White Sea Bass a la Tugbert

We are please to introduce Betsy Dorfman as our newest contributor to the Foodista blog. You can see her regular blog here.

TUGBERT is our 26-foot Nordic Tug recreational trawler, berthed in Marina del Rey, California, otherwise known as the watery part of Los Angeles. We have been enjoying a warm October and there is no better fair weather dinner in our opinion than fish cooked over a grill on a boat. Everything tastes better, for starters, and the propane fueled grills, which you will see everywhere clamped to boat railings, are actually serious cookers, which heat quickly and do a grand job on fish.

Of course the fish has to be fresh. For that we head south to Alamitos Bay (near Long Beach) to the Sunday Farmer's Market, well worth the investment in gas. Prices are cheaper than the chef-infested markets of Santa Monica and nowhere else has J & P West Coast Seafood. From the side of a chuck wagon style truck this gentleman improbably dispenses some of the freshest fish in the area week after week at, not low, but fair prices for the quality. The white sea bass ran us about $20 per pound, but this is a cut, which is all edible with no waste.

First we cut the sea bass into similar portions of like thickness. Next we generally brush with olive oil before applying a rub. Even though the white sea bass has a high oil content on its own, the oil disperses the rub evenly and helps it adhere rather than scrape off on the grill. Flush from a recent visit to World Spice in Seattle, we had variety of choices but soon settled on a an old favorite - Calico fish rub. This is a blend of sumac, Chinese chilies, whole black sesame seeds, red sea salt, and dill. It adds nice reddish color (that's the sumac) to a plain white fish like the sea bass, and there is no need for salt or pepper. With the green dill weed the effect before cooking is Christmas on a plate! Grill and eat, couldn't be simpler. You may encounter some bones but these are typically large and readily identified. This is a mild fish with a creamy finish similar to scallop or crab.

For the side dish we cheated and precooked the potatoes in the microwave to shorten the cook time on the boat. We cut the mostly cooked peeled potatoes into convenient chunks, combined with raw onion and a large shallot, drizzled with Meyer lemon olive oil, dotted with sea salt and pepper and wrapped in foil. Placed on the back side of the grill in its packet the potatoes finished cooking in ten minutes or so, roughly the same time it took to grill the fish. Times will vary widely depending upon the thickness of the fish, whether it is cold or room temperature, and the setting or flame on your grill.

White Sea Bass a la Tugbert

Side dishes:
Foil wrapped potatoes, onions and shallots
Large helping of sunset

Grilled white sea bass
1 lb fish steak or fillet cut into three equal portions (serves 2-3)
2 tsps olive oil
Rub of your choice, or salt & pepper - about 1 tablespoon
Brush olive oil on all sides and surfaces of fish coat with rub
Foil wrapped potatoes
One medium potato per person, microwave whole until fork inserts rather easily -- prick potatoes several times with a fork prior to microwaving to avoid explosions!
Peel potatoes, and cut into 2" cubes
One medium onion, peeled and sliced
One large shallot, peeled and sliced
1 tablespoon Meyer lemon infused olive oil, any flavored olive oil, or plain oil of good quality
Sea salt and pepper to taste
Toss all together and place on oiled square of aluminum foil. Top with a second piece of foil of equal size, seal and crimp edges.

This same dinner could be made on land, but we recommend buying a boat for maximum flavor.

Ron and Betsy and TUGBERT