Pan-Seared Bass in a Cauliflower Faux Cream Sauce with Sauteed Tomatoes and Pine Nuts

As part of bass week, I was crazing something a little more creamy. I'd seen something about a cauliflower sauce and wanted to try it. I had a great fish the other day at Montmartre that had a cream sauce, so that was my inspiration (plus wanting to try a cauliflower sauce). It was delicious. Jamie loved the cauliflower sauce and wants to put it on everything. The best part is, it's actually pretty healthy. Certainly way healthier than any cream sauce. The cooked tomatoes give a little brightness and the pine nuts add a good texture.

Ingredients:

2 big single servings of bass

1 small head cauliflower, broken into florets

4 cloves roasted garlic

8 cherry tomatoes

1 tbsp pine nuts

olive oil

salt and pepper

Directions:

Pat dry and season the fish with salt and pepper. Put the cauliflower a pot and cover with water and add salt. Bring to a boil and cook until very tender, about 10 minutes.

Bass Tacos

Another bass recipe! I love fish tacos, and they're easy and pretty healthy. These were extra delicious and I can't wait to make them again with some of our frozen bass. Blackening the bass a little gives it a more meaty, BBQ flavor.

Ingredients:
A 3" thick bass fillet (or bigger if there are more of you)
A little chili powder, cumin, salt, and pepper
Corn tortillas
Red onion, sliced
Jalapeno, sliced
Avocado, sliced
Cilantro, chopped
Tomatillo salsa

Directions:
Season the bass fillet with salt, pepper, cumin, and chili powder.

Striped Bass en Papillote

For my first bass recipe, I made Striped Bass en Papillote with Brown Rice. It's pretty simple, and the provencal/Mediterranean-style sauce is sweet from the tomatoes and briny from the capers. It's also great for not making a mess because the fish is cooked in tin foil which you can just throw it out.

Serves 2

Ingredients:

2 1-inch pieces of striped bass filet

1 medium sized ripe tomato, or a handful of grape tomatoes, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp drained capers

4 sprigs thyme

4 slices lemon (I used lime because I didn't have lemons, but I think lemon would work better)

salt and pepper

Brown rice cooked according to the directions (I used a Lundberg brown rice mix - it adds great nutty flavor and texture)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400. Pat the fillets dry and season with salt. Line a baking sheet with tin foil and drizzle a bit of olive oil on it, then place the fish on top of the oil. Slide the lemon slices under the fish and top each with two sprigs of thyme.