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Seafood » Whole Roasted Fish Under Salt

Chef Jody Adams and Fish Expert Chris Edelman teach you how to prepare and bake a delicious whole salt-crusted fish. This highly entertaining and educational video teaches you the finer points of identifying a fresh fish, how to clean it, gut it and prep the salt crust. Of course you can have your fishmonger take care of the tough part and just focus on the easy salt crust. Makes a dramatic display at the table when you crack open the salt crust and reveal your moist, delicious filets.

Print Recipe

Serves 2

Ingredients

4 cups kosher salt
¼ cup lightly toasted coriander seeds, ground
¼ cup lightly toasted fennel seeds, ground
1 lemon, scrubbed
6 egg whites
1 whole fish (about 1 lb), cleaned but scales left on, rinsed & dried
white pepper
2 thyme sprigs
2 bay leaves
2 fennel fronds (optional)
1 celery salsa verde recipe (see below)

Celery Salsa Verde

1½ cups roughly chopped parsley leaves
⅓ cup roughly chopped celery leaves
1½ tbsp roughly chopped chervil & tarragon
⅓ cup chopped capers
3 anchovy fillets, rinsed & roughly chopped
zest of ½ lemon
¾ cups extra virgin olive oil
1 celery stalk, peeled & cut into ⅛" dice
1 clove garlic, microplaned
½ tbsp lemon juice
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper

How-to

Combine the kosher salt, coriander and fennel in a bowl. Zest the lemon with a microplane and add it to the salt. Toss well to combine. Cut the zested lemon into thin slices
Season the inside of the fish with the spiced salt and some freshly ground white pepper
Put the lemon slices, with the thyme sprigs into the cavity of the fish
Whip the egg whites in a large bowl until foamy. Stir in the salt
Preheat oven to 400º
Lay a cup of salt on a baking pan, about ¼" thick. Lay the fish on top. Adjust the position of the salt and add more if necessary to ensure the fish sits completely on the salt. Cover with the remaining salt. Pat the salt to form a smooth sealed casing
Bake 30-40 minutes. Check the temperature of the fish. It should read 120º
Remove from the oven and let sit 5 minutes. Crack open the salt shell carefully by tapping with the back of a spoon. Remove the top layer of salt
Working carefully, remove the fillets from the salt crust. First remove the skin and then the top fillet and put on a plate
Pick up the bone and discard
Carefully run a spatula between the bottom fillet and the skin and lift the fillet onto the plate. Remove any remaining bones
Serve with celery salsa verde

Celery Salsa Verde

Combine the parsley, celery leaves, tarragon, capers, anchovies and lemon zest in a food processor with ½ cup olive oil. Pulse to a coarse paste. It should not be a smooth puree. Transfer to a bowl
Add the celery, garlic and lemon juice. Season with salt pepper and mix until well combined
Mix in the remaining ¼ cup of oil if necessary. Taste and adjust seasonings

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Comments (1)

Posted Thursday, December 9, 2010, at 11:25 am by Molly Siciliano:

LOVE this recipe. I have been wanting to do this for years and I finally did last night after I found whole Branzino on sale at the store. The meat was so delicious and flavorful. My new favorite way to cook fish!

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Whole Roasted Fish Under Salt