Beans and Sardines

  • Home
  • About
  • Recipe of the week
  • Recipes
  • Wines
  • Contact

Sea Bass Baked in Sea Salt Crust Recipe

Beans and Sardines
May 22, 2024 by tina oblak in Adriatic Recipe, All year round recipe, baked dish, baked fish, Celebratory dish, child friendly dish, child friendly meal, dinner, Easy recipe, family friendly dish, family friendly meal, Fish & Seefood, Healthy, healthy mael, Istrian cuisine, Istrian dish, Istrian food, Istrian gastronomy, light fish course, light meal, main course, main dish, main fish course, Nutritious, Nutritious dish, recipe from Northern Ital, Rustic dish, simple recipe, Slovenian cuisine, Slovenian food, Slovenian gastronomy, Venetian dish

Cooking sea bass, or any medium to large fish, covered in sea salt is one of the best ways of preparing it. The crust that forms during the baking helps to seal in the fish juices resulting in the fish meat having a very delicate taste and staying very moist and succulent which makes it incredibly flavoursome and deliciously tender to eat.

Sea salt crust prevents and shelters the fish in the oven from direct heat and allows it to bake evenly without the risk of overbaking it and therefore drying the fish. This recipe is also incredibly healthy as there is no need for additional fats or condiments.

This recipe for sure is a real showstopper and meant for special occasions. When you break the sea salt crust in front of your guests you create a bit of drama and bring a bit of theatre to your meal, it will leave them very impressed indeed!

The recipe has a very cheffy feel to it, but on the contrary to what you might think, the recipe is surprisingly simple.

This simple method of cooking the fish has been widely known and practised in various countries in the Mediterranean. It would have been expensive to prepare this dish, as quite a large amount of salt is needed. The dish would have been reserved as a feast dish for prosperous and wealthy, but it is believed that the recipe originated from the people on a more modest budget living in the areas where sea salt was produced.

This way of cooking is very popular in the Venetian area where preparing the fish this way is traced back before the end of the Roman Empire, during which time the salt pans were fully operating in the lagoon of Venice.

This practice of cooking the fish covered in sea salt crust has been also very popular along the Slovenian coastline since the time when La Serenissima (the Most Serene Republic of Venice) occupied this territory which is also blessed with the presence of the salt pans and the abundance of sea salt.

This recipe is not really suggested as your mid-week dinner. The locals would sometimes prepare the fish baked in sea salt crust in the households to mark and celebrate special occasions, but most of the time it would be enjoyed and ordered as a treat in the restaurants specialised in serving fish and sea food where you can find this dish on the menu in Slovenian as Brancin v soli or in Italian (due to present bilingualism) as Branzino al sale.

I am sharing here my family recipe to enjoy.

Recipe

Ingredients

Serves 2-4 people

  • 2 whole sea bass (each weighing about 400g), clean, gutted and ideally not scaled, however, you can use the fish that has been scaled already. Ask the fishmonger to help you with this task if uncomfortable tackling it yourself.

  • 2kg sea salt

  • fresh rosemary or parsley sprigs, optional

  • pepper, optional

Method

Preheat the oven to 180 °C.

Gut and clean the fish.

Rinse well the fish inside and out under cold running water and pat dry with kitchen paper.

If you wish you can stuff the inside of the fish belly (cavity) with fresh spring of parsley or rosemary and season with pepper.

Prepare the salt mixture to make the salt crust by putting the sea salt in a bowl and add enough water (about 100ml but you might need a bit more) so the mixture is wet and moist enough to be moulded. A bit like the sand on the beach when you are trying to build a sandcastle, if the sand is too dry or too wet you cannot shape it.

The principal for making sea salt mixture is similar, use a little bit of your judgment how much water you should use.

View fullsize Sea Bass Baked in sea salt crust Recipe 2.jpg
View fullsize Sea Bass Baked in sea salt crust Recipe 3.jpg

Line a baking tray (large enough to fit the fish comfortably) with baking parchment.

