Recipe - Slashed Sea Bass Stuffed With Herbs

After writing a little about choosing and storing herbs, I felt a recipe making use of fresh herbs was in order and one of the best is the sea bass recipe below. I hope you'll try it, enjoy it, and let me know how you liked it. Try it with a whole fish when you really want to impress. Enjoy!

Slashed Sea Bass Stuffed With Herbs

Ingredients:

6 individual (175-200g) sea bass fillets, or1 sea bass, scaled and cleaned, 3.2 to 3.5 kg.
salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 T. fresh marjoram
2 T. fresh basil or mint
2 T. fresh green herb fennel or dill, roughly chopped
3 lemons
100 ml. extra virgin olive oil

Directions:

1. Preheat the grill or griddle; it must be very hot and clean.

2. Slash the skin side of the fillets by making 1 cm. deep slashes at 6 cm. intervals. Make slashes across the width of the whole sea bass in the same way.

3. Season the fish with salt and pepper.

4. Mix the herbs together, then push as much of this mixture into the slashes as you can, reserving the remainder.

5. Grill the fillets, skin side down first, until done to your liking. Alternatively, place the whole fish carefully on the preheated grill and do not turn over until it is completely sealed - when the fish comes away from the grill easily. When the fish is sealed on both sides, reduce the heat and continue grilling until the fish is done, or cooked to your liking.

6. Mix the juice of 1 of the lemons with the olive oil, and pour over the grilled fish, then scatter remaining herbs over. Serve with lemon wedges.

Yield: 6 servings.

Note: You can use individual fillets for this recipe or a whole fish which looks splendid brought to table just as it is.