Today I have a delicious recipe that takes minimal effort to prepare, lemon stuffed Mediterranean Sea Bass cooked in foil. This time of year easy meals are a must because they allow us to enjoy the beautiful weather, and not be stuck in the kitchen for a long time. Paired with a healthy green salad and you can treat the family to a healthy, nutritious and yummy summer feast.
Have you ever tasted Mediterranean Sea Bass? The taste is wonderful! It’s not a stinky or fishy tasting fish, it’s also not a mild or bland one either. The taste is difficult for me to describe, but I can tell you is that it is one of the best tasting fish.
Previously I’ve eaten it at restaurants where it was either grilled or wrapped in grape leaves and cooked in the oven. My preference from these two methods was the one with the grape leaves…my mouth waters as I type this. Seriously you must taste it like that sometime. Unfortunately I didn’t have any grape leaves so I decided to wrap it in foil instead.
The recipe is quite simple and feel free to adapt it to the ingredients you have at hand. If Mediterranean Sea Bass, or Branzino, isn’t available to you any other whole fish may be used — I often use this method for trout.
- 2 Mediterranean Sea Bass or other whole fish if desired
- 1 small lemon, sliced
- sea salt, to taste
- freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- good quality olive oil
- aluminum foil
- Salad greens mix of choice
- Kalamata olives, pitted and halved
- green olives, pitted and halved
- cherry tomatoes, halved
- Grana Padano cheese or your favorite Italian cheese
- olive oil and vinegar for dressing or your favorite
- a sprinkling of sea salt
- freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- Gut, scale and rinse the fish throughly. Pat dry with paper towels. Heat the oven to 180C or 350F, and have a baking sheet handy. Cut two large pieces of foil, big enough to wrap each whole fish. In each piece lay the fish. Rub with olive oil on both sides and a little inside. Make sure that it is enough to avoid the fish sticking to the foil. Sprinkle with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper on both sides, and inside the cavity. Stuff lemon slices in each fish, amount is as desired. Fold and crimp the foil to make a pocket. Lay on baking sheet and place in center of oven. Bake for 30-40 minutes depending on the size of fish. The skin will feel soft but the meat will be firm.
- If you would like to make the skin crispier, unwrap the fish after it has cooked through and set under broiler or turn up the heat and allow to crisp up. But be warned that this might make the fish stick to the foil a bit.
- Toss and combine ingredients, grate some cheese over the salad and serve with your favorite dressing.
Seasoning and Spices: Garlic may also be added if desired. In place of lemons use lime or lemon grass. Herbs such as fresh parsley, cilantro, or basil would also taste great. Give the fish a little color and spice boost by using chile powder or paprika, or even pepper flakes.
Instead of foil you can use parchment paper, or also place the fish on the grill.
This was my favorite dinner this week. I love seafood and fish, and this sea bass is something I could eat every week…multiple times a week.
Hope you are all having a great weekend!
A refined tasting dish and beautiful way of preparing sea bass.
Cheers,
Rosa
Thank you Rosa!
The Branzini recipe was absolutely delicious. This is a most tender fish. I like this recipe in particular since I like my fish ‘straight up.’ A most simple recipe like this allows one to experience the flavor of the fish instead of a sauce.
Thank you Norma, I’m glad to hear you enjoyed the recipe and also like your fish simple like I do.:)
This looks mouthwatering! I love fish, and we can usually find some good varieties so close to the ocean. I’m pretty sure I can get my hands on some Branzino (I’m sure the word here is similar). I also have some grape vines in the backyard with some lovely leaves on it to wrap around these fishies and give that a try too :)
Thank you Rochelle! I can imagine the great selection you must have. How wonderful that you have grape vines in the backyard. Let me know how you like it — my mouth is watering now.:)
Wow… look at you work those fish. I love that photos of the two fish before they were cooked… they look like they are still trying to swim. :) Looks like a fantastic dinner. :)
Thanks so much!
looks and sounds delicious! Hope your having a fabulous summer! hugs!
Thank you Claudia. I am and how you are too! xx
This is one of my absolute favorite ways to enjoy fresh fish–I grew up eating milkfish that’s been stuffed with chopped onions and tomatoes and baked in foil (or grilled). Seabass is awesome–hard to resist it when I see it on the menu. My kind of meal, Nancy. And I saw your FB post about cleaning these guys yourself–I’ve not quite done that yet; kudos to you!
