Salt Baked Sea Trout

This whole baked trout is easier to prepare than you think and your oven and the salt crust do all the work. A great centrepiece dish if you’re entertaining.

📝 Ingredients

• Salt Baked Sea Trout
• 1 kg fine salt
• 100 g egg white
• 1.5 kg sea trout, butterflied and bones removed (keep the head and tail attached)
• 1 1/2 tsp (5 g) fresh parsley, chopped
• 1/2 tsp (2 g) coriander, fresh, chiffonade
• 1 tsp (5 g) garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp (2 g) freshly cracked black pepper
• 1 lemon, thinly sliced into rounds
• To Serve
• grilled lemon
• mayonnaise (make your own)
• 4 handfuls of mustard greens
• 3-4 radishes, thinly sliced
• 1/2 bulb fennel, thinly sliced

👨‍🍳 Instructions

1. 1To Make The Salt Bake Trout
2. 2Preheat the oven to 200 °C.
3. 3In a large mixing bowl, combine the salt and egg white until a semi firm paste is formed. Set aside.
4. 4Carefully open the fish and season with the herbs, garlic and crushed black pepper. Lay the lemon slices neatly on top of the herbs and gently close the fish, keeping its natural shape.
5. 5Carefully place the fish onto baking paper or a silicone sheet and then onto a roasting tray. Tip: If using baking paper you can cut to a similar size and shape as the fish so it is concealed under the salt crust if you plan to present it whole. Completely cover the fish with the salt crust – you can shape the crust into a fish shape or leave it rustic.
6. 6Place the fish into the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes. Check the internal temperature after 15 minutes with a meat thermometer. You are looking for an internal temperature of 38-40 °C. Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 15 minutes to enable the residual heat to slowly and gently cook the fish to perfection.
7. 7Carefully remove the salt crust without damaging the flesh during the process.
8. 8To Serve
9. 9Best served with grilled lemon, aioli and a light salad of mustard greens with shaved radish and fennel.