We love this recipe for its great combination of simplicity and flavor. Make it in one pan in the oven with no fussy techniques of any kind. The result is brightly colored and full of complementary flavors that really let the fish shine. There will be plenty of delicious, saucy broth at the bottom of the pan, so we recommend serving on top of our favorite easy orzo to soak it all up. If you don't have striped bass, substitute cod, black sea bass or halibut.
Prep Time10 minutesmins
Cook Time35 minutesmins
Total Time45 minutesmins
Course: Fish + Shellfish
Cuisine: American
Keyword: best striped bass recipe, how to cook striped bass, striped bass recipe, striped bass recipes, striped sea bass recipe
Calories: 236kcal
Author: Carolyn Gratzer Cope
Ingredients
2shallotsminced
1red bell pepperdiced small
12ounces(340 grams) mixed cherry tomatoes, halved (quarter any obnoxiously large ones)
2garlic clovesminced
¼cup(60 grams) capers
½cup(120 ml) dry white wine
½cup(120 ml) low-sodium vegetable, chicken or fish stock
A few thyme sprigs
1teaspoonfine sea saltdivided
¼teaspoonfreshly ground black pepperdivided
4 6- to 8-ounce200-gram striped bass fillets, skin and bones removed
2tablespoons(28 grams) butter, diced
¼cupjulienned basil leaves
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400°F with a rack in the center.
Into a large, heavy pan with a lid (such as this one or this one), place the shallots, bell pepper, tomatoes, garlic, capers, wine, stock, thyme, half the salt, and half the pepper. Give it a stir.
Bake, covered, for 20 minutes.
Pat striped bass fillets dry with paper towels.
Carefully remove pan from oven and arrange filets in pan on top of sauce, nestling them in a bit. Sprinkle fish with remaining ½ teaspoon salt and dot with butter.
Return pan to oven, uncovered. Bake until fish is just cooked through, about 15 to 20 minutes depending on thickness. Sprinkle with the basil.
To serve, place about a cup of orzo into each of four wide, shallow bowls and top each with a piece of fish. Spoon some veggies and plenty of sauce overtop.
Notes
If you're not awash in striped bass but are still looking for a great baked white fish recipe, feel free substitute cod, black sea bass, or halibut.
Choose a wine that you like to drink. I used Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand, which is one of our longtime favorite value wines. It's widely available.
The only real work of this recipe is in chopping the shallots, bell pepper, and tomatoes nice and small so that they cook down into a beautiful sauce in a relatively short time. Other than that, you get to just nestle everything into a pan and let it work for you while you do your thing.
There will be plenty of delicious, saucy broth at the bottom of the pan, so we recommend serving the fish in wide, shallow bowls on top of our favorite easy orzo to soak it all up. It would also pair beautifully with rice pilaf or mashed potatoes.
I prefer to make this recipe right before we sit down to eat, especially since it's so hands-off. But if you need to, you could make it in advance, either in full or in part .One option is to prep all the ingredients up to 24 hours in advance, store them in the fridge, and assemble and bake right before serving. Or you could bake the sauce (through step 3 in the recipe card below) up to 24 hours in advance and then add and bake the fish right before serving.
Leftovers will keep well in an airtight container in the fridge for three to four days.
For a vegetarian version with similar flavors, this sauce would also make a great base for a couple of cans of white beans or chickpeas.