How To Make Sea Bass In A Salt Crust

How To Make Sea Bass In A Salt Crust

Sea Bass in a Salt Crust Recipe. Renowned Italian chef Massimo Tagliaferri shows us how to make sea bass in a salt and parsley crust, stuffed with herbs and garlic. Enjoy our Sea Bass in a Salt Crust Recipe.

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Step 1:

You will need

• 1 kg sea bass
• ½ kg rock salt
• ½ kg plain flour
• 300 g eggs , (about 6 mediums size eggs)
• 100 g parsley
• 1 sprig thyme
• 1 sprig rosemary
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 blender
• 1 whisk
• 1 rolling pin
• 1 mixing bowl
• 1 knife
• 1 sheet of oven paper

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Step 2:

Make the dough

First you will make a salt and parsley dough to bake the sea bass in. This is not to be eaten; it is just to give flavour to the fish. Put the salt and chopped parsley into a blender. Blend them together. Then add the 300 grams of eggs and blend again. Pour the mixture into a mixing bowl. Add some of the flour, and fold it into the mixture to make a dough. Keep folding in flour until you have a dough which does not stick to your hands.

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Step 3:

Chill the dough

Make the dough into a ball. Coat it in a layer of flour. Then chill it in the fridge so that it can settle.

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Step 4:

Roll the dough

Dust your tabletop with some flour to prevent the dough sticking to it. Roll out half the dough with a rolling pin, till it is about 5 millimetres thick. Repeat with the other half, so that you have one layer for the bottom of the fish and one for the top. Place the bottom layer onto a sheet of oven paper.

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Step 5:

Seal the fish in dough

Insert the garlic, thyme and rosemary into the cavity inside the fish. Lift the fish onto the flattened dough. Trim off the edges.

TOP TIP: If you're making more than one fish, you can use the dough trimmings for another one.

Place the second layer of dough on top, and shape it onto the fish. Press the edges hard together to seal the fish inside. Make sure there are no unsealed holes. The sea bass gets steamed inside the crust, so no steam should escape. Trim off the excess dough. Give the fish an 'eye' made of dough.

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Step 6:

Egg wash

Beat one egg in a bowl. Brush the wash onto the dough, so that when it is baked it will have a uniform golden colour.

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Step 7:

Bake

Bake the sea bass in an oven pre-heated to 200 degrees Celsius, for approximately 20 minutes per kilogram of fish. Remove it from the oven, and allow it to rest for a few minutes.

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Step 8:

Serve

Remove the fish from the crust at the table, so your guests can see how it was baked. Cut the crust away from the fish and discard it. If the fish is cooked correctly, the skin will not stick. Your sea bass is now ready to be enjoyed.