Fish in a salt crust
Fish cooked in a salt crust is simply baked in the oven, surrounded and completely covered by a layer of coarse salt. This allows the fish to cook gently and it should be eaten as soon as the salt crust is opened. In this version, it is stuffed with lemon and herbs. Using a thermometer is the best way to ensure that the fish is cooked to perfection.
142K 23 3.9
Last modified on: January 29th 2012
Keywords for this recipe:FishCrustSaltGuerande saltLemonHerbsOven cookedFor 1 fish, you will need:
- 1
1 fish - 2
½ lemon - 3
herbs of your choice - 4
pepper - 5
1 kg coarse salt - Total weight: 2,065 grams
How long does it take?
Time required for this recipe:
| Preparation | Cooking | Start to finish |
|---|---|---|
| 38 min. | 30 min. | 1 hour 8 min. |
At what time:
- When will I finish if I start the recipe at ... ?
When should I start for the recipe to be ready at ... ? - Work this out...
Step by step recipe
Stage 1 - 8 min.
Prepare your whole fish (cleaned by the fishmonger, but no need to remove scales): wash the inside thoroughly to remove any traces of blood.
It is better to use a whole fish, but if this is not the case, as in the photos, you will see how to allow for this later.
It is better to use a whole fish, but if this is not the case, as in the photos, you will see how to allow for this later.
Stage 2 - 3 min.
Dry the inside of the fish with absorbent paper and fill the cavity with thin slices of lemon and the herbs of your choice (parsley, thyme, bay, etc.). Pepper, but do not salt.
Stage 3 - 1 min.
Close the fish well over the stuffing.
Preheat the oven to 180°C (360°F).
Preheat the oven to 180°C (360°F).
Stage 4 - 3 min.
Spread an even layer of coarse salt ½ cm ( ¼ inch) a little larger all round than the fish on a baking sheet.
If you are using Guérande sea salt, this is easy to work as it is very slightly damp. But if you are using ordinary white coarse salt, I advise you to humidify it a little with a glass of water.
If you are using Guérande sea salt, this is easy to work as it is very slightly damp. But if you are using ordinary white coarse salt, I advise you to humidify it a little with a glass of water.
Stage 5 - 1 min.
Place the fish on the bed of salt.
If your fish no longer has its head, seal the end with a small piece of aluminum foil. It is important to do this, or your fish will be too salty.
If your fish no longer has its head, seal the end with a small piece of aluminum foil. It is important to do this, or your fish will be too salty.
Stage 6 - 1 min.
Insert the probe of the thermometer into the centre of the thickest part of the fish.
Stage 7 - 5 min.
Then cover the fish completely with more salt until you can no longer see it (apart from the tail).
Stage 8 - 30 min.
Bake in the oven until the thermometer reads 60°C (140°F), at which moment the fish will be perfectly cooked.
Heat the serving plates.
Heat the serving plates.
Stage 9 - 3 min.
Break open the salt crust...
Stage 10 - 3 min.
...and lift off the fish skin, which should be easy to remove now.
If possible, scrape off and discard the brown part, indicated by the arrow, which is not good to eat.
If possible, scrape off and discard the brown part, indicated by the arrow, which is not good to eat.
Stage 11 - 10 min.
Remove all the flesh (watch out for bones) and arrange on the serving plates beside the stuffing.
Serve immediately with just a squeeze of lemon juice, olive oil with herbs, or a more sophisticated sauce, such as a Béarnaise.
Serve immediately with just a squeeze of lemon juice, olive oil with herbs, or a more sophisticated sauce, such as a Béarnaise.
Remarks
The choice of fish is up to you, depending on what you can find at your fishmonger's. In the photos I am using line-caught sea bass. Almost any fish will work, but salmon and sea bream are particularly good.
If you do not have a thermometer, your can calculate the cooking time by the weight of the fish: 1kg = 30 to 40 minutes cooking.
If you do not have a thermometer, your can calculate the cooking time by the weight of the fish: 1kg = 30 to 40 minutes cooking.
Keeping
Should be eaten right away, less good if reheated.
Nutritional information
| Whole recipe | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Energetic value | Proteins | Carbohydrates | Fats |
| 746 Kcal or 3,123 Kj | 181 gr | 6 gr | 0 gr |
| 37 % | 69 % | 1 % | 0 % |
| Per 100 g | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Energetic value | Proteins | Carbohydrates | Fats |
| 36 Kcal or 151 Kj | 9 gr | < 1 gr | 0 gr |
| 2 % | 3 % | <1 % | 0 % |
| Per fish | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Energetic value | Proteins | Carbohydrates | Fats |
| 746 Kcal or 3,123 Kj | 181 gr | 6 gr | 0 gr |
| 37 % | 69 % | 1 % | 0 % |
How much will it cost?
Source
Home made.
This recipe uses (among others)
 | Coarse salt: You can get more informations, or check-out other recipes which use it, for example: Salmon marinated like herring, Mackerel rillettes, Gravlax, Roast potatoes "à la provençale", Stock-pot fish , ... All |
 | Fish: You can check-out other recipes which use it, like for example: Sushi, Fish in a sesame crust, Pollack Parmentier, Seafood sauerkraut, Fish petals, vegetables julienne, and beurre blanc, ... All |
 | Lemon: You can get more informations, or check-out other recipes which use it, for example: Sausage mushroom and cheese crumble, Strawberries in a thyme and lemon-flavoured red wine reduction, Fish terrine with spinach and tomatoes, Mouna, Fish in white wine, ... All |
 | Herbs of your choice: You can check-out other recipes which use it, like for example: Green and red salad with sardines and eggs mimosa, Warm scallop and cabbage salad, Chicken and avocado bagels, Warm Leek and Potato Salad, Thai-style Chicken with Cashew Nuts, ... All |
Other recipes you may also like
Confectioner's custard (Crème pâtissière, or French pastry cream)
Quite similar to crème anglaise but much thicker. It is used in many pastries like choux pastry (pâte à choux) or millefeuille.676K 313.9 36 min. January 27th 2017
Du Barry soup
Du Barry is a creamy cauliflower soup, including small whole pieces of cauliflower.240K5 1 hour 1 min. October 17th 2018
Real home-made chips*
It's not easy to make these - the original "French fries" - well at home, that is, to produce golden and crunchy chips from fresh potatoes. Here is a way of doing it in three cooking stages, which gives very good results: melting in the middle, crunchy on the outside, and a nice golden colour....392K5 1 hour 47 min. December 30th 2019
Pan-fried scallops and chanterelles with Noilly Prat sauce
The chanterelles are fried first briefly, then the scallops fried in the same pan. The pan is deglazed with Noilly to make a delicious cream sauce.204K4.5 1 hour 6 min. November 28th 2010
Hot chocolate
Here's something simple to cheer up cold days, or a delight to look forward to on coming home after a walk in the rain.186K4 23 min. December 19th 2010
News list of cooking-ez.com
Sign up to receive the latest recipes (next batch due to be sent on 2022-07-10)
Note: We'll never share your e-mail address with anyone else.
Post your comment or question
Follow this recipe
If you are interested in this recipe, you can "follow" it, by entering your email address here. You will then receive a notification immediately each time the recipe is modified or a new comment is added. Please note that you will need to confirm this following.
Note: We'll never share your e-mail address with anyone else.
Alternatively: you can subscribe to the mailing list of cooling-ez.com , you will receive a e-mail for each new recipe published on the site.