Salt-Crusted Whole Sea Bream — Balik Buharda Firin
Aegean whole sea bream baked in a cracked-open salt crust with lemon, fennel, and herbs, served with herbed roasted new potatoes and a lemon-olive oil dressing for a coastal centrepiece.
Turkish
Categories
Nutrition per Serving
Ingredients
For 2 servings
Instructions
Prep
Heat oven to 220C. Pat both bream dry. Slice 1 lemon, halve both fennel bulbs and potatoes, mince garlic. Mix half the dill, parsley, lemon slices, half the garlic, both bay leaves, and pepper. Divide this mixture evenly and stuff both bream cavities. Whisk egg whites and cold water until frothy, then mix in coarse salt with hands until it resembles damp sand.
Build
Spread one-third of salt mixture in a wet baking tray large enough to fit both fish side by side. Lay both bream over salt bed and pack remaining salt firmly over the fish, sealing edges and leaving tails visible.
Roast
Toss potatoes, both fennel bulbs, remaining garlic with olive oil, oregano, and fine sea salt in a separate tray. Roast both trays at 220C for 32–35 minutes until salt crust turns hard and pale gold and potatoes are tender.
Rest
Remove trays from oven and rest 5 minutes off the heat. While resting, whisk dressing by combining juice from remaining lemon, 2 tbsp olive oil, and red wine vinegar in a small bowl until thick and emulsified.
Plate
Crack salt crust with a heavy knife, lift away crust pieces, peel skin from the top fillets of both fish. Lift fillets onto warm platters, divide potatoes and fennel alongside, scatter remaining herbs, drizzle lemon-olive oil dressing, and serve immediately.
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