Salt-Crusted Whole Sea Bass with Lemon and Rosemary

What you need

• 2 whole sea bass, about 500 g (1 lb) each, gutted but not scaled
• 2 kg (4 1/2 lb) coarse sea salt
• 2 egg whites
• 2 lemons, 1 sliced, 1 cut into wedges
• 2 sprigs rosemary
• 4 sprigs flat-leaf parsley
• 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, for serving

Method

Restated from the original video

1. 1

   Heat the oven to 220 °C (425 °F).

2. 2

   Rinse the fish and pat dry inside and out. Leave the scales on, because they shield the flesh from the salt.

3. 3

   Tuck 2 lemon slices, a sprig of rosemary and 2 parsley sprigs into the belly of each fish.

4. 4

   Mix the salt with the egg whites and 3 tbsp of water in a large bowl until it feels like damp sand.

5. 5

   Spread a quarter of the salt in a roasting dish just big enough for both fish, in an even layer about 1 cm (1/2 in) thick.

6. 6

   Lay the fish on the salt bed, then pack the rest of the salt over them until no skin shows. Press it down firmly.

7. 7

   Bake for 25 min. A larger fish needs 15 min more for every extra 500 g (1 lb).

8. 8

   Rest the dish for 5 min. Crack the crust with a spoon and lift it away in pieces.

9. 9

   Check that the flesh near the backbone is opaque and flakes easily, then peel off the skin so none of the salty scales get onto the plate.

10. 10

    Lift the fillets off the bones, drizzle with olive oil and serve with the lemon wedges.

Imported from cookaround.com. Recipe Grab pulled out what you need to cook it; the video stays where its author put it.