Sasha's Kitchen: Asian Infused Sea Bass With Papaya Salsa

I actually wrote about this meal once before when I first started this blog, but I didn't give it the full attention it deserved, nor was there a photo.  This is my favorite seafood dish, so I wanted to give it a full, true Sasha-blog post.  I love the asian infusion of the Chilean Sea Bass, and the combination of the fresh, tropical papaya with the asian flavors in the fish.  If you are concerned with sustainability, you do not have to use Chilean Sea Bass - you could substitute Mahi Mahi, Cod or Halibut.  I can't help it though, occasionally I get a craving for the soft, flaky sea bass with the asian marinade and fresh papapya.  That's exactly what happened last night.

This recipe is one I derived from a very old cookbook called Taste of the Tropics by Jay Solomon, from a restaurant that used to exist in Ithaca, New York when I was a kid.  The restaurant closed years ago (my husband, a Cornell graduate, says it was closed by the time he got to Cornell), but the cookbook lives on.  I have modified the ingredients in the marinade, which the author of the cookbook says is for Mahi Mahi, and made some minor changes in the salsa recipe.  Here's the recipe that I use in my cooking:

Sea Bass With Asian-Infused Marinade & Papaya Salsa 

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/2 cup mirin or sake

1/2 cup pineapple juice

2 T sesame oil

2 T lime juice

1 tsp lemongrass

1 T fresh ginger

2/3 tsp red pepper flakes

pinch of salt

dash of pepper

1/2 papaya, seeded and diced (for salsa)

3 T lime juice (for salsa)

2 T cilantro (for salsa)

1/2 red onion, diced (for salsa)

2-4 filets of fish (sea bass, mahi mahi, halibut or cod)

Combine the ingredients for the marinade in a bowl.  Marinate the fish for about 4 to 6 hours in the asian-infused marinade.  You can use either mirin or sake for the marinade (the result is very similar).  Rotate the fish at the halfway point.

To prepare the salsa, seed and dice the papaya.  Combine with the red onion, lemon juice and cilantro.

Cook the fish in a bit of the marinade at 350 for about 30 minutes until flaky and cooked to your liking (this will vary a bit depending on the type of fish that you use).    I always serve the fish with a side of the salsa and a bit of the marinade.  It also tastes great with a vegetable risotto as a side, such as the green apple risotto, that my husband makes, or even a plain risotto.  This recipe remain one of my favorite dinner courses, and will quench our palettes any night of the week.

Chilean Sea Bass