Literally three ingredients, plus the sea bass, the rich, mild, and buttery flavor of the sea bass is complimented with the sweet and salty marinade, plus the smokiness of the bacon.
If you are not a fan of fish because of the “fishy” flavor, give this sea bass dish a try!
How is Sea Bass Cooked?
Sea bass flesh is firm, so while we are roasting in the oven in this recipe, it also holds up well to pan searing and grilling. The flesh is so moist, that it is almost foolproof, and will not dry out. If you are a novice in preparing fish, this is a good one to try.
Is Sea Bass Healthy?
You betcha! It’s a lean high protein food that is high in heart healthy omega-3 fatty acids.
Which Sea Bass is the Best?
I like Chilean Sea Bass for its’ shape, firm texture, and sweet buttery flesh. The texture is firm, but it melts in your mouth when you eat it. Other varieties like black bass, Bronzino (European bass), and striped bass are also delicious, flaky, and mild, but do not have the richness of Chilean Sea Bass.
What you Need to Make Bacon Wrapped Chilean Sea Bass
Chilean Sea Bass – This fish is rich, and you will only need about a six ounce portion per person. The pieces typically come pre-cut from the fish monger with bones removed, but double check and make sure there are no bones. I like to remove the skin, or you can leave it on, or have your fish monger remove it.
Tamari– I like tamari instead of soy sauce. It has a much richer flavor, but you can swap soy sauce in a pinch.
Balsamic Vinegar – Check you labels for unwanted additives like caramel coloring, which is a potential carcinogen. Your balsamic should just be made with grape must. If there are any other ingredients, put that one back on the shelf, and get a brand that is just grape must.
Bacon – You will need one piece of bacon per portion of Chilean Sea Bass. The bacon will be pre-cooked by about 50%. You want it to be wiggly enough so it will wrap around the Chilean Sea Bass, but cooked enough so it will be crispy when the fish is roasted. I choose uncured, sugar free, nitrite free bacon as a rule in my house, but you can use your favorite brand. Thick cut varieties of bacon may be difficult to wrap around the Chilean Sea Bass, so bigger is not better for this recipe.
Round this out with a starch and a veggie to complete the meal, if desired. I’m pairing this with Vegetable Fried Thai Jasmine Rice because I had a lot of bits of different kinds of veggies in the frig, and fried rice is a wonderful way to clean out the frig and minimize waste. I added some scrambled egg and edamame to the rice for extra protein. I also made a simple green salad to provide color and texture to the plate. I had a Cara Cara orange on hand, so segmented it and added it to the salad for color and a little sweetness to balance the richness of the Chilean sea bass.
Instagram Tutorial
Bacon Wrapped Chilean Sea Bass
Serves 2
Ingredients
2 six ounce Chilean Sea Bass filets, free of skin and bones
¼ cup Tamari
¼ cup Balsamic Vinegar
2 slices bacon
Procedure
-Mix tamari and balsamic vinegar in a small bowl
-Add Chilean Sea Bass to bowl, roll fish to coat in marinade, cover and refrigerate
-Marinate fish for at least two hours, and up to four hours, turning once in marinade
-Preheat oven to 350 degrees F convection roast with a rack in the oven center
-On a parchment lined baking pan, bake two slices of bacon on the center rack until 50% cooked, about 5 minutes each side. It should still be “wiggly” so you can wrap the bacon around the Chilean Sea Bass before baking the fish
-Remove bacon from pan, and place on paper towels
-Remove Chilean Sea Bass from marinade, wrap one bacon slice around each piece of fish, and place bacon wrapped fish on same pan that bacon was cooked on
-Discard marinade once fish is removed
-Return pan to oven, and roast until fish achieves internal temperature of 145 degrees F, and bacon is crispy, about 15 minutes
-Serve immediately
-You can multiply this recipe for several portions, but will not need to multiply the marinade, but make sure there is enough marinade to adequately coat the fish
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