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food ideas | useful links | contact us | about us | Bacchus & Comus | small print | privacy statement

Site problem? Tell us. © BTL Publishing Ltd. and Croque-en-Bouche web design.

Fish Cooked in a Crust of Coarse  Salt

with a Garnish of Fennel and Artichokes and a Wine Sabayon.

 

Ingredients...

One large gutted fish or 4 individual fish (sea bass or whole trout are best for this recipe)

Stuff with fennel leaves, parsley, grated rind of a lemon, a pinch of chopped onions, a clove of garlic (and/or ginger) and pepper. NO SALT.

 

GARNISH

For each person allow one quarter of fennel bulb, one medium size artichoke heart, half a chicory. Add salt, pepper, two star anis, a pinch of fennel seeds and/or anis seeds and some dill to sprinkle at the end.

 

 

Cooking the garnish: thinly slice the artichoke hearts, the fennel, and  endives.  Heat a dash of olive oil in a sauté pan; put the spices in first, then add the vegetables. Cook on a very slow heat covered until cooked. Add salt, pepper, and herbs at the end.

 

Take a baking dish just large enough to contain the fish. STUFF THE FISH and cover the incision made to gut the fish with foil so the salt does not come in contact with flesh.

Take enough coarse salt (gros sel) to bury the fish. Mix per kg of salt, one white of egg and 2 or 3 tablespoons of water to make a very coarse paste (more dry than wet).  Cover the bottom of the baking tray with a thin coat of salt, lay the fish on it and completely cover the top with the rest of the salt sealing the edges. Bake at 180 C for 12 to 14 mins. if cooking individual fish  or longer according to weight.

 

THE SABAYON

Reduce two decilitres of white wine to one dl. (or four into two). Cool down a little. Add two beaten egg yolks per one dl. of reduced wine, and carry on beating on a very slow heat until fluffy and very hot  BUT DO NOT BOIL. Add salt, pepper and chopped dill and fennel leaves from the fennel.

 

Take the fish out of the oven when cooked and let it rest for five minutes.  You can then remove the top crust and the skin of the fish very easily. Put the fish out onto a board (free of salt!) and remove skin on other side.   You can also fillet the fish very easily. Place the garnish as an oval dome on a serving plate (or use individual plates), place fish on top, and spoon the sabayon over the fish.

 

P. S. you can add one or two tablespoons of half-fat crème fraiche to the sabayon  half way through cooking if you want a slightly more consistent sauce.