sea bass

[English]

In Europe sea bass is the true bass, a voracious Mediterranean predator, 35-80 cm (13-32 inches) in length, which is relatively uncommon and thus expensive. It has fine, compact, delicate, white, flavoursome flesh with few bones. It lives in saltwater lakes, estuaries and around European coasts. The term may also include the groupers, black sea bass and striped bass.

The speckled bass, from the coasts of Morocco, is smaller and has less flavour. The striped bass is found in southern seas. As stocks decrease it is more likely that you will be eating Antarctic sea bass (Dissostichus eleginoid) which is also known as the Antarctic ice fish and the Patagonian toothfish.

In North America the term bass covers a variety of spiny-finned river and marine fish such as freshwater sunfish, including the largemouth bass, redeye bass, rock bass, smallmouth bass and spotted bass, the saltwater corvina and so on.

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