Grilled Black Sea Bass with Shaved Fennel Salad and Corn in Fennel-Dill Butter Sauce

Photo by Michael Piazza / Styled by Catrine Kelty

Black sea bass is a particular treat in the summer in Massachusetts. Delicate in flavor but meaty enough to stand up to the grill, this fish is also an angler’s favorite. Depending on the size of your fish you may need more than one to serve two people—some black sea bass are as small as a pound apiece after gutting. Many fishmongers carry whole fish, but some will need a day’s notice to bring some in for you.

Serves 2

1 whole black sea bass, about 2 pounds, cleaned, gutted and scaled (ask your fishmonger to do this messy job)
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 bulb fresh fennel, stalks and fronds reserved
2 lemons, 1 thinly sliced and 1 cut into wedges for serving
1 red onion, thinly sliced, divided
1 clove garlic, thinly sliced
5 big sprigs fresh dill, divided
1 fresh bay leaf
2 teaspoons minced parsley
extra-virgin olive oil
2 ears sweet corn, shucked
½ stick unsalted butter
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons white wine

Light a charcoal grill and let the coals die down to medium; alternatively, fire up your gas grill to medium-high.

Meanwhile, prepare the fish. Make diagonal slashes in the flesh on both sides of the fish; rub salt and pepper into the slashes and inside the cavity. Gather some fennel stalks and fronds (saving some fronds for the butter sauce), the lemon slices, half of the red onion, the garlic, 3 big sprigs dill and the bay leaf and tuck them inside the cavity. Rub the minced parsley all over the flesh, especially into the slashes, then drizzle the exterior of the fish with olive oil and set aside to marinate while the grill heats up.

Shave the fennel bulb very thin and add to a bowl of ice water with half of the remaining red onion slices. Set aside to crisp up.

Oil the grill grates using a paper towel soaked with neutral oil and a set of long tongs. Lay the whole fish on the lower half of the oiled grill with its backbone at the middle and place the corn on the grill at the same time. Grill, occasionally slipping a spatula under the flesh of the fish to make sure it doesn’t stick to the grates and turning the corn, about 5–7 minutes. Carefully flip the fish over its backbone so you keep the vegetables inside the cavity; grill an additional 5–7 minutes or until the fish is cooked through, though timing depends on the size of your fish.

In a small grill-proof saucepan, melt the butter and add the vinegar and wine; whisk to emulsify. Mince remaining fennel fronds and dill and add to the sauce; season with salt and pepper to taste.

When the fish is cooked through, transfer to a serving platter and spoon some butter sauce over the top. Cut the kernels from the corn into a small bowl and toss with some butter sauce, too. Drain the fennel and onion, dress with a squeeze of lemon, some salt, pepper and olive oil and serve.

This recipe appeared in the Summer 2020 issue as part of a larger story on Seafood and Corn on the Grill.