White Seabass
The Meat
BBQ, Broil, Bake. Thick, white, flaky slabs of total awesomeness.
Prep
Sea bass will always come as a fillet.
Gear and fishery info
All of our white sea bass are caught by means of hook and line by small boat fishermen, mostly out of Monterey or Santa Cruz.
#KnowYourFisherman
Our Seabass is caught by Captain Corey Otto F/V Yellowtime off of the Channel Islands
Fish Nerdism 101
A white seabass is not actually a bass. It's a croaker. More closely related to the local “kingfish” than to that funky thing with the big mouth and horizontal stripes that eats so many of our local salmon.
Health concerns
White sea bass are a top of the food chain species but they are one that favors squid, which would make me think they aren't particularly problematic as far as mercury is concerned. I have not read any reports suggesting otherwise.
Parting Shots
This is an open access fishery, meaning anyone with a registered boat and a commercial license can go catch them commercially. They are exceedingly popular with the recreational fishing contingent, and are a favorite target of the local kayak angler. Hooking into a big sea bass (the rarely come under 30 pounds in this area) and going for a “Nantucket sleigh ride” around Monterey Bay is one of the great joys a kayak angler can ever hope to experience. I actually went out and got commercial tags for my kayak in hopes that I could get out there at some point and provide some kayak caught white sea bass for my customers. But thus far have not found the opportunity to go for them...in any case, one can dream, no?
Recipes
Facts
Scientific Name: Atractoscion nobilis
Habitat: They usually travel in schools over deep rocky bottoms (0-122 m) and in and out of kelp beds.
Diet: The diet of white seabass includes fishes, but these fish are notorious squid hounds. Find where the squid are and there's always a few seabass around.
Size: Most of the seabass that show up in our area are slugs. I mean lunkers. Fish from 35-60 pounds are not uncommon.
Range: Occurring from Magdalena Bay, Baja California, to Juneau, Alaska.
There are many reasons to love black cod — it is sustainably fished, full of healthy omega-3 fatty acids, and wonderfully buttery when cooked. Here’s one more: a classic Japanese recipe for black cod that makes an easy, elegant dinner for guests or a quick main dish you can prep over the weekend. This popular take on black cod yields delicious results and is easy to do in your broiler. The longer you marinate it the richer it will be, but a quick 30 minutes will do the trick too.