Whole Salt-Baked Fish

This is one of my all-time favorite fish dishes. It is fun to make and the fish comes out so moist and delicious. If you don’t like salt then I would suggest not making this dish. I served this dish with ricotta dumplings and a side salad. Recipe for the dumplings can be found here: Arctic Char with Cucumber-Feta Relish and Ricotta Dumplings

Ingredients

Serves 2

3 pounds kosher salt, plus more for seasoning

6 parsley sprigs, plus 1/2 cup finely chopped leaves

6 cilantro sprigs, plus 1/2 cup finely chopped leaves

6 rosemary sprigs, plus 1/2 cup finely chopped leaves

8 large egg whites

1 1 1/2-pound whole fish such as sea bass or tilapia, cleaned

1 lemon, thinly sliced, plus lemon wedges, for serving

1 orange, thinly sliced

Lemon wedges for serving

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°. In a large bowl, mix the kosher salt with the chopped parsley, cilantro and rosemary. Add the egg whites and stir until the salt is evenly moistened.
2. Fill the fish cavities with the herb sprigs and the sliced lemon and orange.
3. Using half of the herbed salt mixture, form a mounds on a large rimmed baking sheet. Pat the mound into a rectangular bed about
4. 1/2 inch thick and the length and width of the fish. Set the fish on a salt bed and cover with the remaining herbed salt, patting to enclose the fish completely.
5. Bake the fish in the oven for about 45 minutes, or until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the fish behind the head registers 135°.
6. Using a spoon, tap the salt to crack it; lift off the crusts in large pieces. Carefully remove the fish skin and lift the fillets from the bones. Transfer to a platter and serve with lemon wedges.