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It’s that time of year when sea bass are plentiful. The season usually
kicks off in early March, particularly on the South Coast, and continues
until November. A close season is observed between 15 May and 15 June, because this is
a key spawning time for bass.
Sea bass is another of those fish I most like to see on a wreck. They look magnificent
shoaling deep inside and take on an iridescent dark blue colour when you shine your torch
on them. They move at the speed of light!Pan-fried Sea Bass with Mermaid’s Butter
Serves 1 diverIngredients
Freshly caught sea bass for one; half a small red onion (thinly sliced); half a red pepper (thinly
sliced); pinch of chilli flakes; 1 tbsp pine nuts; 4-5 cooked new potatoes (quartered); 2 tbsp peas;
olive oil for cooking.For the mermaid’s butter: 2 cloves crushed garlic; 2 tsp red pepper flakes; 2 tsp sea greens or
parsley; 250g softened butter; coarse black pepper. Olive oil for cooking.Method
First make the mermaid’s butter, using a blender or small food processor. Whizz up the softened
butter, garlic, red pepper flakes, dried sea greens or parsley and a good grind of black pepper
until all the ingredients are evenly combined.
Scrape out onto a sheet of greaseproof paper and roll up like a very large sausage. Set in the
fridge until hard. Then slice into 15g slices and keep in a tub in the freezer.
If you have managed to catch a sea bass in between dives, you will need to gut and fillet your
fish. If not, buy fillets from a sustainable fish source like your local fishmonger. Wash and pat dry
and sprinkle with salt.
Melt a slice of mermaid’s butter and a splash of olive oil in a heavy shallow pan. Add onion, red
pepper, chilli flakes & pine nuts and sauté for a few minutes. Add the quartered potatoes and
a good grind of salt & pepper. Continue to sauté for 5 more minutes. Add peas and keep warm.
In a separate pan, heat another knob of mermaid’s butter and a tiny splash of olive oil. Once it
starts to sizzle, add the sea bass fillets, skin-side down. Cook gently for a few minutes, then turn
over for a few more minutes until cooked.
Reheat vegetables, tip them onto a warm plate and lay fillets on top. Serve with a wedge of
lemon, and a few edible viola flowers if you’re feeling creative.Top Tip
Make this gorgeous butter in advance, as it’s so handy to have it ready sliced up in the freezer.
I like to use sea greens, a combination of gut weed (mermaid’s hair) and sea lettuce, for which
I forage, because it gives a lovely flavour of the sea. Or you can buy it online from a seaweed
company here in the UK. Parsley will work just as well, however.YFreda Wright is a diver and chef on British diving liveaboard mv Salutay. Find more of her
recipes in the book 40 Dives 40 Dishes. It costs £16 plus £1.64 postage, with £1 from every sale
going to Oceans Plastics Greenpeace, salutay.co.ukFreda’s Diver Dishes