Put half of the salt mixture into a lined baking tray and flatten to make a bed for the fish.

Place the fish on top.

Cover completely with the remaining salt mixture.

Press with your hands to mould and seal.

View fullsize Sea Bass Baked in sea salt crust Recipe 5.jpg
View fullsize Sea Bass Baked in sea salt crust Recipe 6.jpg

Bake in the oven for about 50 minutes, or until the crust is crisp and lightly golden.

Remove the fish from the oven and bring it to the table in its crust.

Carefully crack the salt crust, remove it from the fish and discard.

Peel and remove the skin from the fish and discard that too.

Brush off any excess salt to avoid getting on to the fish.

View fullsize Sea Bass Baked in sea salt crust Recipe 7.jpg
View fullsize Sea Bass Baked in sea salt crust Recipe 10.jpg

Flake the fish from the bone in large pieces and place them onto a serving plate.

Spoon over a simple green sauce made with olive oil and finely chopped fresh parsley, and serve with some boiled new potatoes, spinach or chard with garlic and olive oil, salad, creamed spinach, bean salad, green beans salad, peperonata Istrian style.

Just a thought

You can stuff the cavity of the fish with herbs of your preference like fresh parsley, rosemary or thyme, or garlic and a slice of lemon, or a combination.

Wine suggestion

Vermentino di Sardegna DOC 2023 - Selezione Argiolas

May 22, 2024 /tina oblak
Sea Bass, Fresh whole Sea Bass, Fresh whole Sea Bream, sea salt, fresh herbs, Sea Salt Crust, Fresh whole fish in Sea Salt Crust
Adriatic Recipe, All year round recipe, baked dish, baked fish, Celebratory dish, child friendly dish, child friendly meal, dinner, Easy recipe, family friendly dish, family friendly meal, Fish & Seefood, Healthy, healthy mael, Istrian cuisine, Istrian dish, Istrian food, Istrian gastronomy, light fish course, light meal, main course, main dish, main fish course, Nutritious, Nutritious dish, recipe from Northern Ital, Rustic dish, simple recipe, Slovenian cuisine, Slovenian food, Slovenian gastronomy, Venetian dish
Comment

Whole baked Sea Bass on roasted potatoes Istrian Recipe

Beans and Sardines
July 06, 2022 by tina oblak in Adriatic Recipe, All year round recipe, baked dish, baked fish, child friendly dish, child friendly meal, dinner, Easy recipe, family friendly dish, family friendly meal, Fish & Seefood, Healthy, healthy mael, hearty dish, Istrian cuisine, Istrian dish, Istrian food, Istrian gastronomy, light fish course, light meal, main course, main dish, main fish course, main fish meal, Nutritious, Nutritious dish, roasted fish, Rustic dish, simple recipe, Slovenian cuisine, Slovenian food, Slovenian gastronomy, supper

Whole baked sea bass on a layer of potatoes is very simple, easy, and healthy recipe for oven-roasted fish that calls for only a few fresh simple ingredients, and it is a perfect choice for a light meal main course option. This delicate fish, baked whole in the oven, is effortless to make, flavoursome and never fails to impress your guests. The recipe gives you a superior taste, the flesh remains really tender and moist and the potatoes, during the baking, absorb all the wonderful flavours and aromas from the garlic, onions, olive oil and the juices from the fish.

This basic method of roasting the whole fish on the bone on a bed of sliced potatoes represents the most common and traditional way of preparing and eating fish along the Slovenian coast in restaurants as well as in the households. It is considered one of the best fish based recipes by the locals, very often made on Sundays as a Sunday roast choice, and as a alternative to a meat roast.

I am sharing here my family recipe for whole baked sea bass with potatoes that would traditionally be accompanied by a vegetable side dish such as (depending on what is available in the season) sautéed courgettes, peas or bell peppers, green beans with tomatoes, borlotti beans salad, creamed spinach, braised fennel and different types of seasonal salads, just to mention a few...

