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Published May 7th, 2014
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A Fish Tale
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| By Susie Iventosch |
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| Seabass with sesame-chili oil and toasted almonds. Photo Susie Iventosch |
One day we were really craving Chilean sea bass, but wanted to keep it as simple as possible, since we had a very busy day, that particular day. Our family really likes sesame oil for a lot of different recipes, including cabbage salad and Chinese chicken salad. I actually just love to smell it right in the bottle; it has such a fantastic aroma.
It so happened that my son had just purchased a bottle of sesame-chili oil for a different recipe, something I'd not seen before he brought it home. But it was really good and we decided to use it on our sea bass. So we brushed the entire sea bass fillet with the sesame-chili oil, seasoned it with fresh ground pepper and then completely covered the tops and sides of the fillet with chopped, toasted slivered almonds and baked it in a foil tent. This dish was so good, it was hard to believe how simple it was to put together.
For several years, Chilean sea bass was on the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch "red" list as a fish to be avoided due to over-fishing and pirate fishing. Many fishermen were catching the fish illegally in water belonging to others, and failed to report their catches or to consider the impact of over-fishing on the sustainability of the species.
The mission of the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch is the conservation of the oceans and the sustainability of wild, diverse and healthy ocean ecosystems, by helping consumers and businesses make healthy choices for the sustainability of the oceans and sea life. According to Seafood Watch, nearly 85 percent of the world's fisheries are overfished or fished to capacity. Through research and programs they initiate, they have been able to work with industry experts to create better, more sustainable fishery practices.
Since the red-listing of several fish, including the Chilean sea bass, the fishing industry along with governments have worked hard to eliminate pirate fishing and to document the sourcing for fish that enters the country. As a result of these efforts, Chilean sea bass is once again okay to eat. This is great news, because it is so delicious! Seafood Watch says to look for the blue eco-label of the Marine Stewardship Council.
Seafood Watch has a free app for the iPhone and Android phones, so you can double check the sources and to see which fish is good to buy or avoid, before you purchase your fish!
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For more information regarding Chilean sea bass, or any other type of seafood, please visit Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch:
http://www.seafoodwatch.org/cr/SeafoodWatch/web/sfw_factsheet.aspx?gid=11.
Marine Stewardship Council:
http://www.msc.org/search?SearchableText=sea+bass&facet=true&facet.field=portal_type.
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Seabass with Sesame-Chili Oil and Toasted Almonds
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| By Susie Iventosch |
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(Serves 3-4)
INGREDIENTS
1.5 to 2 pounds Chilean sea bass fillet(s)
2 tablespoons sesame-chili oil (Dynasty packages this oil)
3/4 cup slivered almonds, toasted and finely chopped
DIRECTIONS
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking dish with foil. Spray bottom of foil with cooking spray and lay fish fillets on foil. Brush tops and sides of fish fillets with sesame-chili oil, sprinkle with a little black pepper and pat chopped almonds to completely cover tops and sides of fish. Tent with foil and seal edges.
Bake for 18-22 minutes, depending upon the thickness of the fish fillets. Open foil for the last few minutes to allow nuts to get a little bit more crunchy.
Serve with your favorite rice (or the tabouli-black rice dish minus the chicken; see the recipe in our archive at http://www.lamorindaweekly.com/archive/issue0804/Forbidden-Black-Rice-Tabouli-Chicken-Bowl.html) and drizzle any drippings over top of fish.
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Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA