Sea Bass Baked in Salt

Method

1. Clean the sea bass: make an incision under the belly, remove all innards and gills, scrape away any blood, and rinse thoroughly. Do not scale the fish.
2. Remove all fins except the tail fin.
3. Prepare the salt crust: mix fine and coarse salt together. Add egg white and mix. Optionally add lemon zest or aromatics. Gradually add a little water until the mixture reaches a moldable sand-like consistency.
4. On a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, spread a layer of the salt mixture.
5. Place the cleaned fish on top of the salt bed.
6. Fill the inside of the fish with a little salt, a drizzle of olive oil, and a few lemon slices (optional).
7. Overlap the top belly flap over the bottom flap to prevent salt from entering the cavity.
8. Completely cover the fish with the remaining salt mixture, pressing gently to form a compact crust.
9. Bake in a preheated oven at 200°C (390°F), preferably ventilated, for 3-4 minutes per 100g of fish weight. For a 500g fish, bake about 20 minutes.
10. Remove from the oven, break the salt crust around the fish, and lift the fish out. Brush off any excess salt.
11. Peel off the skin easily (it was not scaled) and serve the moist, flavorful fillets.