Pink Lake Salt-baked Barramundi with Kalamata Olive & Tarragon Dressing
Rated 5.0 stars by 1 users
Cuisine
Mediterranean
Author:
Cle-ann Stampolidis, Chef & Food Stylist
Servings
4
If you haven't tried salt-baked fish before, prepare yourself for the most succulent fish you've ever had in your life. Our Pink Lake Salt imparts a wonderful, earthy flavour to the fish when baked this way, and helps to lock in the moisture of the fish. We've used barramundi here as it flakes well, with bones that are easy to pick around, but you can use also use snapper, bream, trout or salmon. We recommend getting your fish from a fishmonger and asking them to leave the scales–trust us, it makes it a lot easier to peel off at the end!
Ingredients
-
850g whole barramundi, gutted but not scaled
-
1.2kg Mount Zero Medium Pink Lake Salt
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2 large unwaxed lemons
- 1 small bunch fresh tarragon, divided
- 1⁄4 cup olive brine (reserved from your jar of Mount Zero olives)
-
2 tbsp Mount Zero Frantoio Extra Virgin Olive Oil (extra for coating and stuffing)
Directions
Remove barramundi from the fridge 45 minutes before cooking. Preheat conventional oven to 220 degrees Celsius. Roughly chop half of the tarragon.
In a large bowl, mix the Pink Lake Salt with the zest of the whole lemon and the chopped tarragon. Use your hands to rub the zest and tarragon into the salt to release the essential oils - it will make the salt so aromatic.
Pour in the verjus and the reserved olive brine, mixing until the salt reaches a wet sand texture.
Pat the fish dry and trim the tail and any other large fins with a pair of kitchen shears or scissors. Slice the zested lemon into 4 rounds, reserving the halves.
Stuff the cavity with 4 lemon slices, a few sprigs of tarragon, half of the kalamata olives and a splash of olive oil. Drizzle the outside of the fish lightly with EVOO, using your hands to coat it evenly.
- On a baking tray (27x40cm), shape a 1cm-thick salt layer in the outline of the fish. Place the fish on top and fully encase it in another salt layer, ensuring no cracks or gaps - this is key to creating a proper salt crust for baking.
- Bake for 23 minutes, then rest for 10 minutes.
For the olive-tarragon oil, chop the remaining kalamata olives and tarragon and mix with 2 tbsp of olive oil. Add in the juice of the 2nd lemon and a pinch of salt; stir and set aside.
To crack the salt crust, use a knife to cut around the fish. Gently break open the salt crust and lift off the top layer, brushing away any excess salt. Transfer the fish to a platter, then carefully peel back the skin from gills to tail — this will be easy since the scales were left on.
Gently lift the meat away from the bones, drizzle with kalamata & tarragon dressing and serve.
