Salt-crusted sea bass is a tasty and simple recipe, as in the tradition of Italian cuisine. It should be baked in the oven for 40 minutes on a bed of rock salt which will absorb all the excess liquids, keeping the meat soft and sufficiently hydrated. Once ready it can be seasoned with various sauces, including a simple mixture of pepper, oil and lemon that will make it very delicate and fragrant.
Instructions
- Clean the sea bass, to eliminate entrails and gills. With a kitchen scissors penetrate the belly of the fish, starting from the sphincter, and cut it (1) up to the height of the gills. Then, with your hands, extract the viscera (2) completely and throw it away. Then, always with your hands, open the gills and pull away strongly (3), or helping with the scissors to cut the attacks on the meat.
- Now wash the fish (4), especially in the belly and gills, to remove all residues of blood and entrails. Then peel the clove of garlic and make it into thin slices (4), to leave them in a saucer (6).
- Now place the slices of garlic into the belly of the fish (7), with a sprig of rosemary (8) and then a little bit of salt. Then pour a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil (9) into the belly of the two fish.
- Now take a lot of rock salt and lay it in a large backing tray (10), forming a bed and sprinkle with water to make a kind of crust. Then place the two fish on the salt (11) and bake the tray (12) for about 40 minutes at 200° C in a preheated oven.
- In the meantime prepare the sauce for seasoning. Take the lemon and cut it in two to squeeze (13) with the juicer. Then pour the lemon juice in a small bowl and pour in five tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil (14). Finally sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper (15) and stir vigorously with a spoon.
- Once the fish is ready, take it out of the oven. With the help of a knife, cut the skin (16) from the belly up to the tail, raise it and then with the spoon begin to detach the meat on the spine (17). Then lift it with the spoon (18) helping to hold it with the knife, avoiding to take even the spines.
- Place the meat directly on the plates (19). Take off the spine with a knife and fork. Then, always with the spoon, remove the meat from the underlying skin and place it in the plates, throwing away the skin and ther spine. Once you have filleted the fish, pour on a little of the sauce (20) that you had prepared and serve immediately on the table (21).
