Some folks have told me they can’t tell the difference between sea bass and cod. However, I think sea bass and cod taste different. To me, sea bass is milder and sweeter than cod. Plus, while both have a firm texture, I think cod can take more heat when cooking that sea bass. I think sea bass meat is more delicate than cod.

Therfore as you read, the next section
1. I am not a trained chef or nutritionist.
2. I am not a medical professional.
3. I am not a professional photographer.

Ingredients

The veggie amounts in this dish make enough veggies for three servings. However, you can have a large veggie serving for your dinner, use the third serving with another entree, or add an additional sea bass fillet!

Preparation and Cooking

I love one pan dishes because it makes for easy clean up — just 1 pan!

1. Start with lining a baking dish with foil. Make sure your dish is big enough to hold all your veggies and fish!
2. Wash the zucchini and slice, the put in your pan.
3. Wash the tomatoes and put them in the pan too!
4. Peel and slice the shallot and layer over the zucchini and tomatoes.
5. Rinse off your fillets, pat dry, salt and pepper, then place in the other end of the pan.
6. Juice the lemon and mix the lemon juice, olive oil and spices in a small bowl, then drizzle over the veggies and fillets.
7. Bake uncovered in a 375 degree oven until the sea bass fillets are between 125 degrees (rare) and 145 degrees (well done).

I like to take mine out of the oven at 125 degrees (about 15 min), then pop under the broiler for a few minutes to brown up the veggies. The grape tomatoes will pop then later look wilted, but it seems to make them sweeter.

Alternatively, you can place all the ingredients in a baggie and get the marinade evenly distributed. But I kind of like the different degress of flavor with each bite. It’s your preference!

Nutrition

For this nutritional breakdown, I assumed we’d use all the veggies with each serving. As you can tell, the heavy caloric hitters are the fillets and olive oil.

Just a few notes …

Sumac can be a difficult spice to find. Some articles say you can substitue sumac with lemon zest, lemon pepper, lemon juice or vinegar. I disagree. Sumac is tart, like lemon, but also have a milder fruity feel behind the slight tart bite. It is one of the ingredients in Za’atar, along with oregano and thyme. So if I were to substitue the spice pallet in this dish, I would us Za’atar.

Sumac is a Middle Eastern spice made form the berries of a shrub found in the high plateau areas of the Mediterranean. After they are harvested, dried, and ground, they have a burgundy color. Sumac is a very versatile spice and if you enjoy the flavor can almost become a salt substitue as a meat rub and veggie seasoning. But — I haven’t quite gotten there yet.

Have you used sumac in a favorite recipe? Let me know!