Consumer Corner

Is Mediterranean Sea Bass and Sea Bream Sustainable and Ethical?

The PerformFISH project recognises that sustainable aquaculture should be an all-encompassing term. Therefore PerformFISH is dedicated not only to the advancement of Mediterranean marine fish farming (MMFF) technologies and processes, but also to ensuring that the sector progresses in a way that is beneficial for local communities, the environment, producers and consumers.

This Code of Conduct has been developed by PerformFISH partners in collaboration with relevant stakeholders. It acknowledges the elevated nutritional, economic, social, environmental, and cultural importance of MMFF. It embraces and promotes the interests of all those concerned with this industry and provides a common quality framework to strengthen MMFF.

The full Code of Conduct can be accessed by clicking on the image below.

PerformFISH Code of Conduct for Mediterranean Marine Fish Farming (MMFF)

How do I prepare Sea Bream or Sea Bass?

Preparing Sea Bream and Sea Bass is much easier than you might realise! Both fish can be served in a wide variety of cuisines and can be cooked quickly and easily. Not only that, but according to health specialists, as a rich source of omega-3 highly unsaturated fatty acids, eating cultured sea bass and gilthead sea bream twice a week been shown to help maintain heart health.

Below we provide you with few tasty and healthy recipes. Try them out and let us know what you think!

Sea bream with braised summer vegetables

Ingredients

1 tbsp. olive oil
2 Shallots, finely sliced
225 g New potatoes, cut into 5mm slices
200 ml Hot fish or light chicken stock
2 Sprigs of tarragon, leaves and stalks separated
100 g Freshly shelled young peas
15 g butter
4 Sea bream fillets, about 350g
75 ml dry white wine
1 tbsp. Capers, drained and rinsed

Method

Put the oil in a sauté pan, add the shallots and fry gently for 5 minutes until softened. Add the potatoes, stock and tarragon stalks, and bring to the boil. Cover and simmer gently for 10-15 minutes until tender.
Add the peas and simmer for 2 minutes.
In a separate pan, heat the butter over a medium to high heat until the butter stops foaming. Fry the fish skin-side down for about 2 minutes until golden and crisp. Deglaze the pan with the wine and tip into the vegetable pan (to add valuable flavour).
Arrange the fish on top of the vegetables, skin side up, cover and take off the heat. Leave to sit for 2-3 minutes to finish cooking.
Serve the vegetables in pasta bowls with the cooking liquor, topped with a seabream fillet. Garnish with chopped tarragon leaves and scatter with capers. (If you prefer a crispy fish skin, cook the vegetables as above and fry the fish in a separate pan for 2 minutes, then turn and finish cooking for 1 minute.)

Source: Alison Walker

Honey & orange roast sea bass with lentils

Ingredients
2 large, skin-on sea bass fillets
zest and juice ½ orange
2 tsp clear honey
2 tsp wholegrain mustard
2 tbsp olive oil
250g pouch ready-to-eat puy lentils
100g watercress
small bunch parsley, chopped
small bunch dill, chopped

Method

1. Heat oven to 200 ⁰C/180 ⁰C fan/gas 6. Place each sea bass fillet, skin-side down, on individual squares of foil. Mix together the orange zest, honey, mustard, 1 tbsp olive oil and some seasoning, and drizzle it over the fillets. Pull the sides of the foil up and twist the edges together to make individual parcels. Place the parcels on a baking tray and bake in the oven for 10 mins until the fish is just cooked and flakes easily when pressed with a knife.

2. Warm the lentils following pack instructions, then mix with the orange juice, remaining oil, the watercress, herbs, and seasoning. Divide the lentils between 2 plates and top each with a sea bass fillet. Drizzle over any roasting juices that are caught in the foil and serve immediately.

Source: Katy Gilhooly

Oven-Baked Sea Bream with Potatoes

Ingredients

500 g (1 pound) potatoes

2 tbsp olive oil

1/4 tsp thyme

1/2 tsp rosemary

2 fresh whole sea bream, approx. 350g – 400g (12.5 – 14 oz) each

You can swap sea bream for sea bass also!

Method

Preheat the fan-assisted oven to 210°C or 410°F. Place the rack in the middle of the oven.
Peel the potatoes and cut them into 0.5 cm or 1/4 inch slices. Place in a large baking dish and season with olive oil, thyme, and rosemary. Toss to combine and place the baking sheet in the preheated oven. Bake for 20 – 25 minutes at 210°C or 410°F.
Pat the cleaned sea bream using paper towels. Season with salt on both sides and the cavity.
Take the potatoes from the oven. Increase the temperature to 230 °C / 445 °F. Place the sea bream on top of the potatoes, season with salt, and place back in the oven. Bake for another 16 – 18 minutes. Serve with Gremolata sauce.

Source: Jerne J Kitchen