When you open your menu and see that a restaurant is serving Chilean sea bass, you know you may be in for an expensive meal.
There is no question that Chilean sea bass is pricey.
Many restaurants won’t even serve it as the price exceeds a number that their clientele is willing to pay.
If you have ever wondered why Chilean sea bass is so expensive, you are in the right place.
Here are five reasons that could help to clear this question up for you.
Why Is Chilean Sea Bass so Expensive?
1. Supply and Demand
Chilean sea bass is highly sought after.
It is a popular fish that made its debut in the 1990s.
The Chilean sea bass is not actually a bass at all.
The real name of what we call a Chilean sea bass is a Patagonian toothfish.
The name Patagonian Toothfish does not sound quite as appetizing on the menu of a five-star restaurant.
Therefore, the name Chilean sea bass was adopted to be a bit more appealing and appetizing.
It certainly worked, and many associate this fish with being a high quality and expensive fish.
As the Chilean sea bass was introduced around the world, it started to get more and more popular.
People realized that they enjoyed this fish and had no trouble adding it to their day-to-day meal planning.
With the fish being easy to cook and easy to find, the Chilean sea bass became very popular.
As the fish got more and more popular, it also started to be overfished.
The supply started to drop while the demand for the Chilean sea bass remained very high.
In fact, today, the supply has gotten to a point where people are being encouraged to stay away from Chilean sea bass for some time.
We need to allow the population some time to regenerate as opposed to overfishing and completely losing the privilege and the ability to eat the sea bass.
It is best to follow these guidelines as they come from the experts in nature and science around the world.
One of the major reasons the price of the Chilean sea bass is so high is that there is just not that much of it around.
Some areas have stopped serving it entirely, and some fisherman has stopped trying to catch the Chilean sea bass.
If you are able to find Chilean sea bass on a menu at this point, chances are it will be priced quite high.
2. Easy to Cook
Seafood is not always easy to cook.
When you are preparing something like scallops, you have to watch the meal very closely to make sure they are cooked to the exact temperature.
Many chefs will tell you that cooking a perfect scallop is similar to cooking a perfect steak.
You have to take some time to develop these skills and learn how to prepare the food.
Some seafood takes some knowledge and understanding to have it turn out correctly.
Other seafood is very easy to cook and can be prepared almost as easily as chicken.
Chicken is one of those foods that even a novice chef will learn how to perfect.
You can make chicken in a number of different ways, and it is hard to mess it up unless you are really not paying attention.
The same can be said for Chilean sea bass.
This is an easy piece of fish to cook, and you can make it in a variety of ways.
For a new chef, it can be quite impressive to create a Chilean sea bass meal.
It sounds rich and impressive, and therefore, it could inspire the new chef to continue with their hobby.
If you are afraid of cooking fish for fear of messing it up, give the Chilean sea bass a try, and you may be surprised at your abilities.
There are number of recipes available and a number of ways you can cook Chilean sea bass.
Many restaurants will serve this as part of a lighter meal because the taste of the fish itself is quite rich.
With Chilean sea bass being easy to cook, people are willing to pay more money for it.
Certainly, this is understandable if you can almost guarantee yourself a great meal on the table.
3. Rich Taste
The Chilean sea bass is also expensive because it tastes good.
The taste is known for being very rich and flavorful.
Chilean sea bass is a white fish, and traditional white fish are known for having a great flavor and being able to take on flavors of sauces and spices as well.
If your Chilean sea bass is prepared properly, chances are you will have no problem paying quite a bit of money for this meal.
Since the taste of the Chilean sea bass is so rich, sometimes all you need is a bit of butter and garlic to finish up a meal.
The Chilean sea bass can be grilled, pan fried, and even baked.
The combination of the rich taste and the ease of preparation make this one of the more popular fish to purchase and eat.
Therefore, the price is going to increase as well.
4. High End Restaurants
Another reason Chilean sea bass is so expensive is that you will generally find it on the menu of a high-end restaurant.
If you are eating a local burger and pizza place, chances are you won’t see Chilean sea bass on the menu.
The price per pound of this fish is quite high, and therefore, it needs to be placed on menus of more high-end restaurants.
The high-end restaurants can get away with charging $50.00 for a dinner.
People are happy to pay this price for a good piece of fish prepared properly.
At a less expensive restaurant, a meal priced this high would never sell, and the fish would go to waste.
The Chilean sea bass has earned a spot on these high-end menus right next to the lobster and the steaks.
Since it is now known for this, it will most likely stay at the top of these menus for years to come.
The problem a less expensive restaurant will have is that they will not be able to properly prepare a fish like that and serve it at a price point that would attract their customers.
When you eat at a fine dining establishment, you know you will pay a premium for the ambiance, the service, and the chef who probably has some impressive credentials.
Considering Chilean sea bass is known to have a little bit of mercury in it, you should not consume it all that often.
This is not a fish you will want to eat a few times per week.
Instead, it is best to choose to eat Chilean sea bass about twice per month.
Most people will find that this fits in well with the number of times they eat at a fine dining establishment in a given month.
Save your Chilean sea bass for the expensive restaurants that prepare it properly.
Chances are you are not going to find it cheaper anywhere else.
5. Open Sea Fishing
Our last reason for the high price of the Chilean sea bass is the fact that it is a deep-sea fish.
If you are eating a Chilean sea bass at a restaurant, there was a process to get that fish to your table.
When fishermen catch Chilean sea bass, they have to go many miles away from the shore.
This poses a few different issues.
Not only do the fishing boats have to be equipped for deep sea fishing, but the fisherman have to be trained and willing to stay out at sea.
Deep sea fishing requires more fuel, and it also requires lots of ice.
The fish need to be packed on ice when they are caught, and they must remain cold until they make it to the restaurant.
Refrigerated shipping is very expensive and will increase the cost of a product.
If a fish is allowed to get warm or thaw on the way to the restaurants, it will not be safe to eat.
Another issue with the fishing of the Chilean sea bass is that most of it happens in one place off the coast of South America.
If you happen to live in this part of the world, you won’t have any trouble getting fish to eat.
However, if you live in other areas, you will have to have the fish shipped to you, and therefore, the costs will increase.
As you can see, there are quite a few factors involved in why the Chilean sea bass pricing is known to get so high.
How Can I Save Money on Chilean Sea Bass?
If Chilean sea bass is still something you want to add to your diet, there are ways to save a little bit of money.
For starters, do not go out to eat this meal.
If you are going to a restaurant to eat Chilean sea bass, chances are you will get a very small piece, and it will cost over $30.
You can prepare a very similar meal at home for a much lower price.
Remember that the Chilean sea bass is one of the easier fish to make, so you don’t need to be nervous about cooking this one yourself.
Another way to save a bit of money on Chilean sea bass is to stock up when you see a sale.
Keep an eye on the flyer for your local grocery store or fish market.
If they happen to get in a large shipment, they will want to make sure they sell it before the fish goes bad.
Even if this means you need to freeze a little bit of it, you will significantly reduce the cost per pound that you pay.
When you freeze Chilean sea bass, you can still thaw it and cook it another time.
We find that fish that has been frozen often tastes better when served with a sauce.
Conclusion
Chilean sea bass may not be cheap, but it sure does satisfy many people.
This white fish is very tasty and pairs well with so many other foods.
If you find yourself in the mood for Chilean sea bass, try and learn to prepare it yourself.
You will be able to save a lot of money, and you will likely get to eat a much larger portion of the fish as well.
Outside of going out deep sea fishing to catch your own Chilean sea bass, this is about the best you can do to save yourself some money.
Unfortunately, this is just one of those things that are expensive.
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