Episode 109: Salt Baked Fish
Featured Recipe : Salt Baked Fish
Inspired from sundrenched meals in the Mediterranean, this recipe results in an incredibly moist and flavorful showstopper. Chef uses a freshly caught local haddock from Harbor Fish Market; you can also use bass, branzino or snapper.
Leftover Tip: Fish Cakes
Using any leftover flaky fish, this recipe teaches how to whip up a healthy and quick lunch or light dinner. To make it even faster, Chef uses Rosemont Market's own tomato sauce to create a rich dipping component.
Chef’s Tip: Types of Salt
There are so many salts on the market...Chef takes us through several and how to best use them. He even shows salt alternatives, such as three choices from Ocean's Balance, a Maine company that makes Wakame, Dulse and Kombu flakes.
Pantry Tip: Preserving Lemons
Maggie teaches how to preserve lemons with four different international flavors. Preserving Lemons adds a wonderful bright flavor and color to many dishes without the acid--they also make beautiful gifts for the homecooks in your life.
Wine Pairing: Semeli Mantinia
Citrus and rose notes make this the perfect choice for today’s dishes.
Featured Recipe: Salt Baked Fish
Ingredients:
Yield: 2 servings
4 ½ cups Kosher Salt
6 each large egg whites
1 whole 2-3 pound fish, cleaned and scaled
2 each large lemon
½ bunch fresh thyme
½ bunch fresh rosemary
½ bunch fresh oregano
½ bunch fresh marjoram
Season salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method:
Heat oven to 375f degrees.
Using a vegetable peeler, peel 1 of the lemons and place the peels in a large bowl.
Add the herbs to the lemon peels and “bruise” them with your hands by rubbing the herbs and peels together to have them release their natural oils.
Add the egg whites in a separate large bowl and stir in Kosher Salt. Mix the salt until it feels like “wet sand”.
Rinse fish thoroughly with cold water and pat dry with paper towels.
Choose a large rimmed baking sheet, roasting pan or casserole dish large enough to fit your fish with plenty of space. Place enough salt mixture on the bottom of the baking sheet to cover a space roughly the size and shape of the fish.
Place a few of the fresh herbs on the salt, then top with the fish. Top fish with remaining herbs and then top the herbs with the salt mixture. Pat with your hands to form a smooth, sealed mound, keeping the fish head and/or tail exposed or covering completely with salt.
Place salt covered fish in the oven and roast for 20-25 minutes.
Remove and let rest 5 minutes before serving.
Crack and remove crust at the table, remove fillets and serve.
Enjoy!
Serving Suggestions:
White beans with fennel and chili
Aioli with crusty bread
Arugula & tomato salad with lemon vinaigrette
What will you serve this fish with?
Chef’s Tip: Types of SALT
Table salt
It’s also called iodized salt because it contains potassium iodide. The taste is more metallic due to anti-caking agent and potassium iodide. It's best used for general cooking needs.
Kosher salt
This is the culinary industry standard. When reading a recipe with salt listed as an ingredient, it is most likely Kosher Salt. It has a perfect middle-of-the-road texture that is easily dissolvable. The salinity can vary by brand so always taste. It's best used for general cooking needs.
Sea salt
This is salt made from the ocean's salinity. On a very basic level, sea water evaporated until all that’s left is the salt. This can come in a number of different textures and salinities. It is just like wine in that the flavor can come from the environment or region it is harvested in.
Himalayan Pink Salt
It comes from the Himalayan Mountains of Pakistan and it gets its iconic color from natural minerals that vary from deep reds to light pinks. Basically, you can use it for finishing or general cooking needs depending on texture. You can also cook on large sheets of this salt.
Smoked or Flavored Salt
Infusing different flavors into salt is a great way to add some variety to a dish. Other flavored salts can come from herbs or spices. Garlic salt, chili salt, Truffle salt, etc.
