One little name applies to several species of mild, firm-fleshed, freshwater or marine fish, including sea bass, black bass, and striped bass. (They may also be known as rockfish, toothfish, or croaker.) Chilean sea bass can contain higher levels of mercury -- bad for kids and pregnant or nursing women -- and have been in decline due to overfishing; better choices include black bass and striped bass.

Pan-sear striped bass fillets to create a flavorful browned exterior, and then simmer with white wine, fresh corn, jalapeno, and cherry tomatoes. Stir in fresh basil and cilantro just before serving.

A bed of fennel stalks perfumes wild striped bass fillets as they bake. White wine steams the fish and creates a light, flavorful sauce for serving.

Before cooking, marinate striped bass fillets in olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, and your choice of thyme or oregano. If it's not grilling weather, prepare this dish on the stove top using a cast-iron grill pan.

Fresh ginger and sweetened soy sauce season and steam a bass fillet in this quick and easy dinner that feeds one or two people. Steaming the fish in parchment paper means there are no pans to wash!

Chef Andrew Carmellini shared this recipe for black bass fillets steamed with scallions, oregano, vermouth, and lemon and orange zest. Sundried tomato and almond pesto mixed with chopped fresh basil, parsley, and celery leaves creates a bold sauce for the fish.

Striped bass fillets are quickly steamed in white wine, shallot, and garlic. Chopped parsley, chives, chervil, and lemon juice and zest combine with extra-virgin olive oil to create a remarkably fresh-tasting topping for the fish.

To make this recipe from Chris "Ludacris" Bridges, fold parchment paper into an origami box for roasting sea bass with longan, goji berries, shiitake mushrooms, ginger, and a sauce of rice wine, fish sauce, and sugar.

Sautee striped sea bass fillets until golden brown and drizzle with blood orange "beurre blanc" -- a classic French sauce made by emulsifying cold butter in a warm, acidic liquid. Stir in blood orange segments and chopped green olives just before serving.

Chef Sam Hayward shares his recipe for whole roasted sea bass stuffed with thyme, rosemary, parsley, and bay leaves. Fillet the fish after roasting, and drizzle with the light, lemony pan juices before bringing to the table.

Braise leeks with thyme and orange juice, then top with striped bass or sea bass fillets and Kalamata olives. Return the dish to the oven for 15 minutes more, just until the fish is opaque and flaky.

To make this recipe from chef Michael Psilakis's cookbook, "How to Roast a Lamb," stuff lemon slices, thyme, rosemary, bay leaves, and garlic into the cavity of a whole bass, then cover with red onion and surround with tomatoes, potatoes, zucchini, olives, and more garlic before roasting.

Panzanella -- the classic Italian salad of rustic bread, tomatoes, and basil -- gets a surprising twist with the addition of steamed mussels and lemon zest. Serve the salad alongside pan-seared black bass fillets basted with brown butter.

Mix together grated ginger, orange zest, orange juice, sesame oil, soy sauce, rice wine, scallions, and a touch of coriander to create the marinade for striped bass fillets and shiitake mushrooms. You will need two 6-inch, two-tiered bamboo steamers to make this dish.

To make this recipe from Chef David Waltuck of Chanterelle restaurant, rub garlic-sage butter under the skin of striped bass or red snapper fillets and pan-fry until crisp. Serve the fish with a rich sauce made from Merlot, ruby port, red-wine vinegar, and butter.

Salt baking, which is a cross between steaming and roasting, intensifies flavors while keeping food moist. To create this dish, stuff a whole striped or black bass with ginger and lemongrass before packing it into a mixture of coarse salt and egg whites, and baking.

Before wrapping in napa cabbage to steam, marinate sea bass fillets in soy sauce, sacha sauce (Chinese barbecue sauce), ginger, garlic, and minced chiles. Serve the steamed fish with a sauce of ginger, oyster sauce, and soy sauce.

To make this recipe from acclaimed chef Thomas Keller, pan-fry squid and blanched fennel, then combine with tomato-thyme confit and homemade shellfish broth to create the background for crisp-skinned bass fillets.

In this recipe from chef Bill Taibe, striped bass fillets are seasoned with fennel pollen and surrounded by roasted baby artichokes, mushrooms, and tomato marmalade. Baby arugula and thin slices of Meyer lemon make a fresh garnish.

The familiar Provencal flavors of saffron, tomato, and fennel are here, with the fresh new addition of trofie (twisted) pasta. Because this recipe only calls for one kind of fish -- black sea bass -- it's easier to make than traditional bouillabaisse.

Three components create the seasoning for sea bass fillets and manilla clams: homemade fish stock; a "suquet" of potatoes, grated tomatoes, saffron, and pimenton (Spanish smoked paprika); and a "picada," prepared by mashing garlic and parsley with salt using a mortar and pestle. This recipe is from chef Jose Andres's "Made in Spain" cookbook.