What is it?

With fisheries predominantly on the eastern seaboard, striped bass, a thick and meaty fish with a mild flavor,  has begun to rebound from overfishing in the 1980s, thanks to sensible fishing practices. As a result, its population is increasing every year.

How to choose:

If you can’t find it wild, farmed striped bass is a good alternative because it’s raised sustainably.

When buying fish fillets, examine the flesh, which should be moist and glistening and without any large gaps.

Dry-looking flesh is a sign of age. Fresh fish should not smell strong or fishy but should have a mild, fresh scent suggestive of the sea.

When buying skin-on fillets, look for intact skin and make sure the scales were properly removed. Most fish skin is edible and delicious, especially when cooked until crisp.

How to prep:

Striped bass has a delicate, almost grassy flavor that’s similar to snapper but cleaner and less oily. Its delicate texture makes it well suited for sautéing, roasting, or steaming; grilling can be tricky, as the flesh tends to fall apart easily. It requires a little attention at the stove because it can quickly cross the line from juicy to overcooked. Striped bass plays well with other gentle flavors like leeks and mushrooms, or it can be a vehicle for assertive, spicy flavors, from Indian to North African.

How to store:

Store all fish in the coldest part of your refrigerator and use soon after buying. To slow down spoilage, try this: Put whole fish or fillets in a large strainer set over a bowl. Pile ice high on top of the fish and refrigerate. The ice keeps the fish close to 32°F, and as it melts, the water continually rinses off bacteria and drains it into the bowl. Or put the fish in a plastic bag and set the bag on ice to maintain a temperature close to 33°F (spoilage occurs twice as fast at 40°F as it does at 32°).

Recipes

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  Grill-Roasted Fish in Parchment with Tomatoes and Olives

  Fish baked in parchment is a classic  technique for flavorful, perfectly cooked fish with little effort and even less clean-up. Here it's adapted for the summer months by baking the…

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  Moveable Feast

  Grilled Black Bass with Celery Salsa Verde

  Chef Taibe uses a knife to create a few shallow slash marks on each side of the fish, which allows the heat to enter and the fish to cook evenly.…

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  Recipe

  Striped Bass en Papillote

  Roasting fish in packets (en papillote) allows it to steam in its own juices, intensifying its flavor. Substitute black bass or halibut if striped bass is unavailable.

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  Recipe

  Poached Striped Bass with Bok Choy and Broken Ginger Dressing

  Poached in celery, fennel, and fresh ginger juice, these meaty striped bass fillets have a subtle yet delicious flavor. The ginger dressing won’t be emulsified or smooth, but its fantastic…

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  Grilled Striped Bass with Summer Tomatoes and Horta

  Horta is a simple Greek side dish made with a medley of edible leafy greens of the sort that grow wild on hillsides in the Mediterranean. The greens vary in…

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  Recipe

  Classic Bouillabaisse

  This hearty fish stew is a treasure from the South of France. It takes an afternoon to make, but it's a showstopping all-in-one meal that's absolutely worth the effort.

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  Recipe

  Crisp Striped Bass with Preserved Lemon, Chickpeas, and Couscous

  Preserved lemon brings a bright, salty citrus note to this Moroccan-influenced dish.

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  Recipe

  Seared Sea Bass with Spicy Lemongrass Crust

  You can substitute another white fish, such as halibut, or even chicken or pork for the sea bass.