Sea Bream in Salt Crust is a classic recipe that offers great satisfaction when having many guests or a tasty dinner. You can use this cooking method for various types of fish, both affordable and very expensive.
If you like baked fish dishes, don’t forget to read
- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Affordable
- Rest time: 2 Minutes
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 4
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All Seasons
- Energy 249.84 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 3.98 (g) of which sugars 2.13 (g)
- Proteins 41.71 (g)
- Fat 7.67 (g) of which saturated 2.24 (g)of which unsaturated 5.46 (g)
- Fibers 0.52 (g)
- Sodium 291.70 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 150 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients for 4 people
- 1.76 lbs sea bream
- 6.61 lbs salt
- 1 lime (or 1 lemon)
- 1 clove garlic
- 2 sprigs marjoram
- to taste salt
- to taste pepper
Tools
- 1 Knife
- 1 Cutting Board
- 1 Baking Tray
Procedure
Here are some tips for preparing fish in a salt crust to achieve a perfect result. First, pay attention to the fish you will use. For a better result, I recommend freshly line-caught sea bream as they are larger and more flavorful (though more expensive).
First, we gut the sea bream, which is a very easy operation. If you consume the fish immediately, you can have your trusted fishmonger do it for you.
After gutting the sea bream, remove the fins. An important point when preparing fish in a salt crust is to keep the scales. Trust me, they are necessary to prevent the salt from sticking to the skin and to allow you to remove it well from the fish.
Slice the lemon into rounds and insert them into the belly of the fish. Add some salt, pepper, marjoram, and, if you like, the crushed garlic clove.
Cover evenly with about 0.4-0.8 inches of salt. Some people leave the eye visible to understand the level of cooking… it creeps me out, so I leave the caudal fin (tail) free.
Cook for 35-40 minutes. Open the oven and try to pull the caudal fin; if it comes off, the fish is ready. Carefully remove the salt crust.
Once the fish is free from the salt, remove the fins and fillet into portions for your guests.
Your Sea Bream in Salt Crust is ready!
Plating Tips:
Divide the fillets into even pieces and serve with a side dish. This is a simple dish and should be presented as such. You can add a simple salad or, since the oven is on, accompany it with a side of seasonal roasted vegetables.
Wine Pairing for Sea Bream in Potato Crust:
Fish cooked in a salt crust pairs very well with various types of balanced white wines that enhance the flavor of the fish, such as a Gavi or Sardinian Vermentino.