I’ve never eaten milkfish, will have to keep an eye out for it. I did clean them myself, silly but I was proud. Thanks, Lol:)
What talent you have, Nancy. You can even make dead fish look beautiful. The recipe sounds wonderful as well.
Thanks so much Victoria!
Beautiful presentation, and the foil means less mess to clean! ;)
It does and that’s always a great thing;)
My family loves any kind of fish and this one is really good, as you said. You chose a beautiful way of preparing it.
Thank you Ash:)
In foil is always my favourite way to cook fish. It keeps those yummy juices all inside. The photos are very evocative.
Yes it does and I think it just tastes better this way too. Thank you Suzanne!
Nancy that fish looks sparkling fresh. It’s a perfect way to eat a fresh delicious fish. Happy weekend!
Thanks so much Tania! Have a great week ahead.
I love fish broiled in foil!
Glad to hear it:)
Happy weekend!!! I don’t believe I have tried Mediterranean sea bass, but it sounds wonderful! Hubby and I love grilling, this would be delicious on our wood smoker:-) Hugs, Terra
It is a wonderful fish so I hope you can taste it sometime. On the grill would be awesome! Thanks Terra:)
G’day Nancy! Love the ease and simplicity, true!
I am have cooked a whole fish to date…don’t like bones, but your recipe and photo looks delicious too!
Cheers! Joanne
You could also do this with fillets, Joanne. Thanks so much!
Beautiful dish Nancy! Now I’m dreaming of a trip to the Mediterranean for my own Branzino ;)
I love fish for dinner, it always just hits the spot!
You should come over soon, Patty. Me too, I could eat fish several times a week. Thanks:)
Of course I will second all the other comments, because this is quite my favourite way of cooking a whole fish also [well, steaming it Chinese style comes a pretty close second!]. And the photos DO increase the appetite :) !
Thank you Eha! I haven’t steamed fish yet, maybe sometime soon.:)
Another elegant, fresh recipe with an extraordinary beautiful presentation!
Congrats, Nancy.
Thanks so much Daniela!:)
I love fish cooked in foil! One of the best ways to do it. I’ve had sea bass before, but I don’t think I’ve had Mediterranean sea bass – sounds wonderful. Certainly your recipe is wonderful! Thanks so much.
I agree John. I hope you can find some branzino soon. Thanks!:)
I haven’t tasted bass before but this recipe make me want to give a try. I’m guessing the fish need to be fresh for this to work.
Hi Claire,
That’s too bad, I hope you can try it sometime. No, you could also use the technique with frozen and defrosted fish. Fresh is best but frozen will do. Enjoy!:)
This dish looks perfect and the pictures are breathtaking !
Thank you!:)
Looking at your pictures and recipe took me back to my backpacking days. On some trips, Bobby would catch us river trout and I would prepare them exactly this way! I always brought foil along just in case he caught fish. I’d stuffed them with lemon, wrap in foil and cook over the campfire. Love this preparation and now I wish I had Mediterranean Sea Bass, a fish I’ve never tried. It actually looks like a trout, just bigger. Great meal!
Wow, I’d love to have trout or any other fish straight from the water and onto the grill. What a treat for Bobby to have had you prepare the fish this ways. I hope you can try the Mediterranean Sea Bass some time, it does look like trout but tastes totally different — better I would say. Thanks MJ!
Beautiful sea bass and you definitely know how to eat it best! In Japan we have many kinds of wrap in foil cooking for fish. So easy cleanup. I should do this more often. :)
I love the easy cleanup.:) Thanks Nami
That’s just downright beautiful!
Thank you Maureen:)
Nancy, this looks delicious. And with a salad, so fresh, elegant, healthy and impressive. I’ve never cooked a whole fish. I’ve been so busy this Summer I’ve been delinquent on commenting on my favorite blogs. Waving hello and glad to be able to visit again. Pinning this one.
Hi Lea Ann! Thanks for stopping by I hope you had a wonderful summer.:)
Totally yummy! I roasted some olives and garlic cloves in a dish a long side the fish, then drizzled the entire thing with olive oil and served with a chilled Pouilly-Fuissé!
My son of sixteen loved this recipe using branzino. Me too. Thanks
Thanks David! Glad to hear you both enjoyed it.:)