Oven-Baked Sea Bass: A Simple Recipe

This straightforward oven-baked sea bass recipe is perfect for novice cooks. Known as "Loup de Mer," sea bass is a delightful fish that requires minimal preparation, allowing the oven to do most of the work. It’s a simple yet delicious dish.

Ingredients for Oven-Baked Sea Bass

Sea Bass: For a serving of four, you will need two fish. Fresh sea bass should have a scent reminiscent of the ocean rather than a fishy odor. Look for firm skin, clear and shiny eyes, and bright red to brown gills that are moist, along with firm flesh. A quick test is to press the fish's skin; if the indentation bounces back quickly, the fish is fresh. Ensure the sea bass is scaled and gutted.

Herbs and Aromatics: You will need flat-leaf parsley and basil, garlic, one lemon, salt, and pepper. That’s all you need!

Easy Preparation for Oven-Baked Sea Bass

Shopping and Storage

Proper storage of fresh fish is crucial. It’s essential to unpack the fish as soon as you get home and place it on a plate or platter, covering it with another plate or plastic wrap before refrigerating. The fish can be stored in the fridge for one to two days.

Tip: Fresh fish usually arrives in stores on Tuesdays and Fridays, making them older by Thursday and Monday. It’s best to ask your fishmonger for the freshest options available.

Preparation

Rinse the fish under cold water and dry it with paper towels. Rub the exterior and interior with oil, salt, and pepper. Finally, fill the cavity with lemon slices, herbs, and garlic.

Baking

Place the prepared fish in a preheated oven. After 20 minutes, check the flesh, and continue baking until it reaches your preferred doneness. That’s it!

You can find the exact ingredients and measurements for the oven-baked sea bass in the recipe card below, which you can also print out.

Is Sea Bass Overfished?

Fortunately, the sea bass is not universally at risk of extinction. The striped sea bass found in the North Atlantic is sustainably caught using traditional methods rather than large bottom trawlers, leading to a healthy population. Stricter regulations from Norway to Senegal have allowed the striped sea bass to recover.

Why I Recommend Oven-Baked Sea Bass

• Healthy: Fish is rich in high-quality proteins, essential fatty acids, and vital micronutrients, making it a great choice for at least once a week.
• Simple: Just wash, season, fill with herbs, and bake—it's that easy.
• Delicious: The aromatic flesh of the fish, enhanced with herbs and lemon, is flavorful on its own. It pairs well with simple sides like roasted vegetables.
• Low Effort: This recipe requires no pots or pans, minimizing cleanup time.

Tips for the Sea Bass Recipe

I enjoy pairing simple fish dishes with a fresh green salad. Traditional accompaniments for fish include rice and potatoes, but you can also serve a vegetable salad or roasted veggies. The choice is yours!

• 2 whole sea bass (approx. 400 g each, scaled and cleaned)
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 organic lemon, sliced
• 4 cloves of garlic, sliced
• A handful of flat-leaf parsley and basil, roughly chopped

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C (180°C for fan ovens).
2. Rinse the fish under water and pat dry with paper towels, inside and out.
3. Make several cuts down to the bone and rub the inside with oil, salt, and pepper.
4. Stuff the fish with lemon slices, garlic, and fresh herbs, and season.
5. Drizzle the remaining olive oil over the fish.
6. Bake in the lower third of the oven until the dorsal fins can be easily pulled out (about 20-25 minutes).

Calories: 285 kcal

• I recommend serving with green asparagus or broccolini (Bimi). You can add the vegetables to the oven during the last 10-12 minutes of cooking.

For a relaxing atmosphere in the kitchen, check out my personal Elle Republic: Chilled Out Kitchen Tunes playlist on Spotify.

Let us know how it turned out!

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