Salt-Crusted Baked Whole Wild Sea Bream (Tuzda Çipura)
Whole wild Mediterranean sea bream encased in a thick rock salt crust and baked to juicy perfection, infused with rosemary, bay leaves, and lemon zest.
Ingredients
Ingredients
Step-by-Step Method
Prep Fish
Gut the sea bream thoroughly but leave all scales intact. Rinse and pat dry. Stuff the cavity with fresh rosemary, bay leaves, and lemon wheels.
Mix Salt Crust
In a large bowl, mix the coarse rock salt with egg whites and a splash of water until it resembles wet packable sand.
Bed of Salt
Line a baking sheet with parchment. Spread one-third of the salt mixture into an even 1 cm bed the shape of the fish.
Encase
Place the fish on the bed. Pack the remaining salt mixture firmly over the entire fish until completely sealed with no exposed flesh.
Bake
Bake in a preheated oven at 200°C (400°F) for 30 minutes until the salt dome is rock-hard and lightly golden.
Crack and Serve
Present the dome at the table. Gently crack around the edges with a mallet or heavy knife handle. Lift off the top salt crust, peel back the skin, and plate the juicy white fillets.
Chef's Tips & Tricks
Never descale a fish intended for salt-crust baking; the scales act as a natural protective shield that prevents over-salting and seals in supreme juiciness. Crack the crust open table-side.