Parchment Baked Black Bass Recipes

SAKE SEA BASS IN PARCHMENT

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°F with a baking sheet on bottom rack.
• Stir together sake, soy sauce, ginger, and sugar in a bowl.
• If fish fillets are more than 4 inches long, fold ends under. Put a fish fillet in center of each parchment square and season with 1/4 teaspoon salt (total). Working with 1 portion at a time, sprinkle fish with some of scallions and spoon some of sake mixture over top (hold up 2 corners of parchment to prevent liquid from running off). Gather sides of parchment up over fish to form a pouch, leaving no openings, and tie tightly with string.
• Bake on hot baking sheet until fish is just cooked through, 10 to 12 minutes.

ROASTED WHOLE BLACK BASS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Rinse the fish and dry thoroughly with a paper towel. Score each side of the fish 3 to 4 times on a bias, about 1/2-inch deep. Combine the parsley, tarragon and thyme into 1 large bunch with the stems attached, and separate out one-third of the bunch. Finely chop the separated, smaller bunch. Mix with one-quarter of the fennel slices, one-third of the fronds, garlic and capers and 2 of the lemon slices, making a sort of herby citrus marinade. Mix the chopped herb mixture with the olive oil and rub the mixture inside and outside of the fish as well as inside the slits. This will allow the herby citrus flavors to permeate through the fish. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Place half of the remaining herbs, fennel, lemon slices, garlic and capers in a bed on the bottom of a roasting pan and the other half inside the cavity of the fish. Place the fish in a roasting pan. Evenly distribute the wine and butter pats in the pan, and place in the oven. The wine will help keep your fish moist and help steam it, as well as making a great sauce with the butter. Roast until the fish has cooked through, or until the skin is crispy and the fish is flaky, 25 to 30 minutes. Carefully transfer the fish to a serving platter with a bed of the Israeli Couscous (be careful, the fish is tender and can break). Pour the sauce from the pan over the fish and fillet to serve.
• Bring 3 cups salted water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add the couscous, cover and remove from the heat. Allow the couscous to sit until the water is absorbed, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in the currants, fresh herbs, lemon zest and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper and stir in a small glug of olive oil before serving. Yield: 6 servings.

WILD STRIPED BASS EN PAPILLOTE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Fold 4 large square sheets of parchment paper in half. Starting at the fold, cut out a large half heart shape. Open the paper flat on a surface with the point of the heart towards you. Butter the centers of each heart lightly with a teaspoon of the butter.
• Divide the Swiss chard into 4 portions. Place a pile onto each heart, centering it on 1 side of the heart, towards the crease. Top each with 1/4 of the zucchini, asparagus, corn, and mushrooms. Season the fish well with salt and pepper and place a fillet on top of each pile of vegetables. Place 1 teaspoon of butter on each fillet and sprinkle each with some of the parsley, tarragon, shallots, and garlic. Drizzle a little white wine over each.
• Fold the paper over to cover the fish. Starting at the top of the heart, tightly fold over the edges, overlapping each time, all the way to the point, until it is sealed. Tuck under the last fold to keep it closed. Butter the tops of the packets with the remaining butter. Place the packages onto a baking sheet and put them into the oven for 15 minutes.
• To serve, put the papillotes onto plates and unfold them at the table. (Be careful of the hot steam.) Serve with lemon wedges.

PARCHMENT-BAKED BLACK BASS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place a 12-ounce bass fillet in center of a 16-by-20-inch piece of parchment. Whisk together 1/2 teaspoon sugar and 3 tablespoons soy sauce; drizzle over fish. Sprinkle with 3 tablespoons julienned fresh ginger. Fold edges to seal. Place on a baking sheet; bake for 12 minutes.

LOUP DE MER EN PAPILLOTE (BAKED SEA BASS WRAPPED IN PAPER)

Steps:

• Preheat oven (390° F, 200° C).
• Pepare a parchment paper large enough to wrap the fish. Spread a little of the olive oil where you will put the fish on.
• Crush the black peppercorns a little in a mortar and pestal, but it should be coarse though.
• Remove from one rosemary sprig, the leaves. You can chop them, but I prefer to leave the small leaves as they are.
• Clean the fish and brush both sides with olive oil. Salt to taste (inside and outside).
• Put 2 sprigs of rosemary into the cavity and also add a small piece of butter. If you like, put 2 slices of lemon into the cavity too.
• Sprinkle a little of black pepper and rosemary leaves onto the parchment paper and then place the fish on it.
• Cover the fish with the rest of black pepper and the rosemary leaves.
• Squash the garlic cloves (do not peel them) and place them on top of fish. Cut the butter into small pieces and arrange on top of fish too.
• Wrap the parchment paper around the fish to make a package. Fold over the edges to seal the package.
• Brush a little of the olive oil over the paper. This will protect it from burning.
• Put the package on a baking tray and bake for about 25 minutes.
• Serve the fish hot in the package.
• NOTE: use smaller fish for this recipe.

PARCHMENT-BAKED SEA BASS WITH MORELS AND RED WINE SAUCE

Steps:

• Bring 1 1/4 cups clam juice to boil in small saucepan. Add morels; remove from heat. Let stand until soft, about 35 minutes. Strain mixture; reserve morels and soaking liquid separately.
• Preheat oven to 475°F. To form heart-shape packets, stack two 14-inch squares of parchment or foil and fold in half, forming rectangle. Cut into half-heart shape. Open hearts; brush each with oil. Place 1 fish fillet on 1 half of each heart. Sprinkle fish with salt and pepper. Top fish with morels, dividing equally. Fold parchment or foil over fish, folding edges over tightly to seal and enclosing fish completely. Place on baking sheet. Bake until fish is opaque in center, about 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, boil wine and shallots in small saucepan until wine is reduced to 1/4 cup, about 6 minutes. Add reserved mushroom soaking liquid; boil until reduced to 1/2 cup, about 4 minutes.
• Mix cornstarch and remaining 1/4 cup clam juice in small bowl. Whisk into sauce. Simmer over medium heat until sauce thickens, about 1 minute.
• Place packets on plates. Open packets; spoon sauce over fish and serve.

BAKED SEA BASS WITH ROASTED GARLIC, CHILI, AND ROSEMARY

Steps:

• Set the oven to 400°F Place the garlic cloves in a roasting pan and drizzle with 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
• Season with a little salt and freshly ground black pepper and roast for 10 minutes or so until soft and creamy inside.
• Put a piece of parchment paper large enough to wrap the fish in on top of a piece of foil cut to the same size, making sure that the shiny side is facing downwards.
• Lay the bass on top and tuck the garlic in the stomach cavity and around the fish.
• Scatter the crumbled chilies over the top; lay the rosemary on the fish and season with a sprinkling of salt.
• Fold the foil up and crimp at the edges to form a parcel. Pour in the wine and remaining olive oil and seal the rest of the foil so that the fish is completely enclosed - it should look like a large pastie!
• Bake for 25 minutes then remove from the oven. To serve, open the parcel in front of your guest, squeeze over the lemon and dive in!