Maurizio Pastacaldi’s salt-crusted sea bass recipe

After the success of our first recipe, our captain comes back with a new proposal….something really simple to prepare on board.

Salt-crusted sea brass

Its tasty soft fleshes are perfect for any recipe but, from my experience, the best way to taste such a delicacy is to opt for a simple yet delicious recipe.

Place a layer of rock salt in the bottom of a roasting tin. Gut the fish and stuff it with some rosemary sprigs, garlic, thyme, a pinch of pepper and lay the fish in the container. In order not to compromise baking, it is fundamental not to scale the fish. At this point, cover the fish with some rock salt and, after wetting your hands, enclose it with the salt.

If this operation is not successful – salt humidity often cause problems – you can whisk an egg white and fold in the salt. If you prefer or you if you want to make your recipe even more delicious, you can add some rosemary essential oil, being careful not burning it.

Bake the fish in the oven at 180 degrees for about 30 minutes (cooking time depends on the size of the fish). Remove the pan from the oven, crack the salt crust and serve the fish with a centrifuged sauce of herbs, lemon and extra-virgin olive oil. In addition to taste, you will certainly relive your exciting sea bass fishing trip.

Sea bass

LET’S KNOW ONE AMONG THE ANGLERS’ MOST WANTED FISH

Dicentrarchus Labrax

Names:

In Italy, sea bass bears a variety of names. In norther Italy, for example, it is called “branzino” and the list of vernacular names throughout the country is very long: spinola, varolo, arranassa, gingareo, lupo (wolffish) , lovasso, ragno (weever). Again, sea bass is called ” Loup ” or “bar” in France, “lubina” in Spain, “robalo” in Portugal.

This fish generally inhabits coastal waters and can be found at a maximum depth of 60 meters. Juveniles live in groups while adults generally live on their own. The species is highly resistant and resist water temperature from 2 up to 30 degrees. In spring, they migrate from the sea to low-salinity waters where they remain until they sexual maturity. Sea bass is a predator that generally feeds on small fish and shellfish.

Sea bass is a medium-sized fish with an elongate body, a pointed mouth, a slightly sharp mandible and very thin teeth. Its back is dark, silver on the sides and white on the bench. Juveniles can have dotted sides.

Sea bass can reach a length of 1 meter and a weight up to 10-12 kg.

The species is of great commercial interest for all markets. In Italy and in the whole Mediterranean, it has become one among the most important farmed species but, of course, fished sea bass is something completely different. We can say that the deliciousness of its flesh was appreciated even in the ancient Rome, where it was generally known as “lupus“.

Sea bass can be fished with both live and artificial baits… but we will deal with this subject in the next few days … meanwhile…ENJOY YOUR MEAL!