Often under-rated, sea bream is a more recent addition to restaurant menus and our dinner tables at home. If you’ve never tried sea bream before, you have a lot to look forward to. The white, juicy meat is delicious, and a delicious dish can be made in just a few minutes with a few simple ingredients.
The bulk of the sea bream sold in the UK comes from Mediterranean farmed gilthead bream (Sparus aurata). Here at Fresh Fish Daily, our sea bream are farmed in the eastern Mediterranean.
Gilthead bream are named after the little gold bar on their forehead. With a metallic sheen and chunky profile, the gilthead bream is a beauty of a fish.
The ancient Greeks and Romans liked sea bream cooked with seasoned sauces and accompanied by fruits.
Gilthead bream are fish that live in estuaries and bays and eat other fish. They can grow up to 70 cm long and live up to 11 years. They are most often found in coastal areas but have been caught at depths of up to 150m. Spawning occurs between November and December. They live alone and eat small fish, worms, and crustaceans. Their teeth are very sharp when you see them close up.
Interestingly, these fish start life as males and change sex at about three years of age.
With dense, juicy white flesh, sea bream are usually sold whole or in fillets. They have a satisfying meaty texture, a clean taste, and a delicate flavor, so they’re a good choice whether you want to cook fillets or a whole fish. When it comes to cooking this fish, there are so many options. It can be barbecued, grilled, or baked in salt.
Sea bream is a healthy option, being low in calories and rich in B vitamins. About a third of a serving gives you the daily recommended amount of minerals and vitamins that boost your immune system and keep you from getting heart disease and cancer.
A good rule of thumb – as with all fish – is not to overcook sea bream. Not cooking sea bream long enough is always better than cooking it too long in the pan or oven. Cook at a higher heat, up to 250C, otherwise it’s likely to poach in its own juices.
If you want to know how to cook sea bream fillets, you can pan fry or grill them with herbs and spices that go well with the fish. Cooking sea bream fillets only takes a few minutes on each side and they’re ready to eat.
The versatility of this often underrated fish means there are endless options of how to serve it. For whole sea bream, some say to wrap it in foil and bake it in the oven. For sea bream fillets, they say to flip them quickly in the pan and cook them that way.
For a quick and easy way to cook whole sea bream, stuff it with lemon and herbs. If you want to find the best way to cook whole sea bream, try baking it in salt.
Sea bream is at its best served with lighter, subtler flavours, and with any Mediterranean or Asian flavours. It makes a sound choice for lunch or a light supper.
Herbs and vegetables are also a good match for the sweet, moist flesh. For the best side dish with a whole fish, try a light, creamy sauce like lemon butter sauce.
Sea bream is a low-calorie fish that tastes great when steamed with ginger and citrus. Serve it with rice to get the most out of its flavor.
The River Cottage Fish Book (A
“It can be used for almost anything, like making sushi and sashimi or baking a big one in a saltdough crust.” But sometimes the simplest things work the best. For example, whole bream that has been fried, baked, or barbecued with just a few herbs and garlic to add flavor is hard to beat. ”.
You can buy whole sea bream from us or fillets. If you want to learn how to fillet sea bream at home, look it up.
Take kitchen shears and cut off the fish’s fins. Then, use a fish scaler or the back of a knife to remove the scales. With a sharp knife, cut off the head and throw it away. Then, cut the fish into fillets by cutting along the backbone from head to tail and removing each fillet. Turn the fish over and do the same on the other side, separating the flesh from the bone. To get rid of any pin bones in the fillets, use tweezers. Then, slide the knife between the skin and the meat.
To the uninitiated, there is sometimes confusion over whether to choose sea bream or sea bass in recipes. Both fish are very different. Sea bream has meaty white flakes, while sea bass is much more delicate. To be fair, though, when it comes to sea bream vs. sea bass, both are certainly tasty.
Just think about how you want to eat the fish and what you want to go with it. That should help you make your choice. If you like sea bass it’s guaranteed you will also be a fan of sea bream.
Sea bream is a popular fish around the world, seamlessly matching a spectrum of flavours. There are a lot of different ways to bake sea bream. Some people like theirs with lemon and bay leaves, others with rosemary and garlic, and still others with chilies, garlic, and thyme.
Healthy sea bream recipes to try include olives and tomatoes for a Mediterranean theme. For sea bream fillet recipes, use olive oil to pan fry. For whole sea bream recipes, bake them Greek style with garlic and lemon or with garlic and chili.
This is a recipe for grilled butterflied sea bream that Rick Stein got in Indonesia and wrote down in his 2014 book Fish and Shellfish.
He opens up whole sea bream and presses hard along the backbone to make the fish completely flat.
Put shallots, garlic, chili, ginger, galangal, turmeric, tamarind water, and salt into a mini food processor. Blend them into a smooth paste to make the marinade.
“Tip into a small bowl and stir in two tablespoons of vegetable oil. Paint some of the marinade over both sides of each fish and leave for at least 10 minutes. Stir another two tablespoons of oil into the remaining marinade. Preheat the grill to hot.
“If you have one, place the fish in a lightly oiled wire fish grill: this makes turning easier. If not, just put the fish skin side up on the oiled bars of a grill or the rack of a grill pan. Grill for four minutes on each side, basting often with the extra marinade, until the chicken is slightly charred and cooked all the way through. Serve straight away with sambal matah. ”.
