One thing we’ve noticed over the years is a lot of fish have multiple names. We suppose it’s a regional thing where folks grow up calling something by a certain name and others grow up calling it another name. We wouldn’t waste your time with that intro if it weren’t relevant to this particular dish. Around here (Virginia, USA) this fish is often called rockfish, to the point where we assumed that was simply the name. However, upon a little research – yes, we do that here – rockfish happens to be a widely used term (go figure, see more here). In this instance we are referring to a fish native to the Atlantic side of the United States. Shockingly (sarcasm!) it has multiple names itself. Read more here.
We’ll stop beating you over the head with questions that will never even get asked at your favorite watering hole’s trivia night. We get it… you’re here because you saw this fish at the store, you bought it, and now you want to know what the hell to do with it. Cool, we got you. We have good news… this Mediterranean Striped Bass is so simple. You can impress with this and hardly break a sweat.
Preparation: Mediterranean Striped Bass
Like always, the first thing we’re going to do is prep the ingredients. It always makes life easier in the kitchen. Once you do that, let’s talk, right after you preheat that oven to 350 degrees.
Pat the fish dry and season fillets with salt, pepper, and smoked paprika. Drizzle the oil and heat a cast iron or oven safe pan over medium heat. When pan gets hot (it should sizzle when you add something to it) drop in the fillets of fish. Cook for 1 minute on each side. Remove and set aside.
In the same pan, drizzle more oil if needed. Saute the bell pepper and onions for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add in the garlic and green onion and saute for another 1 – 2 minutes, until fragrant. Add in the tomatoes and cook for another 2 minutes, stirring occasionally (as always, do not burn the garlic!).
Stir in the balsamic vinegar, wine, lemon slices, lemon zest, capers and thyme. Cook for another minute and remove from heat. Create some space in the pan for the 4 fillets by moving the contents to either side. Place the fillets skin side down in the cast iron pan nestled in the pan contents.
Place the pan in the oven and bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let rest for 5 minutes before serving.
What you did there was awesomeness, but also not complicated. Celebrate your success with a cold beverage of your choice. We served our with a side Caesar Salad. Use a kit if you need to, let’s not complicate this 🙂
As you soak in the glory of this dish, consider another one of our favorite Mediterranean seafood dishes, Peix Espasa Català (Catalan Swordfish). Also, very simple!
Equipment: Mediterranean Striped Bass
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The cast iron pan was perfect for this one as it allowed us to do what we needed to do on the stovetop and then transfer to the oven to finish the dish. When cared for correctly, cast iron is one of the most reliable and durable pieces of cooking equipment you can own. So much so that you can pass it down for generations. We recommend having at least one skillet handy for purposes like this and also for use on the grill! Here’s the one we use (affiliate link):
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Mediterranean Striped Bass
Equipment
- Cast Iron Pan (or other oven safe pan)
Ingredients
Season the fish
- 2 lbs. Striped Bass, filleted 4 fillets is what we used, dividing 2 large ones in half (known as rockfish in Mid-Atlantic USA)
- Salt and Pepper, to season fish to taste approx. ½ tsp. of each, give or take
- ½ tsp. Smoked Paprika
- 2 tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Prep the fixin's
- ½ Onion, diced yellow or sweet
- 1 Yellow Bell Pepper, sliced thin Could use red or orange too
- 2 cloves Garlic, diced
- 2 Green Onions, sliced thin White and Green-White parts only
- 3 Roma Tomatoes, diced Could use lengthwise sliced grape tomatoes as well.
- 2 tbsp. Balsamic Vinegar
- 2 tbsp. Sherry or White Wine (optional)
- 1 Lemon, zested
- ½ Lemon, thinly sliced
- 1 tbsp. Capers
- 1 tbsp. Fresh Thyme, removed from stem 2 – 3 sprigs
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Pat the fish dry and season fillets with salt, pepper, and smoked paprika. Drizzle the oil and heat a cast iron or oven safe pan over medium heat. When pan gets hot (it should sizzle when you add something to it) drop in the fillets of fish. Cook for 1 minute on each side. Remove and set aside.
- In same pan, drizzle more oil if needed. Saute the bell pepper and onions for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add in the garlic and green onion and saute for another 1 – 2 minutes, until fragrant. Add in the tomatoes and cook for another 2 minutes, stirring occasionally (do not burn the garlic!).
- Stir in the balsamic vinegar, wine, lemon slices, lemon zest, capers and thyme. Cook for another minute and remove from heat. Create some space in the pan for the 4 fillets by moving the contents to either side. Place the fillets skin side down in the cast iron pan nestled in the pan contents.
- Place the pan in the oven and bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Notes
- If you do not have an pan that can be used both on the stovetop and the oven then transfer to an oven safe pan or casserole dish
- Can sub shallots for onions (we used what we had!)
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