The best time of year is upon us. Big striped bass have finally made their way up the coast and are here to stay, which means fresh fish for dinner.  

In the day leading up to me writing this recipe, the Cape Cod Canal had been been "on fire" and the striper fishing was great. I hit the canal and was fortunate to have some great luck while fishing with my great friends Trevin and Jeremy. 

We began fishing the "Big Ditch" at sunrise and soon noticed huge schools of mackerel running in close to the rip-rap. We knew it was only a matter of time until the big bass moved in.

Jeremy and I both managed to pull up some decent sized keepers and seeing as my freezer was running low on fish, I decided that I would keep my bass.

Preparing the Striped Bass

I often run into people who say they've either had a bad experience eating striped bass, or have no idea what to do with it. However, when the fish is prepped and cooked properly, striped bass is one of my all time favorite fish to eat!

First and foremost, when you decide to keep a striper, it is important to treat the fish with respect by bleeding it out and getting it on ice quickly.

Bleeding a striped bass will make a huge difference in taste and expedites death, which means less suffering for the striper. I would suggest cutting the red gill rakes with a knife and letting the fish bleed out into salt water.

Striped bass (and most other fish) are best when eaten fresh. If you don't expect to consume all of the fish during the first 48 hours, then I recommend you freeze any remaining fillets as soon as possible.

When freezing any fish I would suggest using a vacuum sealer. I portion my vacuum sealed bags with two pieces of fish in each.

If you really have to, then it's okay to use normal freezing bags with striped bass. However, other fish such as bluefish don't keep well at all in normal freezer bags. Vacuum sealing is best for maximum freshness.

The Recipe

When it comes to cooking fish, I find that it's always best to use simple and fresh ingredients.

For this dish you will need:

Season the fillets with sea salt, cracked black pepper, and Old Bay Seasoning on both sides. Take a sheet of tin foil large enough to fold up over the fillets and place the fillet in the center of the foil.

Cut the lemon into decent sized slices and place on top of the bass. Top the lemons with some fresh thyme and roll the foil up, covering the fillets.

Light up the grill to medium heat and add the fish in the foil to the grill.  It should only take about 15 to 20 minutes for the fish to become cooked and flakey, depending on your grill.

To check, carefully open the foil. Be aware there might be a fair amount of steam coming from the foil-you don’t want to burn yourself!

If the fish is solid white and firm to the touch than you know it is done.

Remove the cooked thyme and lemon wedges, and top with fresh parsley and a squeeze or two of fresh juice from a lemon.

I find that adding fresh herbs to a cooked dish really helps balance out the flavors of the meal. Share it with the people you love and enjoy!

Of course a great beer is always an added bonus. I suggest a citrusy IPA with this meal. I am drinking a Treehouse Tornado in the photo below.

The Perfect Side Dish

When I am grilling striped bass, I like to use fresh vegetables as a side dish. For this dish I decided to skewer a mix of portabella mushrooms, tomatoes, peppers, onions, and zucchini, and grill them next to the bass.

If you don’t like this combination, substitute what you don’t like for what you do. Just make sure you soak the skewers if they’re made from wood so that they don’t burn on the grill.

Add salt, pepper, and olive oil to the veggies, mix them up, and then skewer them as you would like, placing them on the grill with the fish.

In Conclusion

I hope you get a chance to enjoy this easy striped bass recipe. Please let me know what you think by leaving a comment below! 

I would also be interested in hearing about some of your favorite ways to cook bass and other white fish.

Tight lines and Happy Cooking!

Shane