Bilbao style sea bass recipe

This delicious blue fish lives in the waters of the Mediterranean and in the cold waters of the Atlantic Ocean. It is highly appreciated and consumed in many homes and restaurants around the world, since it is easy to prepare and eat, especially because it is easy to remove the bones.

Next, we are going to show one of the most popular recipes in Spain, Bilbao-style sea bass, simple, light and delicious. Will you? Stay and discover the detailed step by step.

Ingredients to make Bilbao-style Sea Bass:

2 medium sea bass clean and boneless

1 red bell pepper
2 garlic cloves
2 cayenne

2 pinches of dried parsley
4 tablespoons of white vinegar
1 splash of extra virgin olive oil

2 pinches of sweet paprika
1 pinch of salt to taste

How to make Bilbao-style sea bass:

Clean the sea bass so that the loins are totally free of thorns. Of course, keep the skin so that when cooking them on the grill they do not stick together.

Cut the pepper into medium strips, put a little oil to heat and fry it until it takes on a little color. Make sure it doesn’t burn, remove it when it’s ready and set it aside.
Peel the garlic cloves, cut them into thin slices and fry them in the same pan where you sautéed the peppers. Add two cayenne peppers, although if you don’t want the Bilbao-style sea bass to be spicy, you can do without them. Once the garlic is fried, take it out and reserve it with the pepper. Also remove the cayennes.
Add the parsley and paprika stir and try not to burn, since paprika burns and becomes bitter in just seconds.

Pour in the vinegar, stir and remove the pan from the heat. Separately, heat the griddle or pan that you are going to use to cook the fish, so it will be ready and the sea bass will not stick.
With the pan off the heat, add the garlic slices and the pepper strips and stir to form a sauce that will bind if you shake the pan in a circular motion. Help yourself with the handle of the pan to move it with energy and do not use any kitchen utensil, you will see that the sauce thickens little by little. This is the main characteristic of the Bilbao style sea bass, an emulsified sauce.
When the griddle is very hot, spray the sea bass fillets with a little oil, add a bit of salt and cook the fish skin side down to prevent it from sticking to the griddle. Cook the sea bass on the grill for 3 minutes on each side, and if it is larger, leave it for 2 more minutes.

Tip: This fish is made in a short time, so try not to overdo it so it doesn’t lose its delicious flavor and texture.
Serve the sea bass with the Bilbao sauce on top. Enjoy this very traditional dish of Basque cuisine with a glass of txakolí or the wine of your choice and some potatoes a la pobre.

Bilbao style sea bass – Nutritional value and recommendations

The sea bass is light, healthy and balanced, a blue fish with few bones, a relative of the sea bream and very versatile in terms of cooking. This popular fish is rich in omega 3 fatty acids, proteins of high biological value, calcium, sodium and potassium. In addition, it has very few calories, since 100 grams of sea bass contain 97 kcal.

With this Bilbao-style sea bass recipe we can enjoy all the benefits of this fish, since, let’s remember, it is grilled and the sauce contains hardly any oil. Therefore, this dish is not only delicious, but also healthy and light.