Fish Cooked in Salt Crust

24. March 2009 by Azat.

This recipe is for my friend Nancy.  Sorry its a bit late but been a bit distracted because of work. I have also seen Pork Loin cooked like this. In fact at the Little Door its one of their specialties that everyone loves unfortunately I have never tried it before because I dont eat meat or chicken. Here is the recipe. the pictures are form a Spanish website I found

Ingredients for 2 servings
- 1 line-caught Sea Bass or Trout.  Not too large
- 6 lb.coarse Salt
- 3 1/2 oz. lemongrass leaves or bay leaves depending which flavor you prefer
- 4 tbsp. black Peppercorns
- 2 tbsp. coriander seed
- Dried fennel, tied in a small piece of cheesecloth
- 3 1/2 oz. parsley stems
- 2 Egg whites and 1/4 cup of water

Method
-Clean the fish, remove the gills and cut off the fins with scissors. Do not scale the fish.(important as we are not going to eat the skin in this recipe
-Finely chop 1 3/4 oz. lemongrass.
-Stuff the sea bass with the dried fennel, parsley stems and the remaining lemon grass.
(if using the bay leaf stuff 4-5 leaves in the belly and the rest on the bottom and top of the fish)
-Combine the salt with the peppercorns and coriander seed, chopped lemongrass and egg whites and water to form a workable mixture.
-Heat the oven to 450° F. Have ready a baking sheet and a piece of parchment paper twice as large as the fish.
-Place the parchment paper on the baking sheet and with some of the salt mixture form a base on which to place the fish. Make sure to place the fish on top of the salt base and close the top part of the cut belly on top of the bottom so salt does not get into the belly.
-Enclose the fish in the remaining salt mixture, molding the salt into a shape identical to that of the fish.  Leave only the head and tail open(an inch on each side)
-With a knife, trim the parchment paper all around the fish. Check that the mixture is smooth and adhering well to the fish. Gently place in the oven. After 15-20 minutes(depending how well you like the fish cooked), remove from the oven and let rest 5 minutes longer in the salt.

Presentation
-Present the fish to your guests on a platter, then cut off the salt using a serrated knife. Cut up the fish and serve.  Use the knife to remove the skin as well as it will be salty and the flakes are on it to remove it much easier

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