Readers of The Bitten Word cooked every recipe in the September 2013 Bon Appetit magazine. Here's their take on Striped Bass with Lime Broth.
Jennifer: Although the name of the dish is striped bass, the recipe suggested snapper as well, which is what I chose. This is a simple yet elegant plating that is quick and a cinch to prepare. The flavors are aromatic and refreshing to the palate. The addition of fresh citrus is a subtle complement to the broth.
Carrie: Not surprisingly, I wasn't able to find sea bass in Des Moines, Iowa, and I didn't argue with the fish monger when he suggested cod filets as a substitute. I wish I had. The broth was bright and flavorful, but a bit tart/bitter with the untempered lime juice and citrus sections. In a perfect world, I would have added a bit of honey to the broth and maybe some scallions for flavor and crunch.
Wendy: A tasty & bright fish dish that could use a couple of minor edits. I cooked the dish with snapper that was skinless, alas. The crispy skin would have added texture, though I doubt more flavor could be infused into this dish! The aroma of the ingredients was fabulous, from the toasted spices to the refreshing citrus. It was a little salty (and I love salt), so I'd suggest neither adding any salt to the fish fillets, nor finishing the dish with extra sea salt. I didn't expect to like the grapefruit in the broth, but it added depth and tasted great. Served with jasmine rice and veggies, which soaked up any extra broth nicely.
Donna: A big conundrum. Probably my mistake, but I don't like seafood. I toughed it out. Recipe left out the first ingredient, but it was listed in the directions. Confusing. My seafood loving husband thought it was great. I thought it was good too! If I made it again, I would leaving the skin off.
Claude Ouellette: This assignment was very interesting and eye opening -- normally I would have just passed over this recipe. The broth was complex and layered, though a bit salty and tepid (if served as directed) with very pronounced lime tones - go figure seeing that it is a lime broth! The fish was fantastic with the crispy skin. The scattering of herb and citrus segments gave each mouthful a unique twist and flavour. My Sunday night dinner & Scrabble crew were happy to oblige for the challenge.
MaryBC: Loved the cast iron technique used in this recipe; will absolutely cook skin-on this way as it was perfectly done. Next time will spice it up a bit more and lay off some of the citrus; was still pleasing to a crowd!
Rachel: This dish was ok, but I found that the broth was too tart, and I didn't like how it played with the fresh mint. I liked it more in theory than in execution. (Note: I had to substitute snapper fillets for the striped bass based on what was at my fishmonger, and as they were skinless I didn't get the nice crispy skin that was in the Bon Appetit photo.)
Get the Striped Bass with Lime Broth recipe at Bon Appétit
Head back to the Mains (Fish and Pizza) Index