(photos:seabass plated, seabass pan fried, seabass in olive oil)

Ever since I was in middle school, I enjoyed cooking at home. It was a chance for me to display my creative side. In my early years, I focused simply on taste. But now, I notice that a gourmet ensemble of different notes come into play. Trying to balance flavors, I must consider how sweet balance out sour. Texture is key as well. Lets examine the avocado. Avocados, technically a fruit from the berry family, are used to add creaminess to a dish. Temperature is another important thing to consider. Avocados are delicious when served at room temperature or cold, but rarely taste good when hot. Like any painter will tell you, color affects mood and this is true in food as well. Cuban food, for instance, is a festive cuisine that incorporates many ingredients from the local region that use bright colorful and appetizing ingredients. Salsa is a dish that combines tomatoes and purple onions resulting in dishes with vibrant colors. Keeping all this in mind, the secret ingredient today – the sea bass.

It was my virgin attempt at the Orca Bay sea bass from Costco. For $20.00, I get 1.5lb of sea bass already cut into servings. Since it is a thick chunk, poach (boil in hot water) the fish for three minutes. Next, take the fish out and marinate in extra virgin olive oil, 1 teaspoon of kosher salt, 1 teaspoon of curry powder, freshly grounded black pepper. In a fry pan, heat olive oil and add slices of chopped garlic. Make sure the heat is on medium so that the garlic will brown at the right temperature. Pan fry the sea bass four minutes on each side. Place a cover to over the fish while pan frying. This will help cook the fish more rapidly and also keeps the splatters inside the pan. Finish the dish by tossing six grape tomatoes and 2 oz. of white wine. Take a few sprigs of mint coarsely chopped and plate on the sea bass.

Plating: The seabass has already been cut into a chunk that has great height. The mint adds refreshing colors and tomatoes adds great circular garnishes. The oil adds a soft element to the plate which acts as a canvas.

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