Caribbean Sea Bass

I know the kids are gearing up to go back to school and some have already started, but we're still going through a heat wave here and I find myself craving a lot of fish. Now, if it were up to me I'd be a-okay with teriyaki salmon all the time. However, The Mister is a little burnt out on my choice of fish and is a little weary when I tell him I'm making fish. If I even say the word "salmon" he looks over at me knowingly and asks, "teriyaki salmon?". So yeah, I admit I need to change it up when it comes to making fish. Which is where this bad-boy comes in. I saw a nice looking piece of sea bass at the grocery store and decided to get it because 1) it's not salmon, and 2) sea bass and teriyaki doesn't sound good. So, there would be no temptation to pull out the teriyaki sauce.

Boy, am I glad that I snagged the sea bass because I'd have never found out about this recipe otherwise. You may have noticed already but I'm one of those people who buy things on impulse and then gets home and looks up what to do with it. Which is exactly what happened with the sea bass. Now, the original recipe called for a habanero pepper but I swapped it out for a jalapeno instead. While The Mister can handle habanero, there are days where I can't even handle a jalapeno. So, I made the swaparoo and I think it worked out perfectly. There was some heat but not too much that it overpowered the fish. Plus, having the sweet pineapple and creamy avocado really helped balance everything out. This will be something I will keep in my back pocket for next summer when we have company over. It's easy enough to whip together and the presentation will definitely impress your friends.

Recipe adapted from Em-I-Lis

• 1 lb Sea Bass
• 1 tablespoon honey
• olive oil, for the skillet
• ½ a jalapeno, seeded, diced
• 2 scallions, trimmed, cut into thin rings
• ten 1/4"-thick half-moon slices of pineapple
• 1 avocado, peeled and sliced into 10 wedges
• salt and pepper

1. Cut your fish into two equal portions and season very well with salt. Sprinkle with fresh pepper and drizzle the honey on top, splitting the tablespoon between the two filets.
2. Slick the bottom of a 10" or 12" non-stick skillet with olive oil and heat over medium-high heat. When very hot, add the fish, skin-side down. Cook without moving for 3-5 minutes, depending on the thickness. You might want a splatter screen to help keep your stovetop clean.
3. When the fish has started to firm up, flip carefully and let the honey caramelize into a nice "crust", another 3 or 4 minutes. Remove the fish from the skillet and set aside on a warm plate.
4. In the skillet place the pineapple moons in a single layer and toss the diced jalapeno and sliced scallions on top. Season with salt and pepper. After 2 minutes, gently flip the pineapple and cook 2 more minutes. Remove the pineapple, pepper and scallions from the skillet, and set the fish, skin side down, back in to finish cooking. This will not take long.
5. To plate: alternate wedges of avocado and pineapple on two plates, sprinkling the scallions and pepper on top. Place one piece of fish on each plate atop the salad. Serve immediately.