Herb-Roasted striped bass with asparagus and cherry tomatoes.
naotakem

Striped bass are a popular gamefish that has been introduced to many water bodies outside of their natural range of the Atlantic Coast of North America. They migrate between fresh and saltwater environments, though there are many landlocked stripers as well. As a means to further expand the freshwater range of this fish, striped bass are often hybridized with white bass (called hybrid striped bass). The flesh of a striper is a pinkish-white firm texture with a rich taste, though it differs depending on where it was caught. This fish can be broiled, poached, smoked, steamed, pan fried, or grilled.

Striped Bass Cooking Tips

Use Your Nose

When purchasing striped bass from a store, make sure that the fillets have a sweet, seawater fresh smell and are of uniform color, free of drying and browning.

Don't Leave Any Meat Behind

There's more to a striped bass than just the fillets. Don't forget the triangles of meat behind the gills, commonly called 'collars.' But most important of all, the cheeks are the best tasting flesh on the fish. These disc-shaped meats make a perfect snack or appetizer to the main course.

Bigger Is Not Better

Like with many other species of fish, the best tasting striped bass are smaller in size than your typical trophy catch. Anywhere striper between a foot-and-a-half to three feet in length is good eating. Beyond that, the meat is coarser and contains more mercury, which greatly affects the taste of the flesh.

How To Fillet A Striped Bass

1. Lay the fish on its side and secure it in place.
2. Cut on an angle from the top of the head down the side, just behind the fins.
3. Make a cut along the top of the fish along the side of the dorsal fin, following the spine from the head to the tail.
4. Cut along the backbone with a downward pressure. When you reach the rib cage near the head, push your knife all the way through the fish towards the belly. Be sure not to cut too low or else you'll cut into the gut..
5. Make a long, sideways cut from the head to the tail, following as close as you can to the ribs.
6. When you reach the tail, flip the fillet over it over to expose the flesh.
7.  Slide your knife blade between the skin and flesh with a firm forward motion, maintaining a downward pressure the whole way through.
8. Flip the the fillet over so the side that was attached to the skin is face-up.
9. You should see a red stripe running lengthwise down the middle of the fillet. This is red meat that should be removed because it is not good to eat. Make cuts along either side of the stripe, right to the cutting board.
10. Your fillet should now be in two pieces, discard the red meat you just cut off.
11. Trim all the other red meat that may be attached to the fillet.
12. Repeat steps 2-11 for the other side of the fish.