Whole Salt Baked Fish Food

SALT CRUSTED WHOLE FISH

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, trimmed to extend 3-inches in diameter around outside of the fish.
• In a medium bowl, combine the egg whites, sea salt, flour, 2 tablespoons of the parsley and 1/2 cup of water. Mix with your hands until a thick paste forms.
• Fill the cavity of the fish with the sun-dried tomatoes, olives, artichoke hearts and lemon slices. Rub the exterior of the fish with the garlic, then sprinkle with the remaining 1 tablespoon of parsley and freshly ground black pepper
• Put the fish on the parchment lined baking sheet. Mound the salt paste evenly over the entire fish. Press the mixture firmly down to the baking sheet, being careful to seal any cracks.
• Bake the fish until the crust is golden brown and very firm, about 18 to 20 minutes.
• Slide the parchment and fish onto serving platter or cutting board and crack the crust with a handle of a large knife. Slide a spoon under the top fillet, over the spine, and lift it to a serving platter. Turn over and repeat. Garnish with lemon slices and serve immediately.

WHOLE SALT-BAKED FISH

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Stuff the cavity of the fish with lemon slices, thyme, bay leaves, and garlic.
• In a large mixing bowl, mix the salt and egg whites with your hands; it will become the consistency of wet sand.
• In a large baking dish or rimmed baking sheet that is large enough to fit the entire fish (it's okay if the fish only just fits), lay one-third of the salt mixture down, roughly in the shape of the fish. Place the fish on top of the salt mixture and pack the remaining salt mixture around the fish, leaving exposed the area from the eyes to the nose, and also the tail fin. The salt mixture should fully encase the fish, but may not fill the pan. In fact, unless you use a really narrow pan, you'll probably leave most of the pan exposed.
• Bake for about 30 minutes, until the internal temperature of the fish is 130 to 135 degrees F. Depending on the exact size of your fish, your cooking time may vary. Don't break the salt crust while it's cooking or you'll let the juices escape. If you have one of those nice thermometers with the wires that you can leave in the oven while you cook to determine temperature, use that, and pack the salt around the probe to seal it in before cooking. If you don't have one of those fancy thermometers, check the temp by going through the exposed mouth with a probe thermometer. Once done, remove the fish from oven and let rest for 5 minutes before serving.
• While the fish is resting, whisk together the lemon juice and zest, oil, Dijon, salt, and pepper to make a lemon vinaigrette to serve over the fish.
• To remove the fish from the salt shell, use a butter knife and a wooden mallet or spoon. Like a paleontologist, I try to guess where the dorsal fin would be. Hit the fish right there, in the middle of the back (remember it's laying on its side). I place the tip of the butter knife where the dorsal fin was and tap it with the mallet or spoon, putting it in and giving it a wiggle. I score all the way around the fish, like I'm excavating it, so I can remove the salt dome in one piece. It doesn't mess anything up if you don't get it off in the one piece, but it just looks cooler if you do. Once you've gone all the way around the outline of the fish, remove the top part of the salt dome.
• The skin is a little chewy, but it still tastes good, so help yourself to a piece. Cook's reward. Then go under the skin with a fork, down to the spine, and slide across the bottom to filet the fish from the spine. You might get it all in one filet. But most times you have to go back and clean it up.
• Then take the mallet and butter knife, and place the knife at the base of the spine where it meets the head. Tap the handle end of the butter knife with the mallet to crack the spine. Remove the entire spine and bones. With a fork, slide along the bottom of the fish, between the flesh and the salt crust, to remove the other fish filet. You probably won't get the skin off cleanly with this filet, and that's fine.
• This will yield two 10-ounce (or so) filets. Place each filet on a plate and finish with a spoonful of the lemon vinaigrette and a sprinkle of salt and parsley on top.

SEA TROUT BAKED WHOLE IN SEA SALT

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Season the inside of the sea trout well with sea salt and pepper, and fill the gut cavity with the fennel fronds and stalks (unchopped).
• Cover the bottom of a large roasting tin with a layer of salt, 1/2-inch deep. Place the trout on top of the salt. Pile the rest of the salt over the fish so that it's completely covered by at least 1/2-inch all over. Don't worry if the head and tail protrude slightly. Sprinkle a little water over the salt.
• Bake for 40 minutes. To test if the fish is cooked, pierce with a skewer; if it comes out warm the fish will be ready. Peel off the salt crust, and the skin should come with it.

