth into skillet and scrape the bottom to deglaze. Add 1/2 the tomato mixture. Add onion, garlic, bay leaves, and thyme. Saute 3 minutes more. Nestle fillets into the skillet.
• Place skillet in the preheated oven and roast until fish flakes easily with a fork, 5 to 7 minutes.
• Remove and discard bay leaves. Add remaining tomato mixture to the skillet. Season with salt and pepper. Serve fillets topped with tomato mixture.

SEA BASS ALLA FIORENTINA

Steps:

• Season both sides of the fish with salt and pepper. Put the flour in a shallow bowl, dredge the fish, tapping off the excess flour to create a light coating.
• In a medium nonstick fry pan, heat the 3 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Cook the fish until golden brown, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer fish to a plate.
• Wipe out the pan with a paper towel and heat the remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic, tomatoes, water, parsley, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and cook at a simmer for 10 minutes. Add the basil and the fish and heat for 2 minutes. Serve immediately.

SEA BASS WITH CLAMS IN LEMONY ESCAROLE

Steps:

• In a large nonstick saute pan over medium heat, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add pancetta and stir with a wooden spoon so you have some nice curls. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes until crispy then remove to paper towels. Reserve pancetta fat in the pan and add the chicken stock, lemon, garlic, thyme and bay leaf. Bring to a boil then and then add escarole and clams. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes until clams open. Season with salt, pepper, and sugar.
• Season bass fillets with salt and pepper. Place a large saute pan over medium heat and add remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil. Once oil is smoking add the fillets, skin side down and don't move for 3 minutes. Using a fish spatula carefully pick up fillets and set in the pan over escarole and poaching broth flesh side down for 30 seconds.
• Divide escarole and clams with the broth on individual plates, top each with a bass fillet and garnish with the crispy pancetta.

PESCADO VERACRUZANO (BAKED FISH VERACRUZ STYLE)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
• Squeeze lime and rub fish with juice. Coarsely chop lime rind and put in cavity. Sprinkle fish inside and out with pepper. Place in baking dish.
• Heat oil in saucepan and add onion and garlic and cook, stirring, until wilted. Add green peppers and stir briefly. Add oregano, pepper flakes and tomatoes. Bring to boil and let cook about 10 minutes.
• Pour sauce over fish and place in oven. Bake, basting often with sauce, about 30 minutes or until done. When cooked, back fin bones will slip out easily when tugged. Brush fish with sauce and serve.

SEA BASS WITH LEMON AND CAPER SAUCE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Season sea bass fillets with salt and pepper. In a saute pan, over high heat, add the olive oil and sear fish fillets skin side down first, for 3 minutes or until golden brown. Turn fish over and cook another 4 minutes or until cooked through.
• Meanwhile, prepare the croutons. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter. Toss with bread cubes and transfer to a baking sheet. Bake in oven for 4 minutes or until crisp and golden in color. Transfer to a small bowl and set aside.
• In another saute pan, heat 2 tablespoons of butter. Over high heat, saute the baby vegetables until glazed. Divide into 2 and mound in center of plate. Keep warm.
• Add the remaining 2 ounces of butter to the fillets and baste them with the butter. Place a fillet and the red peppers on top of the vegetables. Sprinkle half of the croutons on top and around each fillet. To butter, add shallots and continue to cook until butter turns brown. Deglaze with lemon juice, and add the lemon pieces, parsley, chives, tarragon, capers, and caper berries. When heated, pour half over and around each fillet. Serve immediately.
• Note: if sea bass is not available, any firm white fish can be substituted.

HERB-ROASTED SEA BASS WITH SALSA VERDE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450°F. Lightly brush baking sheet with olive oil. Place fish fillets on baking sheet. Brush fish with olive oil; drizzle with lemon juice. Sprinkle fish with salt and pepper, then herbs.
• Bake fish until just opaque in center, about 10 minutes. Transfer fish to plates. Spoon some Salsa Verde over fish. Pass remaining Salsa Verde separately.