Perfect Salt-Baked Fish

Servings: 2

Prep: 10 minutes

Total: 55 minutes

Ingredients

3 kgs rock salt

3 egg whites, whisked

1 bottle white wine

a big fish - either sea bass, salmon, sea trout or similar (around 1.5-2 kgs, gutted, but not scaled)

4 sprigs bronze fennel

1 bunch thyme

1 shallot, thinly sliced

lemon wedges, for serving

Directions

1. Heat the oven to 325°F|160°C. In a large bowl, mix the rock salt with the egg whites and the wine. You may not need all of the wine, just enough to make the salt feel like wet sand (like the ultimate sandcastle sand you get at the beach).

2. On a baking sheet, make a little bed of salt for the fish using about 1/4 of the salt. Lay the fish on top, then stuff it with the herbs (you can use whatever herbs you like, really) and the shallot. Pack the fish in with the remaining salt and bake until cooked through, about 45 minutes.

3. Once the fish is out of the oven, bash open the salt using the butt of a wooden spoon (or something else that is blunt, taking care not to cut your hand open). Carefully remove the fish and transfer him to a platter.

4. Using a knife, cut down the fish where you would imagine the bone to be and gently peel away the skin. Serve with lemon wedges.