WHOLE ROAST FISH BAKED IN SALT

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Lightly oil a baking sheet large enough to hold the snapper.
• Rinse the snapper thoroughly, inside and out, and pat dry with paper towels. Stuff the cavity with the rosemary, thyme, coriander seeds, and bay leaves.
• On the baking sheet, spread about 1/2 pound of the salt in an even layer that is slightly longer and wider than the snapper. Place the fish on the salt layer and cover completely with the remaining salt.
• Bake until a instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the fish reads 130/, about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven. Brush away as much salt as possible. Using two dessert spoons, remove the top fillets and transfer to a warm plate. Lift off the bones, then transfer the bottom fillets to another plate. Serve immediately, with the extra-virgin olive oil and lemon wedges passed on the side so each diner can season their fish as desired.

WHOLE FISH BAKED IN SALT

Steps:

• 1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
• 2. Rinse the fish with cold water, pat it dry and refrigerate until just before cooking.
• 3. Pour a fine layer of salt in the bottom of an oven-proof baking dish that is just slightly larger than the fish. Lay two bay leaves on the salt, then place the fish on the bay leaves. Place the peppercorns inside the belly cavity of the fish, then top the fish with the remaining 2 bay leaves. Pour the remaining salt over the fish to cover it, leaving the tail fin exposed if necessary.
• 3. Place the fish on the middle rack in the center of the oven and bake for 25 minutes. You cannot test the fish for doneness - you simply have to trust the timing. Remove the fish from the oven and gently crack off the layer of salt, removing as much of it as you can. Most of the skin will come off the fish as well - what doesn't come off when you remove the salt you need to remove gently, using a sharp knife.
• 4. Remove the fillets divide the fish among four slightly warmed dinner plates. Drizzle with olive oil and garnish with the chervil, if desired.

WHOLE ROASTED FISH WITH HERBS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Make 3 diagonal slices about 1/2-inch deep on each side of the fish. Salt and olive oil the fish generously.
• Season the inside of the fish with salt and olive oil. Place 4 lemon slices, the bay leaves, a bundle of the mixed herbs and 2 of the garlic cloves inside the body cavity.
• Line a sheet tray with aluminum foil and arrange the remaining assorted herbs, lemon slices and garlic in the center of the tray and lay the fish on top.
• Fold the aluminum foil up around the sides of the fish to create a sort of baking dish. Add the white wine and place in the preheated oven and roast until the fish is just cooked through, about 30 to 35 minutes.
• Remove from oven, present and collect your kudos then fillet to serve.

SALT AND HERB ROASTED WHOLE FISH

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
• In a food processor, combine the lemon zest and juice, the picked thyme, bay leaves and garlic and pulse until it becomes a coarse paste. Add the egg whites and puree until very frothy and foamy.
• In a large bowl combine the herb-egg white mixture with the salt and mix until it becomes a moist paste.
• Place half of the lemon slices and whole thyme in the cavity of each of the fish. On a baking sheet, place a little less than half of the salt mixture in two rows. Lay the fish on top of each row. Pack the remaining salt mixture around the fish to completely encase them, pressing the mixture firmly on the fish to create a crust.
• Roast the fish for 25 minutes. Remove and let rest for 10 minutes.
• Crack open the salt crust and brush the excess salt from the fish. Remove the top fillet, pull the spine out and remove the bottom fillet. Drizzle with olive oil and serve.

BAKED WHOLE FISH

Steps:

• Soak the fish in cold, salted water for 15-30 minutes; drain and dry slightly.
• Preheat oven to 400.
• Season cavity with lemon slices, celery, onion, salt, and pepper and 2 TBS lemon juice.
• Close the fish and place bacon strips on top or around fish.
• Sprinkle with salt, pepper, onion salt and remainder of lemon juice.
• Cover with pats of butter and bake until flesh is white and flakes apart with fork (about 30 minutes for a 2 1/2 pound fish or 40-45 minutes for a 3 pounder).
• the fish may be broiled at the end to brown the bacon.
• Cut into 1 1/2 inch wide sections and serve with lemon wedges.
• Serves 2-4, depending on size of fish.
• Note: Other vegetables such as potatoes and tomatoes may be cooked with the fish if desired.