Coating sardines with a mix of honey and mayonnaise helps them to brown more quickly and release from the hot grill.

Grilled Whole Sardines
SERVES 4 to 6 FAST
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS Grilled sardines are a popular outdoor tradition all along the Mediterranean, where these fish are fresh and plentiful. In the simplest preparation, whole sardines are oiled, quickly charred on a hot grill, and served with regional accompaniments. We found variations that included skewering to hold the delicate fish together, marinating the fish for more flavor, and even filleting and sandwiching the fish together before grilling in an attempt to further insulate the flesh. But we found that the sardines were prone to breaking off the skewers, the oily fish had plenty of innate flavor without a marinade, and, if cooked correctly, they were unlikely to overcook. So we went back to basics and set out to perfect the grilling method for whole fish. We found that when just oiled, even on a very hot grill, some of our sardines stuck, and the skin tore when we flipped them. We applied a technique we had developed for grilled mackerel to address just this problem: We used a mixture of honey and mayonnaise on their exteriors, allowing the sardines to achieve beautiful browning quickly, and when their skin was charred and crisp, they naturally released from the grill. The trick, we found, was being patient; if we didn’t move the sardines until they offered no resistance, we were able to get perfectly intact skin. If fresh sardines aren’t available, you can substitute frozen, though you will likely need to clean them yourself. We enjoy these sardines paired simply with lemon wedges or with our Tomato and Almond Pesto or Green Olive and Orange Pesto .

12 (2- to 3-ounce) whole sardines, scaled, gutted, fins snipped off with scissors
Pepper
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
½ teaspoon honey
Lemon wedges

1. Rinse each sardine under cold running water and pat dry with paper towels inside and out. Open cavity of each sardine and season flesh with pepper. Combine mayonnaise and honey, then brush mixture evenly on exterior of each fish.
2A. FOR A CHARCOAL GRILL Open bottom vent completely. Light large chimney starter filled with charcoal briquettes (6 quarts). When top coals are partially covered with ash, pour evenly over grill. Set cooking grate in place, cover, and open lid vent completely. Heat grill until hot, about 5 minutes.
2B. FOR A GAS GRILL Turn all burners to high, cover, and heat grill until hot, about 15 minutes. Leave all burners on high.
3. Clean cooking grate, then repeatedly brush grate with well-oiled paper towels until grate is black and glossy, 5 to 10 times. Place sardines on
grill and cook (covered if using gas) until skin is browned and beginning to blister, 2 to 4 minutes. Gently flip sardines using spatula and continue to cook until second side is browned and beginning to blister, 2 to 4 minutes. Serve with lemon wedges.

Pan-Roasted Sea Bass
SERVES 4 FAST
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS Pan-roasted fish seems like a simple dish, but in reality it takes some practice to get it right. At home, many attempts result in dry, overbaked fillets. We set out to develop a foolproof recipe for producing moist, well-browned fillets with a bright-meets-briny Greek relish. We quickly learned we needed thick fillets and chose semifirm sea bass; thinner fish overcooked by the time they achieved a serious sear. We then turned to a common restaurant method to cook the fish: We seared the fillets in a hot pan, flipped them, then transferred the pan to the oven to finish cooking. Sprinkling the fillets with sugar accelerated browning on the stovetop, shortening the cooking time and thus ensuring that the fish didn’t dry out. After a short stay in the oven to finish cooking through, the fish emerged well browned, tender, and moist. Creating a complementary relish was as simple as whirling nuts, green olives or roasted red peppers, garlic, and citrus zest in the food processor before stirring in oil and fresh herbs. Cod and snapper are good substitutes for the sea bass.

4 (4- to 6-ounce) skinless sea bass fillets, 1 to 1½ inches thick
Salt and pepper
½ teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Lemon wedges

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees. Pat sea bass dry with paper towels, season with salt and pepper, and sprinkle sugar evenly on 1 side of each fillet.
2. Heat oil in 12-inch ovensafe skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Place sea bass sugared side down in skillet and press lightly to ensure even contact with skillet. Cook until browned on first side, about 2 minutes. Gently flip sea bass using 2 spatulas, transfer skillet to oven, and roast until fish flakes apart when gently prodded with paring knife and registers 140 degrees, 7 to 10 minutes. Serve with lemon wedges.

VARIATIONS
Pan-Roasted Sea Bass with Green Olive, Almond, and Orange Relish FAST
Pulse ½ cup toasted slivered almonds, ½ cup pitted brine-cured green olives, chopped coarse, 1 small minced garlic clove, and 1 teaspoon grated orange zest in food processor until finely chopped, 10 to 12 pulses. Transfer to bowl and stir in ¼ cup orange juice, ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, ¼ cup minced fresh mint, and 2 teaspoons white wine vinegar. Season with salt and cayenne to taste. Serve with fish.
Pan-Roasted Sea Bass with Roasted Red Pepper, Hazelnut, and Thyme Relish FAST
Pulse ½ cup toasted and skinned hazelnuts, ½ cup jarred roasted red peppers, rinsed, patted dry, and chopped coarse, 1 minced garlic clove, and ½ teaspoon grated lemon zest in food processor until finely chopped, 10 to 12 pulses. Transfer to bowl and stir in ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, 4 teaspoons lemon juice, 1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme, and ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with fish.