Ingredients

Serves 4

  • 4 fresh whole sea bass (each weighing around 300g), cleaned, scaled and gutted (your fishmonger will be happy to do this for you)

  • potatoes (about 800g), peeled and sliced (roughly3-5mm)

  • 1 small onion (about 50g), peeled and very finely chopped

  • 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and thinly sliced

  • 4 small sprigs of fresh rosemary (small enough to fit into the body cavity of the fish)

  • 4 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil (plus some extra for drizzling)

  • sea salt

  • black pepper

  • 100ml white wine, fish stock or water (I used a ¼ Tsp of dry granulated fish powder and dissolved it into a 100ml of hot water)

  • fresh flat leaf parsley, finely chopped, for serving, optional

  • fresh lemon, for serving, optional

Method

Preheat the oven to 220C static or equivalent.

Line a baking tray with non stick baking parchment.

Peel the potatoes and cut them with the knife or a mandolin slicer into slices the thickness of about 3-5mm.

Place sliced potatoes into a bowl and add finely chopped onions, sliced garlic, extra virgin olive oil, season with sea salt and black pepper and mix well.

Transfer the potato mixture onto a baking tray and with your hands arrange them, distribute evenly more or less, into a single layer (they will overlap a bit).

Put in the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes.

While the potatoes are baking prepare the fish.

View fullsize Roasted sea bass with potatoes 7.jpg
View fullsize Roasted sea bass with potatoes 8.jpg

Wash the fish thoroughly inside and out under cold running water and pat dry well the fish with the kitchen paper.

With a sharp knife, slash the fish 3 to 5 times through the flesh, about 5mm deep, almost to the bone.

Season with sea salt and black pepper and put a small sprig of fresh rosemary into the body cavity of each fish.

Take the potatoes out of the oven (after 15-20 minutes) and place the sea bass on top of the potatoes, side by side, scored side up and drizzle each fish with a bit of extra virgin olive oil.

Cover the baking tray with the aluminium foil, put it back into the oven and bake for 30 minutes.

View fullsize Roasted sea bass with potatoes 9.jpg
View fullsize Roasted sea bass with potatoes 10.jpg

Remove the aluminium foil and bake further for 10 minutes.

View fullsize Roasted sea bass with potatoes 11.jpg
View fullsize Roasted sea bass with potatoes 12.jpg

Pour white wine, fish stock or water over the fish and potatoes and bake further for about 5-6 minutes.

Serve hot with a sprinkle of finely chopped fresh flat leaf parsley and an extra drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a squeeze of lemon.

Just a thought

If you end up with a leftover baked sea bass, it is delecious eaten cold or at a room temeprature with a drizzle of olive oil and finely chopped fresh flat parsley and accompanied with some cruncy bread, or alternatively you can make a fish spread (see my recipe for Rustic Sea Bream spread)

Wine suggestion

Fiano di Avellino DOCG “Ciro 906” 2019 - Ciro Picariello

July 06, 2022 /tina oblak
fresh sea bass, whole sea bass, whole baked sea bass, whole roasted sea bass, roasted sliced potatoes, branzino al forno con le patate, brancin v pecici s krompirjem, roasted fish
Adriatic Recipe, All year round recipe, baked dish, baked fish, child friendly dish, child friendly meal, dinner, Easy recipe, family friendly dish, family friendly meal, Fish & Seefood, Healthy, healthy mael, hearty dish, Istrian cuisine, Istrian dish, Istrian food, Istrian gastronomy, light fish course, light meal, main course, main dish, main fish course, main fish meal, Nutritious, Nutritious dish, roasted fish, Rustic dish, simple recipe, Slovenian cuisine, Slovenian food, Slovenian gastronomy, supper
Comment

Whole baked Sea Bream with fresh rosemary Recipe

Beans and Sardines
March 02, 2022 by tina oblak in Adriatic Recipe, baked dish, brunch, fish spreads, Healthy, healthy mael, Istrian cuisine, Istrian dish, Istrian food, Istrian gastronomy, main course, main dish, main fish meal, main fish course, Slovenian gastronomy, Slovenian food, Slovenian cuisine, Rustic dish, light meal, light fish course, baked fish, roasted fish, oven baked fish

Whole baked sea bream in the oven with fresh rosemary is a simple and tasty main fish dish that takes little effort to prepare.

