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Fish baked in salt
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📋Whole Sea Bream Recipe Cooked in Salt

When the fish is freshly cooked in Salt, it retains the freshness of the sea and it is simple to do and presents well. A perfect combination to impress your guests at a dinner party, and you would not believe how simple it is to do! 
Course Main Course
Cuisine Italian
Diet Diabetic, Gluten Free, Low Calorie, Low Fat
Keyword sea bream cook in salt, whole fish baked in salt, whole sea bream baked
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings 4 people
Calories 255kcal

Ingredients

Sea bream

Samphire grass

Instructions

Cooking the sea bream

  • Cover the bottom of a pan with 5 cm of salt, place the whole fish (which has been trimmed, scaled and gutted) on top of the salt.
    36 oz sea coarser salt, 36 oz sea bream
  • Place inside the fish garlic and parsley
  • Cover the fish with another layer of salt, making sure it is all covered.
  • Sprinkle with water to seal.
  • Cook the fish for 30 minutes in a preheated oven at 430 F - 220 C.
  • With a hammer break the top crust of the salt chamber
  • Gently remove the salt from the fish, making sure the fish remains intact.
  • Place the fish on a large plate and debone it
  • Serve it, the fish will be perfectly seasoned.

Cooking the samphire grass

  • Bring to boil a large pan of water (you do not need to add salt)
  • Rinse the samphire grass under running water and boil it for 2 to 3 minutes
  • Drain and season with extra virgin olive oil and fresh lemon juice

Video

Notes

  • Make sure the fish is very fresh
  • Ask your fishmonger to clean your fish
  • A whole fish should be cooked only until the skin is crisp and the flesh opaque
  • There is no need to add any seasoning as the flesh of the fish will absorb the right amount of salt to enhance its flavour while maintaining its moisture.
  • You don't need to add any seasoning but if you like these are the herbs and vegetables that can be added inside the fish stomach: Parsely, Onion, Cherry tomatoes, Fennel, Garlic, Lemon.
  • Beside Sea Bream you can use any other fish like Bass, Mullet, Cod, Hake, Mackarel, Salmon, Trout, Snapper or Tilapia.
  • Although, they have to be whole with the skin intact, not already filleted as the flesh will absorb too much salt.
  • Once cooked, you just need to break the salt crust and gently remove it. This is the only difficult part of the recipe as you need to make sure the salt is removed without breaking the flesh.
  • I recommend buying 2 to 3 bags per kilo of fish, better more than less. Any salt leftover can be used to salt the water for boiling pasta, or vegetables.
  • Use a pan that is just the size of the fish as the fish has to be completely enclosed in salt. Any opening will release heat and moisture.
  • However, if the pan is too big, you will need to use a lot of salt. Plus cleaning it afterword!
  • You may need a hammer to break the salt crust
  • Rinse the samphire grass well
  • You do not need to add salt to the boiling water

Nutrition

Calories: 255kcal | Protein: 44g | Fat: 7g | Sodium: 99144mg | Potassium: 20mg | Calcium: 61mg | Iron: 0.8mg