Sunflower and Garlic Baked Sea Bass

In 2008, my parents and I went to Alaska and went deep sea fishing. The enormous amount of fish I caught on that trip has filled my freezer ever since, but its lifespan is now coming to a close (3 years in freezer is the maximum, I think). So today, I thought I'd make use of one of the remaining packages of sea bass (or rockfish).

I also had a cup of raw sunflower seeds leftover from my sunflower/date truffles, and not much else in my pantry. So here's what I did:

Sunflower and Garlic Baked Sea Bass

2 lbs sea bass, sliced into fillets
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp lemon juice
7 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
2 tbsp sunflower-garlic-salt breading

1. Preheat oven to 450 F. Spray a shallow glass baking dish with olive oil spray.
Note: When cooking fish, you must remember to cut off all the brown bits. They're not bad for you but they are responsible for the "fishy" taste you want to avoid. You will probably buy your fish from a store, but you will still want to check for those brown layers and cut them off. If you buy from a store, the fish will probably already be filleted as well, but if you're like me and need to cut your hunk o' fish into usable proportions, remember to feel the fish and cut it in accordance to its already predetermined breaking points. I had planned on 4 big fillets and ended up with 6 smaller ones.
2. Place the fish in the pan with an inch or two between each fillet.
3. Mix together the olive oil, lemon juice, minced garlic, salt, and pepper in a small bowl - then rub this mixture into the fish fillets. If you want that nice browning glow on top and you're worried you haven't used enough olive oil, just spray another light layer over all the fillets.
4. Bake the fish, on the top rack of your oven, for 15 minutes.
5. Now take 1 cup of sunflower seeds, 3 tsp salt, and 3 tsp garlic powder and blend together in a food processor until all powdery and delicious smelling.

5. When the timer for your bass goes off, take out the pan and sprinkle the fillets with the sunflower/salt/garlic mixture and then return to the oven for another 5-8 minutes. You'll know the fish is done if you stick a fork in the biggest meatiest part and it falls apart.

Ta da! Okay, the picture doesn't make them look that good because I couldn't get the lighting right, but they were beautiful and smelled divine. And tasted even better. The lemon cuts through and gives the whole meat a nice fresh bite and the garlic is, well, garlic. Delicious, as always.

Serve with simply roasted veggies. I tossed some cauliflower and zucchini with olive oil and roasted them in the oven for 20 minutes along side the fish. Magnifico!