Salt-Crusted Whole Sea Bream — Orata al Sale Ligure
A whole sea bream encased in a salt crust with rosemary, thyme, and lemon, baked until the crust hardens to seal the moisture inside, then cracked open at the table to reveal flesh that lifts from the bone in pearl-white flakes.
Italian
Categories
Nutrition per Serving
Ingredients
For 2 servings
Instructions
Prep
Pat both sea breams dry inside and out. Stuff each cavity with 2 sprigs rosemary, 4 sprigs thyme, 3 lemon slices, 2 smashed garlic cloves, and a pinch of black pepper. Mix coarse salt, egg whites, and water in a bowl, stirring until it resembles wet sand. Preheat oven to 220°C.
Build
Divide salt mixture between two baking trays. Spread 1cm salt bed on each tray. Lay one bream on each bed, pile remaining salt over and around fish, patting firmly to fully encase. Leave tail tip exposed if needed for shaping ease.
Bake
Bake both trays at 220°C for 22–24 minutes until crust hardens and turns pale gold. Internal temperature at spine reaches 60°C; hardened crust is the visual cue.
Rest
Remove both trays from oven, rest on trays 3 minutes. While resting, whisk olive oil, lemon juice, parsley, fine sea salt, and black pepper in a small bowl until combined.
Plate
Crack salt crust on each fish at the table by tapping firmly along the centre line with a heavy knife back. Lift away top crust, brush away loose salt, lift fillets onto warm plates. Drizzle lemon-parsley dressing over fillets, serve immediately with lemon wedges alongside.
Recipes use AI and Edamam. Always check for allergens before cooking. Spotted something wrong—email us at hello@grubplanit.com.