Black Bass

Black bass is freshwater fish from genus M. dolomieu. The fish is also known as black trout; however, trout is more commonly referred as a member of the Salmon family. Black basses are spread throughout a large area and are commonly found in North America, Canada, Mexico, and California. There are several species of this freshwater fish, with the smallmouth basses and largemouth basses being widely known in almost all areas of the world. These two species are considered to be cosmopolitan now. In order to preserve the fish population, the trend of “catch and release” with respect to black bass fishing is becoming quite popular. The meat of black basses is quite firm, and is edible. The fish can be cooked in a variety of ways viz. baking, grilling, and sautéing,.

Popular Species

Here follows a brief description about a few species of black bass:

• Largemouth Bass- this species basically belongs to eastern U.S., southern Canada, and northern Mexico. It is one of the most popular game fish types, and possesses a world record of weighing 22 pounds 4 ounces.
• Spotted Bass – this fish having world record of 10 pounds 4 ounces, is found in Mexico, Kentucky, and California, and possesses spots on lower part of the body. Jaw is not extended beyond the eye, and there is patch of teeth on tongue.
• Smallmouth Bass – it is native to southeastern Canada and eastern U.S., and possesses a world record of weighing around 11 pounds 15 ounces.
• Shoal Bass – this species of black bass has a world record of 8 pounds 12 ounces, with the jaw not extending beyond the eye, and no patches of teeth found on tongue. This fish is found in Georgia, Florida, and Alabama.   

Apart from the above discussed species of black bass, there are quite a few others like redeye bass, suwannee bass, guadalupe bass, and bartram's bass, which have not made any world record.

Popular Recipes

A few popular black bass recipes are explained below:

• Grilled black bass- the grilled black bass recipe suggests stuffing the fish with cucumber slices, lemon juice, and dill sprigs, and cooking it on hot grill after brushing a mix of olive oil, salt, pepper, and lemon juice on top of fish.
• Sautéed black bass- the recipe for sautéed black bass suggests pressing milk soaked black bass fillets in flour, and sautéing them in a frying pan in some oil until brown.
• Baked stuffed black bass- oven baked black bass recipe suggests stuffing fish with a mixture of onions, tomatoes, stuffing mix, salt, sugar, pepper, and tarragon, and baking it in oven after brushing the fish with a mix of lemon juice and melted butter.

Nutrition and Health Facts

3 oz of fresh black bass provides around 80 calories, obtained from 1 g of fat, with no saturated fats. As the fish does not contain saturated fats, it is considered to be good for heart health.

Trivia

Though most of the countries are practicing “catch and release” fishing technique to preserve black bass population, on the other hand, Japan, which is not the home of black basses, is making attempts to do away with several species of the fish.

Further Reading

Book of the Black Bass by James A. Henshall & Illustrated