You didn’t think this recipe would begin with a pirate tale and a branding lesson did you?
Yep, that’s right. Chilean Sea Bass, more commonly referred to as Sea Bass – and formerly known as Patagonian Toothfish – is a relatively new commercialized fish species. It flew under the radar of commercial fisheries for years, not because its taste isn’t delectable, but because its funky look and name made it a hard sell (the Patagonian Toothfish is a human sized fish that lives in deep arctic waters, and they aren’t the most pleasant thing to look at). Perhaps the only thing better than its taste though, is the Harvard Business Review quality of a story of its “re-branding” – something we can thank merchant Lee Lantz for. He discovered the fish in the mid 1970’s, came up with the name “Chilean Sea Bass”, and marketed its wonderful flavor and cooking profile to the upper echelon of the culinary industry across Europe and the United States. It caught on quickly. The popularity and general scarcity of the fish made it wildly profitable for merchants.
And, within any market, there is almost always an underlying “black market”. The commercial fishing industry is not exempt from black markets, and in this industry those criminals who illegally harvest commercial volumes of fish are more accurately known as pirates. All around badass journalist, Mariana Van Zeller, dedicated an episode of her hit TV series Trafficked to shedding light on fish pirates. I’ll let her explain the full intricacies of the black market to you below:
Fish pirates nearly obliterated the Chilean Sea Bass market by the late 1990’s. The issue got so bad that restaurants and retailers nationwide joined forces to curb demand for it. Whole Foods most notably halted sales of Sea Bass in 1999. Since then, major importers (including Whole Foods), government agencies, and eco-vigilantes have successfully collaborated on efforts to make harvesting the fish sustainable, from actively patrolling the fisheries to creating regulatory agencies to scrutinize imports more thoroughly. The eco-vigilantes patrolling the fisheries have not only helped saved the world’s supply of select fish species like Chilean Sea Bass, but they have also provided epic Hollywood grade stories. In 2016, one of the last remaining pirate vessels – the Thunder – was engaged by Captain Peter Hammarstedt, aboard the Bob Barker. This led to a 110 day pursuit (yes 110 days… this isn’t a car chase remember) and the eventual sinking of the Thunder.
This is truly remarkable stuff. Next time you see Sea Bass on the menu of a nice restaurant – you don’t find this at places like Red Lobster – it will be impossible not to to think of pirates and toothfish.
As previously mentioned, and the primary reason for its commercial existence, Sea Bass tastes absolutely delicious. It’s versatility makes it popular among chefs, and for the home cook that’s even better. You can cook Sea Bass a myriad of ways. Unlike most seafood, it’s hard to overcook.
Below is a simple, yet reliable way to prepare Sea Bass. I pan seared seasoned Sea Bass fillets in butter and oil and topped them with garlic butter. I then placed these perfectly cooked Sea Bass fillets on top of a seductively good roasted Brussels sprout salad: thinly sliced and roasted Brussels sprouts glazed in a honey, soy, and balsamic glaze.
Enjoy!