Cajun Spiced Sea Bass

After a successful weekend of fishing, my dad and I came home with a boat full of black sea bass. With fresh filleted sea bass in the house, I decided to make a spicy cajun sea bass dish with hearty vegetables. The beauty of this dish is its versatility. For tonight I am using black sea bass, but you can use any white fish you prefer, such as fluke or tilapia. (I am sure it would even taste delicious with shrimp!)

Recipe yields about 6 servings.

Ingredients

2 1/2 lbs fresh black sea bass (I used 10 freshly filleted fish)

5 cloves of garlic

1 medium yellow onion

1 medium green bell pepper

28 oz can diced tomatoes (I only use Tuttorosso tomatoes and believe they are the best!)

1 tbsp olive oil

1 1/2 tsp sea salt

1 1/2 tsp garlic powder

2 tsp paprika

1 tsp ground black pepper

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp cayenne pepper

1 dried oregano

1 dried thyme

Red pepper flakes to taste (the more you add, the spicier it will be!)

Fresh parsley to garnish

Heat your skillet with olive oil. Chop the onion and mince the garlic. I like to use a chopper for the garlic because it gets the garlic into nice, tiny pieces and keeps your hands from smelling like garlic for days. If you prefer to use a knife or you don't have a chopper and you find your fingers are retaining a garlicky smell, rub your hands against stainless steel before washing them. The stainless steel absorbs the scent and your hands will smell fresh and clean. Add the onion and garlic to the heated oil and cook on medium for 4-5 minutes or until onions are translucent. 

While the garlic and onions are cooking, chop the green bell pepper.  Once onions are soft, add bell pepper, tomatoes and spices to the skillet. Stir to evenly coat all vegetables with the spices. Cook for 3-4 minutes.

Add fish fillets to the skillet by laying them on top of the vegetables. Cover the skillet and cook on medium for 10-12 minutes or until fish are flaky. (You may need to adjust your cooking time depending on the size of your fillets.) 

You will know your fish are ready if you go to pick up a piece of fillet and it easily breaks into pieces. Transfer fish and vegetable mixture to a serving dish and garnish with chopped fresh parsley.

To serve, I made some quinoa and topped the quinoa with the fish and sauce. You could also use brown rice or pasta. (Helpful Hint: Replace the water with broth when cooking the quinoa for more flavor. I usually use chicken broth, but you could also use vegetable broth. I also like to put in a dash or two of garlic powder.)

With an abundance of fresh and locally caught fish during the summer months, this is a great recipe to easily incorporate seafood into your weekly routine. Enjoy!