Sea Bream in Salt

Sea bream in salt is a simple and tasty dish that lets you fully appreciate the delicate flavor of the fish. Here’s how to prepare it.

Ingredients

• 1 whole and cleaned sea bream (about 1-1.5 kg)
• 2 kg of coarse salt
• A few sprigs of rosemary (optional)
• 2-3 bay leaves (optional)
• Lemon slices (for serving)
• Extra virgin olive oil (for dressing)

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C.
2. In a large bowl, mix the coarse salt with a little water. The moisture will allow the salt to compact better around the sea bream. If you wish, you can add chopped rosemary or bay leaves to the salt.
3. Lay a one-centimeter thick layer of moist salt on the bottom of a baking tray large enough to contain the sea bream.
4. Place the cleaned sea bream on the salt base and fill the abdominal cavity with a bit of rosemary and bay leaves if you like to enhance the flavor.
5. Completely cover the fish with the rest of the moist salt, pressing well to form an even crust.
6. Bake the sea bream for about 40 minutes. Cooking time may vary depending on the size of the fish, but a good reference is about 20-25 minutes per kilogram of fish.
7. Once cooked, remove the sea bream from the oven and let it rest for a few minutes. Then carefully break the salt crust, remove it and peel off the fish skin.
8. Serve the sea bream, being careful to remove the bones, accompanied by lemon slices and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

Curiosity

Salt baking is an ancient method that, in addition to slightly salting the food, helps to maintain a high level of humidity inside the “crust”, ensuring that the fish cooks in its own juices, thus preserving the integrity and flavor of the meat.