Mediterranean Sea Bass Grilled with Fennel

Loup de Mer Grillé au Fenouil

Appears in
Glorious French Food

By James Peterson

Published 2002

  • About
  • How to tell if a fish is fresh
  • How to Grill Fish and avoid Sticking
  • Two ways to stuff a fish
  • How to marinate fish and cook fish en escabeche
  • How to carve whole cooked fish

Anyone who has traveled in provence, the region in eastern France whose border on the Mediterranean forms the French Riviera (the Côte d’Azur), will have seen loup de mer au fenouil on restaurant menus. In flashy places, those catering especially to tourists, you’ll encounter loup de mer flambé au fenouil, which involves the extra step of dousing the fish with pastis, a strong fennel-flavored drink, and igniting the now-etherized fish at the table. While I have nothing against pastis, it doesn’t belong on a fish.