Sea bass in salt crust

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 2 fish(s) (sea bass, 500 – 600 g each), with scales, gutted
• 4 sprigs rosemary
• 4 sprigs of thyme
• 4 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
• 2 ½ kg sea salt, coarse
• Pepper, ground
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 garlic clove(s), finely chopped
• 300 g tomatoes, peeled, pitted, chopped
• 1 sprig(s) of thyme
• ½ bunch fresh basil, chopped
• 100 ml fish stock
• 50 ml white wine
• salt and pepper

Instructions

Working time approx. 25 minutes; Total time approx. 25 minutes

Loup de Mer in salt crust

This is a lovely summer dish that you can easily prepare yourself during a Mediterranean holiday. You might find fresh sea bass, and the large amount of sea salt is very cheap there. Of course, you can also make this recipe here in Germany using farmed fish, which is available everywhere. In any case, start as follows: Place the herbs and garlic into the abdominal cavity of the fish. Season with pepper and seal each with a toothpick. Place a sheet of baking paper on a baking tray and spread some of the salt in a slightly oval shape on an area slightly larger than the fish, and press down. Now place the fish on top, cover completely with the remaining salt, and press down lightly again. Place the tray in a preheated oven at 200°C for about 30 minutes. In the meantime, make a tomato sauce. Sauté the garlic until translucent, stir in the tomatoes, and simmer with the thyme, wine, and fish stock for 15 minutes until slightly thickened. Remove the thyme, season with salt and pepper, pass through a sieve, stir in the basil, and serve with the fish later. Now bring the two fish to the table on a large platter, break off the salt crust, and skin and fillet the fish. I recommend serving this with Mediterranean zucchini. You can also find the recipe in my recipes.