Whole Bluefish Roasted in Kosher Salt
1 2-4 lb. bluefish*, gutted and gilled
1 lemon sliced in thin rounds
an assortment of herbs
black pepper
a few cloves of garlic
1-2 BOXES of kosher salt
VIDEO of this recipe available on YouTube!
Preheat oven to 500°.
Pour a box of kosher salt into a bowl and combine with about a half cup of water. Mix together until it has a consistency of slightly damp sand. Put down a layer of this salt mixture into a roasting pan large enough to accommodate the fish.
Meanwhile, stuff the cavity of the fish with herbs, lemon, garlic and black pepper. Lay it across the salt layer, then bury the fish completely (using as much of the salt/water combo as necessary…you may need a second box of salt).
Roast salt encrusted fish for about 20 minutes, then check with an insta-read thermometer jammed through the salt and into the thickest part of the fish flesh. Once the temperature reads 125, break away the hardened sarcophogus of salt, brushing the skin clean, and simply carve the flesh from the first side of the fish. Once you reach the middle, you can pull out the main fish bone in one piece to access the second side of the fish encased in the bottom layer of salt.
Serve with Salpicon Sauce
*substitutes: Porgy, Snapper, Cod, Trout, Spanish Mackerel, Sea Bass, Fresh Sardines…pretty much any whole fish. Size will affect roasting time so use that thermometer!
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