Blood Orange Bass with Fennel Recipe

This Blood Orange Bass with Fennel recipe combines flaky bass, caramelized fennel, crispy fingerling potatoes, garlic butter, and bright blood orange for a vibrant and delicious griddle-cooked dinner. Featured on Griddle Nation, this approachable seafood recipe turns fresh ingredients and high-heat cooking into an impressive meal that’s perfect for date night, weekend dinners, or entertaining.

The Inspiration

The recipe demonstrates how a flat-top griddle can be used to prepare an entire meal rather than simply cooking one main ingredient. Potatoes develop a beautifully browned exterior, fennel caramelizes directly on the hot surface, and bass cooks quickly for a tender, flaky finish.

Griddle Nation takes inspiration from the ever-changing world of online food culture, transforming viral griddle recipes and cooking trends into practical dishes that home cooks can recreate. In this episode, Nate brings that approach to a fresh seafood dish featuring bass, blood orange, fennel, and potatoes.

The combination of blood orange and fennel gives this dish a particularly bright character. Fennel has a naturally aromatic, slightly sweet flavour that becomes even more pronounced when caramelized. Blood orange contributes acidity, citrus sweetness, and a beautiful pop of colour, making it an ideal complement to delicate bass.

Ingredients

• 8Tbsp Butter
• 3 Cloves Garlic, Sliced
• 1tsp Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice
• 1 Pound Fingerling Potatoes
• Blackstone SPG Seasoning
• Graza Frizzle High Heat Cooking Oil
• ½ Bulb Fennel, Sliced with Fronds Reserved for Garnish
• 2 Fresh Caught Bass Filets, Skin-on, Scored
• 1 Blood Orange

Method

• Preheat griddle to medium heat. Allow 10-15 minutes or until the surface darkens and light smoke appears
• In a small cast iron cocotte, add butter, garlic, and lemon juice.
• Add a thin layer of Frizzle oil to griddle and lay down potatoes. Season with SPG. Allow potatoes to cook 3-4 minutes and then toss to mix.
• Add 2TB of butter from cocotte to the potatoes, toss to coat. Cook for another 2-3 minutes
• Add fennel to griddle and allow to cook for 5-6 minutes or until caramelization and browning occurs.
• Add a splash of water to the potatoes and dome to cover and finish cooking for another 2-3 minutes or until fork tender.
• Add bass filets to griddle skin side down. Season with SPG. Cook for 2 minutes, then flip and squeeze half of the blood orange over them.
• Allow bass to cook for an additional 2 minutes then plate.
• Plate with a bed of potatoes and fennel with bass filet on top. Garnish with picked fennel fronds and small wedges of the blood orange.

Serving Suggestions

For entertaining, arrange the potatoes and fennel on a large platter and place the bass fillets over the top. Garnish the platter with fennel fronds and blood orange wedges for a colourful presentation. This family-style approach works especially well for relaxed dinner parties where guests can serve themselves.

The dish can also be paired with additional roasted or grilled vegetables if you’re serving a larger group. Since the recipe already includes potatoes as its main starch, lighter vegetable sides work particularly well without making the meal feel overly heavy.

For a larger dinner, serve the bass with a simple green salad dressed with lemon or citrus vinaigrette. The fresh acidity will complement the blood orange and help balance the richness of the garlic butter. Grilled asparagus, green beans, zucchini, or other seasonal vegetables can also be served alongside the fish for an even more vegetable-forward meal.

Final Thoughts

This Blood Orange Bass with Fennel recipe is a vibrant celebration of griddle cooking, bringing together tender bass, caramelized fennel, golden fingerling potatoes, aromatic garlic butter, and fresh blood orange. The combination creates a meal that is colourful, flavorful, and satisfying while remaining approachable enough for a home-cooked dinner

For more information, check out the Griddle Nation website. Griddle Nation