The Price Difference Between Sea Bass and Sea BreamWhen it comes to delicious mild white fish sea bass and sea bream are two excellent options. But which one comes with a higher price tag? Both fish have seen rising costs in recent years, but sea bass tends to be more expensive overall. Let’s take a closer look at what’s driving the prices of these popular Mediterranean fish.
What is Sea Bass?Sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax), also known as European bass, is a prized eating fish found in the eastern Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea It has a subtle, sweet flavor and a delicate texture. Sea bass can live up to 15 years and reach sizes over 40 inches and 25 pounds, though market sizes are usually between 1-4 pounds. They are slow growing and take 3-4 years to reach harvest size.
Sea bass inhabit rocky coastal areas, sandy bottoms, seagrass beds and estuaries at depths of up to 130 feet. They are carnivorous bottom feeders that consume crustaceans, mollusks and small fish Sea bass are an important commercial species widely farmed in Europe and fished throughout their natural range
What is Sea Bream?
Sea bream is not one single species, but rather a family of fish that includes porgies, breams, and Pacific snappers. The most common varieties eaten are gilthead bream (Sparus aurata) and red sea bream (Pagrus major). These species inhabit coastal areas around Europe, the Mediterranean, Australia, and Asia.
Gilthead bream have a light pinkish hue, while red sea bream are more reddish bronze. They have a mild, sweet flavor similar to sea bass. Sea bream grow more quickly than bass and reach harvest size of 3/4 to 2 pounds within 12-18 months. They school together and prefer habitats with sandy or muddy bottoms.
Why is Sea Bass More Expensive?
On average, fresh sea bass commands prices around 1.5 to 2 times higher than sea bream. There are a few key reasons driving the price difference:
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Slower growth rate – It takes sea bass much longer to reach harvest size, meaning greater costs for fish farmers.
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Lower production – Global harvest volumes of sea bass have leveled off, while sea bream production is increasing. Constrained supply means higher prices for bass.
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High demand – Chefs and consumers recognize the delicious taste and texture of sea bass, leading to greater demand. Sea bream has a smaller but growing fan base.
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Difficult farming – The carnivorous nature and slower growth of sea bass makes it more challenging and costly to farm compared to fast growing sea bream.
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Feed costs – Bass require more protein and fish oils in feed to fuel their growth compared to plant-based diets for bream. Feed accounts for around 50% of production costs.
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Weather risks – Bass farms face greater risks from storms, algal blooms, pollution, and climate extremes compared to bream. This unpredictability can impact supply and pricing.
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Wild fishery pressures – Overfishing and protection rules limit wild bass supplies, while well-managed bream stocks supplement farmed fish.
Recent Pricing Trends
Both sea bass and bream have seen prices surge over the last couple years. The COVID-19 pandemic drove up demand for seafood as consumers cooked more meals at home. Transportation costs and inflation have also pushed up pricing.
However, sea bass continues to command a sizable premium at fish markets and restaurants. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization, Mediterranean sea bass prices rose over 15% in 2021 to over $11 per kilogram. Gilthead bream prices increased 7% to around $7 per kilogram.
At UK fish counters, sea bass fillets cost about £27 per kilogram compared to £21 per kilogram for bream. Prices vary seasonally and by location, but bass consistently fetches higher market values.
Paying the Price Premium
For seafood lovers, European sea bass remains a favorite for its fabulous flavor and tender texture when cooked properly. Chefs will pay the higher costs to put a delicious, highly desired fish on their menus.
Home cooks need to determine if their budget allows for the price premium. Opting for more affordable sea bream, which shares a similar taste and texture, is one way to save money while still enjoying a high quality meal. Farm raised bass and bream are comparable in terms of sustainability.
No matter which fish you choose, always look for fresh, responsibly caught seafood. Take care not to overcook the delicate fillets, and let the natural flavors shine through with simple preparations. A squeeze of lemon or touch of herbs is often all that’s needed to create a sublime dish with either sea bass or sea bream.
What’s the BEST Way to Cook Sea Bass
FAQ
Which is better, sea bream or sea bass?
Is sea bream an expensive fish?
Is sea bass an expensive fish?
How much is seabream?
Which is better sea bass or sea bream?
However, sea bass has a higher protein content (19.3%) compared to sea bream (19.8%), and sea bream possesses substantially more fat (8.2%) than sea bass (1.4%). Another factor to consider when choosing between Seabass and Seabream is availability and cost. Seabass is typically more widely available than Seabream and is usually more expensive.
Are sea bream and sea bass expensive?
The price of sea bream and sea bass can vary depending on a number of factors, including their availability, the season, and their production method. Generally, farmed fish are less expensive than wild-caught fish, but there can be exceptions depending on the supply and demand.
Which is better seabass or seabream?
Seabass is typically more widely available than Seabream and is usually more expensive. This is due to the larger size of Seabass and its popularity among seafood consumers. Seabream, on the other hand, is often more affordable and is widely available in many countries worldwide.
Is sea bream a good fish?
With dense, juicy white flesh, sea bream are usually sold whole or in fillets. With a satisfying meaty texture, a clean taste and a delicate flavour they’re a good choice whether you’re cooking fillets or opt to try a whole fish. Cooked on a barbecue, grilled or baked in salt, the list of possibilities is endless with a fish as good as this.