I find a great deal on seafood every time I visit a Trader Joe’s. It’s a relatively painless reason to experiment with different seafood and get out of your comfort zone. Even when I’m disappointed with the end result, I can feel relieved that it didn’t cost me much. Those rainbow trout fillets I made only cost me a few bucks last time, so no harm, no foul. It’s never on the agenda when I visit a TJ, but I was in the area not long ago, so I picked up a jar of the best Dijon mustard around and a package of frozen mustard European bass fillets.
What is Sea Bass?
Branzino is the Italian common name of the European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax). This fish has many local and marketing names such as sea dace, white sea bass or perch. UK readers will mostly know this fish simply as sea bass. Branzino is by far the sexiest of the various names for European sea bass, as are all things Italian. American consumers will see it almost exclusively by this name. This is a different type of rebranding than “marketing” names like Chilean sea bass (actually a toothfish/ice fish) because European bass is a real common name for this species. Sea bass differs on the market from striped sea bass or black sea bass thanks to its somewhat exotic-sounding name.
The term “sea bass” or “sea bass” is already an ambiguous term, with many other species sold under that name. Most sea bass are not closely related species but have some similar characteristics. Many of these fish also share similarities when prepared. Fish sold as sea bass tend to have white or off-white, somewhat flaky flesh with a slightly sweet flavor.
The Sea Bass that most Americans will encounter are farmed in the Mediterranean region. European sea bass was one of the first successes in large-scale commercial aquaculture. Today it is the most important farmed fish for countries such as Turkey and Greece. A small wild fishery also exists in the Mediterranean, especially in Egypt and along the French Atlantic coast.
Trader Joe’s Branzino Information
Trader Joe’s purchases its sea bass from farms in Turkey, but does not list the company or the type of aquaculture method used. Most, if not all, sea bass imported into the United States comes from Turkish farms, most of which raise the fish in ocean pens.
I paid $9.99 for my 1 pound package of frozen skin-on filets. I was disappointed when I opened the attractive packaging and found 5 small fillets. I didn’t like receiving an odd number of fillets nor the fact that they needed 2.5 fish to gain a pound.
The fish was in good condition after being thawed overnight in the refrigerator. I just wish those fillets were thicker. Looks like I’ll eat as much skin as a real sea bass. I was afraid of overcooking these thin fillets so I decided to quickly brown them in a pan. I took some lemons, oranges and capers to prepare a variation of the famous Grenobloise sauce and dinner was ready in the blink of an eye. It looked great, but what did it taste like?
The verdict
The Branzino was OK, I guess, especially for the price, but the fillets were too small and thin. I would have preferred 2-4 larger fillets for a better meat/skin ratio. I was expecting a similar experience to the black sea bass I had prepared before, but that wasn’t quite the case.
It wasn’t all bad, but it could have been better. Sea bass meat is very delicate and slightly scaly, just like that of other fish sold as sea bass. The flavor was similar, but there really wasn’t much meat on these fillets and I tasted more of the skin than the very mild fish. The skin was crispy but didn’t taste as good as the black sea bass or wild-caught striped sea bass I’ve eaten. My instincts about the bright “Grenobloise” style citrus sauce were correct. This is just what a mild fish like Branzino begs for.
I can understand why restaurants usually serve whole Branzino. The skin/meat ratio of these smaller fish was not to my liking; I bet a whole fish would be much better. I wouldn’t shy away from making TJ’s Branzino again, but I’ll be a little more diligent about checking the package first. If you want to try Trader Joe’s Branzino I suggest choosing a package with 2-3 larger fillets for a better experience.