Pan-Roasted Sea Bass with Wild Mushrooms
SERVES 4
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS Sea bass, with its large, firm, moist flakes, is a perfect complement to chewy mushrooms. For this pan-roasted sea bass recipe, we liked a combination of full-flavored cremini and portobellos, with a small amount of dried porcini for a deep, woodsy flavor. We first tried sautéing the mushrooms and fish separately, but the result lacked unity. We decided to add the fish to the sautéed mushrooms in a hot skillet and then slide the pan into the oven, so the fish and the mushrooms melded in flavor, and the porcini liquid reduced to a light, flavorful sauce. Cod and snapper are good substitutes for the sea bass.

½ cup water
⅓ ounce dried porcini mushrooms
4 (4- to 6-ounce) skinless sea bass fillets, 1 to 1½ inches thick
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for serving
Salt and pepper
1 sprig fresh rosemary
1 red onion, halved and sliced thin
12 ounces portobello mushroom caps, halved and sliced ½ inch thick
1 pound cremini mushrooms, trimmed and halved if small or quartered if large
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
Lemon wedges

1. Microwave water and porcini mushrooms in covered bowl until steaming, about 1 minute. Let sit until softened, about 5 minutes. Drain mushrooms in fine-mesh strainer lined with coffee filter, reserve porcini liquid, and mince mushrooms.
2. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 475 degrees. Pat sea bass dry with paper towels, rub with 2 tablespoons oil, and season with salt and pepper.
3. Heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil and rosemary in 12-inch ovensafe skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add onion, portobello mushrooms, cremini mushrooms, and ½ teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms have released their liquid and are beginning to brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in garlic and porcini mushrooms and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
4. Off heat, stir in reserved porcini liquid. Nestle sea bass skinned side down into skillet, transfer to oven, and roast until fish flakes apart when gently prodded with paring knife and registers 140 degrees, 10 to 12 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley and drizzle with extra oil. Serve with lemon wedges.

Tucking a Fish Tail

If using any tail-end fillets, simply tuck the thinner end under itself before cooking so that it will cook at the same rate as thicker fillets.

Grilled Sea Bass with Citrus and Black Olive Salad
SERVES 4 FAST
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS At its best, grilled sea bass boasts firm, moist flesh under a crisp, seared exterior, but many recipes turn out underdone, fishy-tasting fillets. To bring out the best in our grilled sea bass, we started by seeking out thick fillets. Sea bass skin is too tough to eat, so we removed it and rubbed the fish with oil to keep it from sticking to the grill. Unlike other meaty cuts of fish, cooking this fillet all the way through—cooking over the hottest part of the grill for up to 10 minutes before finishing on the cooler side—produced the best flavor; salting the fish before grilling also helped prevent any off-flavors. In under 20 minutes, the sea bass had taken on great flavorful char, but these rich fillets deserved a bright, fresh accompaniment. A zesty citrus salad of orange and grapefruit segments, balanced out with chopped kalamata olives and a blend of cumin and paprika, paired perfectly with the fish. Cod and snapper are good substitutes for the sea bass. Use only the citrus pieces in the relish, not the juices, which will water down the flavor and texture.

2 oranges
1 red grapefruit
¼ cup pitted kalamata olives, chopped
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
½ teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon paprika
Pinch cayenne pepper
Salt and pepper
4 (4- to 6-ounce) skinless sea bass fillets, 1 to 1½ inches thick
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1. Cut away peel and pith from oranges and grapefruit. Quarter oranges, then slice crosswise into ½-inch-thick pieces. Cut grapefruit into 8 wedges, then slice wedges crosswise into ½-inch-thick pieces. Combine oranges, grapefruit, olives, parsley, cumin, paprika, and cayenne in bowl. Season with salt to taste, cover, and set aside for serving.
2. Pat sea bass dry with paper towels, rub with oil, and season with salt and pepper.
3A. FOR A CHARCOAL GRILL Open bottom vent completely. Light large chimney starter filled with charcoal briquettes (6 quarts). When top coals are
partially covered with ash, pour evenly over half of grill. Set cooking grate in place, cover, and open lid vent completely. Heat grill until hot, about 5 minutes.
3B. FOR A GAS GRILL Turn all burners to high, cover, and heat grill until hot, about 15 minutes. Leave primary burner on high and turn other burner(s) to medium-low.
4. Clean cooking grate, then repeatedly brush grate with well-oiled paper towels until grate is black and glossy, 5 to 10 times. Place sea bass on hotter part of grill and cook, uncovered, until well browned, about 10 minutes, gently flipping fillets using 2 spatulas halfway through cooking.
5. Gently move sea bass to cooler part of grill and cook, uncovered, until fish flakes apart when gently prodded with paring knife and registers 140 degrees, 3 to 6 minutes. Serve with salad.