Ideas for cooking with Chilean seabass "pieces"

[ixshelle]

Hi everyone,

My local fishmonger sells lots of different fish "pieces" (relatively thin 2-4in chunks leftover from filleting), for very cheap. I'm always tempted to buy some because I love seabass so much but rarely eat it because of the price. Other than ceviche, does anyone have any ideas for recipes to use the seabass or other variety of fish pieces in?

Cheers,
Michelle

[ipsedixit]

Why not just prepare them the same way you would a whole filet?

[ixshelle]

I haven't dealt with much fish and I'm worried about over cooking the thin, uneven pieces.

[smtucker]

Allow me to play fish-cheerleader here. Prepare 6 small pieces of fish for cooking. Note the time, and cook piece no 1. Flip when you think side one is ready. Flip. Remove from the pan when you think it is done. Note the time. Now taste the fish. Is it overcooked? If yes, get a timer, and set to one minute less than the amount of time you cooked piece 1. Etc, repeat as necessary.

Get the cooking time right on any protein take practice. [Oh, and make sure you touch the fish as it is cooking so you learn what the fish feels like when it is done as you like. Then you can cook fish that is any size.]

Jump in and cook!

[ixshelle]

Thanks for this. I definitely want to put aside the time to learn how to get it right--sounds like a perfect Sunday project. :]

[acgold7]

Kebabs, stir-fry or Bouillabaisse.

[ixshelle]

Ah, bouillabaisse! Perfect, thank you. :]

[modthyrth]

Lotus of Siam (a fabulous Thai restaurant in Las Vegas) makes an amazing drunken noodles with sea bass. I dream about that dish sometimes.

[tommy]

Chilean sea bass? Or other sea bass. Either way I'd eat it.

[modthyrth]

I'm pretty sure it was Chilean sea bass, but I could be wrong. It was certainly delicious! Fried, but without any breading or batter, so it was actually very light, perfectly cooked through, but with a bit of crunch to the edges, like a really good sear.

[ixshelle]

Mmm that sounds fantastic.

[tommy]

fish tacos.

[ixshelle]

Love it. Tacos are such a perfect go-to, I don't know why I didn't think of them. I think every time I see that sign that says "Chilean Seabass $4.99/lb" my brain just stops functioning.

[tommy]

Tossed in cornmeal and sautéed.

[smtucker]

Fish chowder, fish soup, fish confit, fish cakes, smoked fish, pan fried fish, gosh... almost anything at all!

[ixshelle]

Indeed I had curries and such in mind, I'd just hate to overcook it especially since the pieces aren't uniform in size. I'm the only person in my household that eats seafood at all, so unfortunately I haven't had much experience preparing it :/

[smtucker]

Curries would be great! So, make one of your favorite curries. Rub the fish pieces with some of the same spices that you have put into the curry. In a separate pan, pan sautée the fish. Serve the curries, placing the fish on yours only. You could also steam the fish [with the spices] for just a moment if you don't want to add any oil to conflict with your curry.

[BobB]

Toss them in seasoned flour and pan fry or deep fry. I do this with haddock regularly, and serve it with a quick spicy remoulade (just mix mayonnaise, lemon juice, chopped pickled jalapeño, and hot sauce to taste).

[ixshelle]

That sounds amazing. I think I just doubled my weekly intake of fried food. Diet be damned.