Sel Rose
Nitrates and nitrites are chemical compounds containing nitrogen and oxygen that are commonly used in curing meat. For thousands of years, salt was used to preserve food and meat products, but today sodium nitrate, potassium nitrate, and sodium nitrite are the most common preservatives used in processed meats. The color of the bright pink salt (not to be confused with the Himalayan salt) is used as an identification color. The real color of the sodium nitrate is white. Though you only need a very, very small amount. Follow your recipe to the letter when using sel rose.
Salt Alternatives
Some ingredients can be used as salt alternatives. Capers, soy sauce, seaweed, preserved lemons, fish sauce or types of soup or sauce bases. You could add any of these ingredients to replace the flavor of the recipe.
Leftovers: Fish Cakes
Ingredients:
Yield: 4 portions
1 pound cooked and chilled fish trim (cod, bass, salmon, or shrimp are good choices in this recipe.
3 tablespoons butter
½ cup onions, chopped small
½ cup celery, chopped small
2 each garlic cloves, minced
1 cup cracker crumbs, crumbled
1 tablespoon fresh dill, chopped
½ tablespoon fresh tarragon, chopped
Season salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 ½ cups tomato sauce
¼ cup butter, cut into small cubes
1 each lemon, cut in quarters
Method:
In a saute pan, cook the onions, celery and garlic in the 3 tablespoons of butter on medium heat until they are tender and cooked through. When cooked, place the vegetables in a large bowl. Let cool to room temperature.
Add the cooked and cooled fish trim. Add the cracker crumbs, dill and tarragon.
Gently mix the fish with the cracker crumbs, herbs, and sauteed vegetables until they are combined. The mixture should be able to be solid enough to be formed into small cakes. If the mixture is to “loose” add some more bread crumbs, if too “dry” add a little water. Season with salt and pepper.
Heat oven to 250f degrees.
Form 8 fish cakes out of the mixture and pan sear in a saute pan in two batches of 4 so as to not overcrowd the pan. Once the fish cakes are golden brown and cooked through place in the oven to keep them warm while you make the sauce.
In a medium pot add the tomato sauce and heat up. When the sauce is hot, stir in the butter until it is completely melted in the sauce. Remove from the heat and spoon on to 4 serving plates
Retrieve the fish cakes in the oven and place 2 on each plate. Serve with fresh lemon.
Enjoy!
Pantry Tip: Preserved Lemons
Ingredients:
Yield: 4 lemons
4 each lemons
As needed kosher salt
Method:
Wash the lemons and cut them “top down” from the stem end.
Place a couple of lemon wedges in the bottom of a glass jar.
Completely cover the lemons with some salt. Add a couple more wedges of lemon atop the ones already in the jar and again cover with salt.
Repeat the process until all the lemons are in the jar covered with salt. Top the jar (if using a metal top, place a small piece of parchment paper over the top of the jar first before screwing on the top. This will help the metal jar from corroding due to the salt.
Let lemons sit out, covered for 30-40 days. Flip the jars around every couple of days to make sure the salt is thoroughly covering the lemons.
To use: remove a wedge of lemon, remove the segment of the fruit, seeds and pith. You just want to use the skin/flesh of the lemon. Small dice, slice or mince to add to any of your favorite recipes when you would like a lemon flavor and not the acid of the
Flavor infusion ideas:
Add different ingredients to the lemons when you add the salt
A couple tablespoons of Harrisa paste
Spices such as cinnamon sticks, star anise pods, cardamom
Sugar or brown sugar
Herbs such as tarragon, thyme, rosemary or oregano
Granulated garlic or dehydrated onions
What will you come up with?
Wine Pairing: Semeli Mantinia
Our personal wine stylist Cat at So Po Wine Co immediately chose a wine from Greece to compliment the salt baked fish. This Semeli Mantinia is full of citrus, rose petals and the dream of long afternoons eating by the water. This and all of her choices can be found at independent wine shops throughout the state.