Welcome to the EGGhead Forum - a great place to visit and packed with tips and EGGspert advice! You can also join the conversation and get more information and amazing kamado recipes by following Big Green Egg to Experience our World of Flavor™ at:
Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Instagram  |  Pinterest  |  Youtube  |  Vimeo
Share your photos by tagging us and using the hashtag #BigGreenEgg.

Want to see how the EGG is made? Click to Watch

Help with whole fish in a salt crust

Mary Queen of Kitchen Gadgets
edited November -1 in EggHead Forum
Has anyone tried making a whole fish in a salt crust on the egg? I saw one recipe for it on this website but it looked like it only had salt on one side of the fish. I want to try to prepare it so it tastes similar to the fish I had at a chiringuito (beach bar) in Spain. They skewered a whole fish that was covered in salt and cooked it standing up over a hardwood fire that was burning inside a beached boat just a few yards from the restaurant. It was one of the simplist and best meals I have ever had.
I have a whole striped bass gutted and scaled but with the head and tail still on. What kind of salt should I use? I'm thinking kosher or rock salt? I assume it should be cooked on a grid with the platesetter legs up. Should I put it directly on the grid or put it in some kind of container? How long should it cook? Any suggestions on added wood for smoke? I have pecan, hickory and cherry chunks and apple chips.

Comments

  • Richard Fl
    Richard Fl Posts: 8,297
    I have done a few whole fish in salt. placing some salt and egg white mixture on bottom of pan or foil then the fish with dill, lemon or cilantro in cavity and thin slices lemon and onion in cavity and on top. More salt to enclose. Baked on BGE indirect 350-375. Figure 10-12 minutes per inch of thickness.

    Here is a recipe I recently saw and have not had time to try.

    Sea Bass, Salt-Roasted

    Govind Armstrong shares dishes that’ll have the family going for seconds


    INGREDIENTS:
    2 1/2 Lbs whole loup de mare, scaled and gutted
    7 crushed bay leaves
    1 Tbs fennel seed
    1 tsp fennel pollen
    1 pinch chili flakes
    1 1/2 Tbs cracked black pepper
    2 lemons, zested
    3 cups salt, half kosher and half sea salt,
    2 egg whites
    2 Tbs water




    Procedure:
    1 Combine all dry ingredients. Whisk egg whites to medium peaks. Fold salt mixture into egg whites and add the water.
    2 In the cavity of the fish, place 3 slices of lemon, fennel fronds and 2 thyme sprigs. Brush fish with extra-virgin olive oil. Place half inch of salt mixture on baking pan as base of the fish and pack the remaining on top, leaving the only the tail and head exposed.
    3 Bake in a 450° preheated oven for 17 minutes. Allow the fish to rest for 5 minutes before removing the salt crust.


    Recipe Type
    Main Dish, Seafood

    Recipe Source
    Author: Chef Govind Armstrong

    Source: Today Show, 2009/07/21
  • stike
    stike Posts: 15,597
    i believe that morton's kosher salt has a recipe on the back. it uses eggwhite as a binder, and takes a whole two pound box. DON'T just try to hold it together with a little water, or you'll end up brining the fish.

    truth be told, doing it in the egg is almost irrelevant, because the smoke won't penetrate the salt, and you simply crack the salt off and toss it. the salt becomes, essentially, it's own little brick oven.

    someone here did one recently, and acknowledged that the egg doesn't real add anything, because the fish is completely covered.

    it doesn't take away from whatever special thing the salt crust adds, it's just the egg is relegated to a heat source

    FWIW
    ed egli avea del cul fatto trombetta -Dante
  • Thanks for the responses, guys. I am disappointed that the smoke won't get into the fish but guess I understand why that is. The egg white idea is interesting. Never thought of that.

    The recipe sounds great although I will have to skip the fennel pollen and fennel seed. Don't have the pollen, not nuts about the seed but I bet fresh sliced fennel would be great inside.
  • Big'un
    Big'un Posts: 5,909
    Try cold smoking the fish a bit before encrusting it in salt, and then some smoke will make it to the fish. Just don't cook the fish before making the salt compound.