Salt-Baked Fish
- Total Time
- 30 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 3cups fine sea salt
- ½cup egg whites (about 3)
- 12-pound whole branzino (or black sea bass, porgy, monkfish or lobster -- any fish that has a somewhat thick skin, won't fall apart easily and isn't too oily; tuna and salmon are too oily)
- 2sprigs fresh rosemary
- 3 to 4sprigs parsley
- 1clove garlic, peeled and mashed
- 2slices lemon
Nutritional analysis per serving (2 servings)
410 calories; 8 grams fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 1 gram monounsaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 10 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 3 grams sugars; 74 grams protein; 1411 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- Step 2
Combine the sea salt and egg whites until the mixture looks like wet sand.
- Step 3
Stuff the branzino with the rosemary, parsley, garlic and lemon slices, then pack the outside tightly with the salt mixture. Put the branzino on a baking sheet.
- Step 4
Bake until the salt turns golden brown, about 15 minutes. Place on a serving dish.
- Step 5
Bring the branzino to the table for a few oohs and aahs, crack open the salt with a knife handle, brush away the salt, fillet the fish and serve.
- To serve 4, a 4-pound striped bass would work well. Use twice as much of everything else and cook twice as long.
Private Notes
Comments
The branzino I got were only a pound or so apiece, so I thought the cooking time would be shorter. After opening the larger fish to check, it was not done. Perhaps the insulation of the salt helps protect the fish from overcooking even if it is roasted longer, so I suggest letting it stay in until the salt crust browns even for a smaller piece of fish. The result was delicious: moist and flavorful. Be sure to brush away all the salt you can see to avoid getting an inadvertent mouthful of it.
This is a quick, easy and forgiving recipe. I put the salt mixture on a piece of parchment paper, placed the fish on top, then stuffed and coated it, adding branches of rosemary on top. Maybe my salt crust was extra thick, because it took 25 minutes to turn golden. After taking it out of the oven, I picked up the parchment, fish and all, and transferred it to a platter. The fish was moist and flavorful, not salty. The presentation was unique and gorgeous, perfect for sunday dinner or company.
Wow! Used 2 small porgies and fragrant kosher salt with pink peppercorns and rosemary saved from making the NYT recipe for salt-baked new potatoes last week. Porgy costs $1.99/lb at my local Shoprite, the under $4 of fish I used tasted better than many $40 fish entrees I've ordered! I was concerned the coarse kosher salt wouldn't crust as well as fine sea salt but it worked without a hitch. Could be my oven, but I cooked the small fish for almost 25 min and they were only just done.
Used coarse sea salt with just water and no egg white. When I get a first whiff of fish, I take it out of the oven. Perfect every time.
A Belgian chef friend taught me to make this years ago using kosher salt which firms up better & breaks apart cleanly. She always served whatever fish she used with a simple beurre blanc. I’ll have to try again with this NYT recipe & my old one & compare.
Had this at “Alice” on W 13th in the Village. A dorade for 3 diners. As our server, Simeone, expertly assembled the exquisitely roasted fish on a platter he explained that the chef uses egg white to bind the salt. Also that one must be prepared to learn by trial as touch is not available as a test for doneness.
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