Low-Carb Pesto Baked Sea Bass

Sea Bass is a favorite fish of mine, and paired with tangy pesto and perfectly cooked tomatoes, this dish made me keto-happy.

This dish was really simple to make, full of fresh ingredients and then a simple store cupboard ingredient of pesto to jazz it up.

Are tomatoes fruits?

Tomatoes are often classified as a “culinary vegetable” because they are usually treated in cooking like other vegetables and not served raw like many fruits. However, scientifically tomatoes are actually a type of fruit – a berry to be exact. This means that while they might not look or taste much like typical fruits such as apples or oranges, all tomatoes are technically fruits. This is because they contain seeds and come from the flowering part of a plant, much like any other type of fruit.

Because of their savoury flavour profile, it can be difficult to think of tomatoes as fruits which makes them a bit unique compared to other fruits in our diets. This distinction matters for taxonomy and labelling as well. It’s not just a fun fact to know – it affects how we classify tomatoes for nutrition labels, taxes, cooking techniques, and more.

Knowing that tomatoes are classified as fruits provides valuable context when making decisions about ingredients or recipes. For example, many people don’t realize that tomato sauces are actually a type of fruit sauce. Knowing the difference between a vegetable and a fruit is important for cooking and can affect how efficient we are in the kitchen.

What is sea bass, and what can I use as an alternative?

Sea bass is a type of fish typically found in coastal regions of the Atlantic and Mediterranean oceans. It has a mild, sweet flavour and firm texture, making it an excellent choice for baking, grilling, poaching or steaming. The average sea bass can range from 4 to 8 pounds and live up to 15 years. Its scales are usually a pale or light brown colour and its flesh can range from white to pink.

If you don’t have access to sea bass, some excellent substitutes include barramundi, Chilean sea bass, striped bass, or red snapper. Barramundi is a mild-flavoured fish that has a flaky texture; it is best cooked by baking, poaching or steaming. Chilean sea bass has a delicate texture and mild flavour; it is often cooked by grilling, pan-searing or roasting. Striped bass has a firm texture and mild flavour that stands up to high cooking temperatures; it works well for grilling, broiling or frying. Red snapper is a mild-flavored fish with a flaky texture; it is best cooked by baking, poaching or steaming.