Rose fish is called “Roodbaars” in Dutch, which literally translates to “Red (sea) bass”. I like all seafood so when I checked out the market and the rose fish looked the freshest, that is what I got. From the name and appearance I assumed wrongly it resembled sea bass or snapper, but instead the texture and flavor turned out to be more like cod. I prepared it like I prepare sea bass, by cooking it sous-vide and then crisping up the skin. It turned out okay, but not as nice as actual sea bass and just slightly dry and flaky. Next time I’ll prepare it more like cod, cooked sous-vide at a slightly lower temperature (45ºC/113ºF instead of 48ºC/118ºF). White fish pairs nicely with roasted cauliflower, and so I served the fish with lemon-roasted cauliflower that turned out nicely.
It still wasn’t bad at all for a quick meal after work. Here’s what I did…
Ingredients
For 2 servings
2 rose fish fillets, about 400 grams (.9 lbs) total weight
salt and freshly ground black pepper
extra virgin olive oil
400 grams (.9 lb) cauliflower florets
1 lemon
1 Tbsp slivered almonds
1/2 Tbsp chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
flour for sprinkling
2 Tbsp clarified butter
Preparation
Preheat the oven to 225ºC/440ºF. Break up the cauliflower into small florets and toss it with olive oil.
Roast the cauliflower for 15 minutes at 225ºC/440ºF. Then toss the cauliflower so it will cook evenly, and sprinkle with the grated zest of the lemon and the slivered almonds.
Roast it for another 15 minutes or until golden. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and sprinkle with the juice of half of the lemon.
Meanwhile, season the fish fillets with salt and freshly ground black pepper and lightly brush them with olive oil.
Vacuum seal the fish.
Cook sous-vide at 45ºC/113ºF (instead of the 48ºC/118ºF as I did) for 10 to 15 minutes.
Take the fish out the bag and pat dry with paper towels.
Sprinkle the skin side with flour.
Fry the fish for about 1 minute on the skin side only in very hot clarified butter.
Serve the fish on warm plates with the cauliflower and remaining lemon, and sprinkle with parsley as garnish.
Stefan's Gourmet Blog 
I love that you’re honest about your cooking. The meal looks fabulous!
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Love the recipe Stefan but, in its natural state, that is one ugly fish. From what I have read, rose fish is also known as the ocean perch, Norway haddock, red perch, golden redfish, or hemdurgan. Some people call it bergylt, bream, or snapper because of its appearance even though it is unrelated to any of these. Rose fish is a species of rockfish from the North Atlantic and is not sustainable because of their slow growth and most of them are caught as a by-catch, i.e. inadvertently while fishing other fish. Rockfish generally have a mild, sweet flavor with a nutty accent and a medium-firm texture with medium flakes which would be similar to your description of it being like cod. I’m sure it was very tasty.
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It’s not as ugly as a monkfish, but close indeed. I don’t care as long as it tastes well 🙂
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Stefan, These are fantastic flavors. I adore lemon and parsley with a white fish. Your cauliflower roasted in clarified butter – I must try this. Thank you for sharing. Have a great weekend! Best wishes, Shanna
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Thanks, Shanna. Hope you’re having a great weekend as well.
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Reading fish posts food blogs and recipes from other countries always fascinates me because I’m only familiar with the kinds of fish that swim our local waters. This fish looks a bit like what we call ruby fish. Your sous-vide is very interesting! It looks like you are having a lot of fun with it.
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Not only fun but also a lot of ease, juiciness, and flavor 🙂 You are right about the fishes. I do find though that many fishes taste alike, like for instance barramundi and rainbow trout.
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Made this yesterday (with cod, because I am not a fan of rose fish). Delicious and easy. Thank you. I roasted the whole head of cauliflower and we had a beautiful little cauliflower salad for lunch (just tossed with with some vinaigrette and more herbs).
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Glad you liked it! I always find it very difficult to keep the cod in one piece when cooked sous-vide, as it flakes so easily.
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You are totally right – it’s a bit tricky (and I don’t .always succeed). But I to me cod tastes better than rose fish. My favourite ‘type’ of fish for sous-videing is flat fish. Sole, flounder, etc. They are also difficult to keep whole but their delicate taste comes out beautifully.
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You are absolutely right, I love flat fish sous-vide. Especially turbot. In my experience they are not as difficult to keep whole as cod though, even without the skin.
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