Baked sea bass with lemongrass and ginger

Cleaning the sea bass -- 15 minutes

Tip: Would you rather not clean the sea bass yourself? Ask your fishmonger to do it for you! 

As fish have scales on their skin, you'll need to remove those before cooking. While cleaning, the scales can jump around and so it can get messy.

Be careful because the fish has some sharp fins, most fishes can cut your hand easily. Use the back of your knife and go against the scales.

For a good grip, grab the tail of the fish with a clean towel. Clean the fish with running cold water and check to see if all of the scales have been removed.

CUT lengthwise into the fish its stomach and remove all its entrails. Again clean the fish carefully under running cold water. Pat the sea bass dry with a kitchen towel. Now the fish is ready to use! 

Preparing the sea bass with lemongrass and ginger -- 5 minutes

QUICKLY blend the lemongrass, olive oil, ginger root, red chilli pepper, garlic cloves and shallot until a rough mixture has been formed. Usually, you'll just use the pulse setting 2 or 3 times.

SCORE (cut) across the fish and trough the skin about 4 to 5 times each side. Fully coat the sea bass using this mixture using your hands, outside and inside.

SQUEEZE the juice from 1 lime over each fish to make it fresher. SLICE the second lime into quarters and place two pieces inside each fish. 

PRE-HEAT your oven to a temperature of 180 degrees Celsius or 350 degrees Fahrenheit. HALVE each lime leaf and push these inside the dish too, one leaf per fish. WRAP both fish in tinfoil loosely.

Cooking time -- 25 minutes

Simply cook the sea bass for about 25 minutes, and let cool off for about 5 minutes before eating. If you're planning on eating the fish at a later time, keep them covered in tin foil and refrigerate up to 6 hours tops.

These sea basses with lemongrass and ginger go great with a variety of rice, baked potatoes or plain ol' pasta, enjoy!