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Seremoni 2025

Grilled Butterflied Black Sea Bass

Recipes

Grilled Butterflied Black Sea Bass

October 23rd, 2025

Brian Bornemann, Crudo e Nudo

This recipe builds on a few simple but essential techniques to make the fish shine. Butterflying ensures it cooks evenly while staying beautifully intact. Don’t skip the pin bone removal—pliers work best for this tedious but important step. The contrast between the rich, concentrated pesto and the bright, herbaceous salsa verde is key to this dish. And for that perfect textural finish, start with a hot grill—crisp skin is non-negotiable.

Ingredients

For the Fish:

  • 1 whole Seremoni Grade Black Sea Bass (2-3 lbs)
  • Kosher salt

For the Sundried Tomato Pesto:

  • Good quality sundried tomatoes (enough for heavy coating)
  • Warm water (just enough to cover tomatoes for rehydrating)
  • 2 shallots, julienned
  • Sherry vinegar (for macerating shallots)
  • 1/2 cup chili oil
  • 2 cloves raw garlic
  • Salt to taste

For the Salsa Verde:

  • Fennel tops
  • Fresh basil
  • Fresh parsley
  • Olive oil
  • 1 lemon (juice and zest)
  • Pinch of salt

For Garnish:

  • Whole picked herbs (basil, parsley, fennel tops)

    Instructions

  • Cut the bones out from the belly of the fish, working up towards the dorsal side, leaving the dorsal connection between the two fillets intact. Remove rib bones with a knife and pin bones with pliers.

  • To prepare the pesto, rehydrate sundried tomatoes in just enough warm water to cover.

  • Julienne the shallots and macerate in sherry vinegar. In a food processor or mortar, combine the rehydrated tomatoes, macerated shallots, chili oil, raw garlic, and salt to taste. Process until you have a thick, spreadable pesto.

  • Season the butterflied fish evenly with kosher salt on both sides. Smear the sundried tomato pesto heavily onto the flesh side.

  • Heat the grill until very hot. Place the fish skin-side down over a medium heat area of the grill. Cook with the grill open until the fish is cooked halfway up and the skin is crispy. Close the grill to finish cooking.

  • While the fish is grilling, combine the fennel tops, basil, parsley, a pinch of salt, olive oil, lemon juice, and lemon zest in a food processor. Process until the mixture is just loose enough to run off a spoon.

  • To serve, place the fish pesto-side up on serving plates. Drizzle sporadically with salsa verde and garnish with whole picked herbs.

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