Salt Baked Seabass
A whole seabass baked in a golden salt crust, cracked open at the table to reveal tender, fragrant flesh. Pair with creamy hollandaise, rosemary potatoes, and wilted spinach.
Ingredients
Salt baked seabass
- 8 large egg whites
- 750g sea salt
- A few sprigs of rosemary, thyme and tarragon
- 2 oranges peeled and sliced
- 1 lemon peeled and sliced
- 1 x 1.5kg seabass gutted, scaled, fins removed
For the hollandaise
- 50ml lemon juice
- 50ml white wine vinegar
- 2 sprigs of tarragon
- 4 turns of black peppercorns
- 3 egg yolks
- 225g melted butter
To serve
- Rosemary roasted baby potatoes
- Wilted spinach
Method
For the salt baked sea bass
Whisk the egg whites to stiff peaks. Mix in the salt and ½ the herbs and peel. Spoon ½ of the whisked egg whites onto a lined baking tray and place the fish on top. Fill the fish with the sliced citrus and the rest of the herbs, then cover all over with the rest of the egg white mix and bake for 1 hour.
For the hollandaise
First reduce the wine, lemon juice, tarragon and pepper by half. Pass this and store refrigerated in a jar for use now and again another time.
In a bowl over a pan of simmering pan of water, whisk the egg yolks, 5 tbsp of reduction and a good pinch of salt to a thick glossy sabayon. Then carefully in stages whisk in the melted butter, in steady stream. Finish the sauce with some salt and pepper.
Break off the salt crust and portion up the fish. Serve with sauce, potatoes and spinach.
Ingredients
Salt baked seabass
- 8 large egg whites
- 750g sea salt
- A few sprigs of rosemary, thyme and tarragon
- 2 oranges peeled and sliced
- 1 lemon peeled and sliced
- 1 x 1.5kg seabass gutted, scaled, fins removed
For the hollandaise
- 50ml lemon juice
- 50ml white wine vinegar
- 2 sprigs of tarragon
- 4 turns of black peppercorns
- 3 egg yolks
- 225g melted butter
To serve
- Rosemary roasted baby potatoes
- Wilted spinach
Method
For the salt baked sea bass
Whisk the egg whites to stiff peaks. Mix in the salt and ½ the herbs and peel. Spoon ½ of the whisked egg whites onto a lined baking tray and place the fish on top. Fill the fish with the sliced citrus and the rest of the herbs, then cover all over with the rest of the egg white mix and bake for 1 hour.
For the hollandaise
First reduce the wine, lemon juice, tarragon and pepper by half. Pass this and store refrigerated in a jar for use now and again another time.
In a bowl over a pan of simmering pan of water, whisk the egg yolks, 5 tbsp of reduction and a good pinch of salt to a thick glossy sabayon. Then carefully in stages whisk in the melted butter, in steady stream. Finish the sauce with some salt and pepper.
Break off the salt crust and portion up the fish. Serve with sauce, potatoes and spinach.
