Food | I'll have the Sea bass - really!

World Food | I love seeing sea bass on a menu........

Buyer beware.

It means that the restaurant has no idea, or interest, in the fish it is serving or in fact what variety of fish it is - that's because there is no one type of sea bass.

See here

There are some logical, logistical and cultural things at play here.

Firstly, entrenched reliance on marketability. Call any fish, which they do, sea bass and the punters will buy it. It might be a different type of fish every day but they won't know - or probably care.

In Australia sea bass is going to actually be Red band Snapper or Toadstool Groper, and here's the thing, whats an easier thing to have on the menu - sea bass or Red band Snapper.

If the diner is not a fish aficionado, which is almost all of us, then sea bass is the go-to name.

For me if the "sea bass" is actually Butterfly Perch then I would like to know.

Are diners being dumbed down? Of course they are. But see below.

In some places in Australia, restos actually serve Thai-produced barramundi as Australian sea bass. Now you see my point.

So whats the real issue here?

For me it's all about truth in getting what I order.

The other thing that defines the whole sea bass v real fish is supply - so if a restaurant puts Butterfly Perch on the menu then they need to ensure the supply of that fish for the length of its stay on the menu.

In most countries that would be a tricky task, given the poor state of most fisheries.

And also its a very lazy attitude for restaurants and most would prefer that the outlet does not offer generic items to save printing menus.

Personally I would prefer they don't put fish on the menu.