This will be a short post as I've come down with a nasty cold. No matter, since this is a short and simple recipe anyway, another example of the sublime simplicity of Italian cookery, sea bass roasted in salt.
Yes, that's what I said. Not to worry, the end result is not too salty at all, but perfectly seasoned. And wonderfully moist, as the salt crust that forms around the fish as it roasts locks in the fish's natural juices.
Ingredients (for 2 people):
1 branzino (or other fish) about 500g (1 lb.), gutted but left whole
750g (1-1/2 lbs.) sea salt (or kosher salt) or as much as you need to cover the fish
For stuffing the fish(optional):
A sprig of fresh rosemary, a sliced garlic clove or a few slices of lemon
For garnish:
Best quality olive oil
Lemon wedges
Freshly ground pepper (optional)
Chopped parsley (optional)
Directions:
In a large bowl, pour in the salt and sprinkle with a bit of water. Mix well with your hands, adding more water as needed, so that the salt is ever so slightly moistened and the grains of salt begin to adhere to each other. The texture of the salt will turn coarser, a bit like wet sand.
Lay down a 'bed' of salt in a roasting pan large enough to hold the fish. Then lay your fish down. If you like, you can place a sprig of rosemary, a few bits of garlic or a few thin slices of lemon in the fish's cavity. Or you can simply leave the fish be.
Cover the fish entirely with the rest of the salt. (Some recipes suggest you leave the eye uncovered to judge doneness. I don't do this.)
Roast in a very hot oven (220°C, 450°F) for 25-30 minutes, depending on the size of the fish.
Let the fish cool for a few minutes (no more than five, however, or the salt will begin to penetrate the fish). Crack open the salt, which will have formed a hard crust around the fish, and uncover the fish. The skin should adhere to the salt as you remove it. If not, skin the fish. If you're careful (more careful than I've been here) you'll be able to lift the fillets out whole, to the admiration and wonder of your dinner guests. This particular evening, I wasn't in the mood...
Serve the fish fillets drizzled with some best quality olive oil, a squeeze of fresh lemon and, if you like, a good grinding of black pepper. Some people like to sprinkle the fish with some freshly chopped parsley for color.
NOTES: The recipe admits a few minor variations. Many recipes omit the first step of mixing the salt with liquid. Rather, the raw salt is simply piled up around the fish. That makes it much easier to get at the fish afterwards, as it does not form the same sort of hard crust. But that also means that the salt will tend to penetrate the fish, leaving a saltier taste. No bother for a salt fiend like myself, but some people might object. Interestingly, most English-language recipes for this dish call for mixing the salt with egg whites. Only one of the myriad Italian-language recipes I've seen call for this. Not sure why, nor have I tried to use egg whites—seems like a waste of good eggs!—so I can't tell you what difference it may make.
Some recipes also call for a lower roasting temperature and a longer cooking time. That also strikes me as a risky proposition. Obviously, though, if you use a much bigger fish, increase the cooking time accordingly.
Branzino (sea bass) is said to lend itself particularly well to this cooking method, but just about any fish will work, so long as it is not too small (500g/1 lb. is a kind of minimum) and is left whole. Fillets will not work, since the skin acts as a barrier against the salt and the bones add flavor and help retain the fish's natural moisture. In fact, many recipes call for leaving the scales on the fish as well for added protection.
The salt? Sea salt is best—not the very expensive finishing salts, but bult sea salt that can be had at reasonable prices. But kosher salt also works fine. Finely grained table salt does not work—its fine grain would allow the saltiness to penetrate the fish and render it inedible. And a lot of table salt has chemical additives so it won't clump together, but that is exactly what you want it to do for this dish.
The garnish, as far as I'm concerned, should be as simple as possible, so as not to distract too much from the pure flavor of the fish. But some people do like to serve this dish with a kind of salsa verde—which strikes me as gilding the proverbial lily, but to each his (or her) own as they say...
