Salt-baked fish with Ligurian herb sauce

Recipes / Fish

This ancient method of encasing fish to seal in the juices is very simple. The fun is in cracking off the salt crust at the end of cooking!

Recipe «Salt-baked fish with Ligurian herb sauce» presented in category Recipes / Fish, to prepare this dish you will need no more 40 minutes. To make this dish at home by prescription from the author Gomer would need: 2 egg whites, 4kg coarse rock salt, 2 x 1kg whole snappers, cleaned, scales left on, 2 bunches asparagus, trimmed, steamed, to serve, 500g roasted cherry truss tomatoes, to serve , 80ml extra virgin olive oil, 1 small onion, very finely chopped, 1 small stalk celery, very finely chopped , 1 small carrot, peeled, very finely chopped, 2 cloves garlic, crushed, 1 sprig thyme, 1 tbsp finely chopped anchovies, 2 tbsp salted capers, rinsed, drained, finely chopped, 1 tbsp roasted pine nuts, finely chopped, 2 tbsp golden raisins, finely chopped, 250ml dry white wine.

Ingredients:

  • 2 egg whites 
  • 4kg coarse rock salt 
  • 2 x 1kg whole snappers, cleaned, scales left on 
  • 2 bunches asparagus, trimmed, steamed, to serve 
  • 500g roasted cherry truss tomatoes, to serve 
  • 80ml extra virgin olive oil 
  • 1 small onion, very finely chopped 
  • 1 small stalk celery, very finely chopped 
  • 1 small carrot, peeled, very finely chopped 
  • 2 cloves garlic, crushed 
  • 1 sprig thyme 
  • 1 tbsp finely chopped anchovies 
  • 2 tbsp salted capers, rinsed, drained, finely chopped 
  • 1 tbsp roasted pine nuts, finely chopped 
  • 2 tbsp golden raisins, finely chopped 
  • 250ml dry white wine 
  • 125ml fish stock or chicken stock 
  • 2 1/2 tbsp lemon juice, or to taste 
  • 1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped 
  • 2 tbsp basil leaves, finely chopped 

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 220C. Place egg whites in a large bowl and whisk for 2 minutes or until foamy. Add rock salt and, using your hands, combine well.
  2. Spread one-third of the salt mixture over the base of roasting pan. Place fish head-to-tail on top of salt. Spoon over remaining salt mixture and, using your hands, press over fish to completely enclose (the tail may stick out slightly). Bake for 40 minutes or until salt has formed a very hard crust.
  3. Meanwhile, to make Ligurian sauce, heat oil in a small saucepan over low–medium heat. Add onion, celery, carrot, garlic, thyme, anchovies, capers, pine nuts and raisins, and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until vegetables are softened.
  4. Add wine and stock, and bring to a simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 8 minutes or until reduced slightly. Remove thyme and discard. Stir in lemon juice and chopped herbs. Season with freshly ground black pepper (sauce will be salty from capers and anchovies). Cool to room temperature. Makes 375ml.
  5. Using a meat mallet or rolling pin and starting at the head, carefully crack open salt crust on fish. Using your hands, pull away salt in clumps and discard.
  6. Using spatulas, remove fish from roasting pan, transfer to a plate, then carefully peel away skin and discard. Using a butter knife or small pallette knife, lift flesh off the bone in large pieces. Pull out backbones and discard. Remove flesh from other sides of fish.
  7. Divide fish meat among plates and serve immediately with Ligurian sauce, asparagus and tomatoes.