Striped Bass, baked in a Diamond Crystal® Kosher Salt Dome
Recipe Courtesy of Alton Brown, 2008
1 striped bass, 5-to-6 pounds, gills removed, fins trimmed
1 handful parsley
1 fennel bulb, (with stem) quartered
Several sprigs thyme
1 lemon, sliced thin
½ orange, sliced thin
2 (3-pound) boxes of Diamond Crystal® kosher salt
4 egg whites
½ cup water
Extra virgin olive oil
1 handful parsley
1 fennel bulb, (with stem) quartered
Several sprigs thyme
1 lemon, sliced thin
½ orange, sliced thin
2 (3-pound) boxes of Diamond Crystal® kosher salt
4 egg whites
½ cup water
Extra virgin olive oil
Directions
Heat the oven to 450 degrees F. Cover the half-sheet pan with parchment paper.
Rinse the fish inside and out with cold water; drain and pat dry with paper towels. Stuff the body cavity with the parsley, fennel, thyme and citrus slices, saving a few lemon slices for garnish. Set aside.
In the large mixing bowl, combine the Diamond Crystal® kosher salt, egg whites and water. Use your hands to work the mixture to a mortar-like consistency.
Lay down a ½-inch-thick bed of the salt for the fish, leaving a 1-inch clearance for the fish on all sides. Lay the fish on this bed and pile the remainder of the salt mortar on top. Work into a ½-inchthick, smooth dome completely encasing the fish. Depending on the size of your fish, you may not use all of the salt mixture; don’t worry if the head or tail pokes out a little.
Cook approximately 35 minutes. Check for doneness by pushing the probe of an instant-read thermometer through the salt into the fish. When temperature reaches 130 degrees F, remove from the oven, and rest at room temperature for 10 minutes. Open the fish at the table by hitting the dome several times with a small hammer and lifting off the slabs of salt. Brush away any stray salt. Gently pull out the dorsal (back) fin. Using a fish knife or serrated pie server; make a single incision all the way down the back of the fish and around the gill plate. Then lift the skin off, working from the head to the tail. Remove meat from the top side of the fish, going down one side of the spine, then the other. Grasp the tail and remove the skeleton, (it should come up intact). The meat revealed below will slide right off the skin.
Sprinkle the fish with a little extra virgin olive oil and lemon juice. Serve immediately.
Yield: 8 servings
Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 35 minutes
Inactive Time: 10 minutes
Heat the oven to 450 degrees F. Cover the half-sheet pan with parchment paper.
Rinse the fish inside and out with cold water; drain and pat dry with paper towels. Stuff the body cavity with the parsley, fennel, thyme and citrus slices, saving a few lemon slices for garnish. Set aside.
In the large mixing bowl, combine the Diamond Crystal® kosher salt, egg whites and water. Use your hands to work the mixture to a mortar-like consistency.
Lay down a ½-inch-thick bed of the salt for the fish, leaving a 1-inch clearance for the fish on all sides. Lay the fish on this bed and pile the remainder of the salt mortar on top. Work into a ½-inchthick, smooth dome completely encasing the fish. Depending on the size of your fish, you may not use all of the salt mixture; don’t worry if the head or tail pokes out a little.
Cook approximately 35 minutes. Check for doneness by pushing the probe of an instant-read thermometer through the salt into the fish. When temperature reaches 130 degrees F, remove from the oven, and rest at room temperature for 10 minutes. Open the fish at the table by hitting the dome several times with a small hammer and lifting off the slabs of salt. Brush away any stray salt. Gently pull out the dorsal (back) fin. Using a fish knife or serrated pie server; make a single incision all the way down the back of the fish and around the gill plate. Then lift the skin off, working from the head to the tail. Remove meat from the top side of the fish, going down one side of the spine, then the other. Grasp the tail and remove the skeleton, (it should come up intact). The meat revealed below will slide right off the skin.
Sprinkle the fish with a little extra virgin olive oil and lemon juice. Serve immediately.
Yield: 8 servings
Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 35 minutes
Inactive Time: 10 minutes