Cooking the whole fish on the bone gives it a better flavour, and this delicate white fish is best cooked simply and gently in order to give it the full respect it deserves.

Baked sea bream is a perfect choice for a light meal option, traditionally served with spinach or chard cooked with potatoes, garlic and extra virgin olive oil.

Sea bream is a great choice to include in your diet as is rich in iron and vitamins and easy to digest.

This fish as a main course is unpretentious and understated in its simplicity, but it is elegant, and full of flavour.

I am sharing here this incredibly simple way of cooking the fish, that also represents the most common method of preparing and eating the fish along the Slovenian coast in restaurants as well as in many households.

This recipe has been in the family, well, since forever. Give it a go, there is nothing complicated about it, and if you are slightly intimidated by the task of cleaning the fish, the fishmonger will be more than happy to do it for you. Give a fish a good rinse, pat dry it, and follow the easy preparation steps, and off it goes in the oven, how difficult can that be?

Ingredients

Serves 4-8

  • 4 fresh whole sea bream (each weighing between 300g – 400g), cleaned, scaled and gutted

  • extra virgin olive oil, generous drizzle

  • 4 small sprigs of fresh rosemary

  • sea salt

  • black pepper

Method

Preheat the oven to 200C static or equivalent.

Line a baking tray with non stick baking parchment and drizzle a bit of olive oil.

Wash the fish thoroughly inside and out under cold running water and pat dry well the fish with the kitchen paper.

With the sharp knife, slash the fish 3 to 5 times through the flesh, about 5mm deep, almost to the bone.

Place the fish on the oiled baking parchment, side by side.

Season with sea salt and black pepper and rub with the olive oil.

Put a small sprig of fresh rosemary into the body cavity of each fish and drizzle the fish with a little more oil.

View fullsize Sea Bream oven baked with fresh rosemary 5.jpg
View fullsize Sea Bream oven baked with fresh rosemary 7.jpg

Cover the baking tray with aluminium foil and place in the oven.

Bake for about 30 minutes then remove the aluminium foil and bake further for about 10-20 minutes until the fish is cooked through and comes away from the bone easily.

View fullsize Sea Bream oven baked with fresh rosemary 8.jpg
View fullsize Sea Bream oven baked with fresh rosemary 10.jpg
View fullsize Sea Bream oven baked with fresh rosemary 12.jpg
View fullsize Sea Bream oven baked with fresh rosemary 11.jpg

One way of checking that the fish is cooked thorough, insert a small knife into the thickest part of the sea bream, the flesh of the fish should be nice and white in colour.

Discard the skin, bones, rosemary (from the cavity) and serve.

Wine suggestion

Vermentino "Tuvaoes" di Sardegna DOC 2020 - Cantina Cherchi

March 02, 2022 /tina oblak
fresh sea bream, whole fresh sea bream, baked sea bream, oven baked sea bream, oven baked whole sea bream, Orata al forno con rosmarino fresco, Orada v pecici s svezim rozmarinom, baking whole sea bream
Adriatic Recipe, baked dish, brunch, fish spreads, Healthy, healthy mael, Istrian cuisine, Istrian dish, Istrian food, Istrian gastronomy, main course, main dish, main fish meal, main fish course, Slovenian gastronomy, Slovenian food, Slovenian cuisine, Rustic dish, light meal, light fish course, baked fish, roasted fish, oven baked fish
Comment