Sea Bass in Salt with Fennel and Lemon

So coming to the end of our Sicilian cooking adventures and here are a few recipes that we have learnt and picked up on the way.
Sucky internet connections in some of the outlying area and also in some of the bigger places so sorry I'm only able to post occasionally. Well if that's the worst that I have to put up with life's pretty good!

 

As we are in the land of salt and fish so this is just a must.
Any fish can be cooked whole in salt. We used sea bass, but whole salmon would be great too.

Fine or course sea salt. The one we used was fairly course.  It sounds obvious, but check that you have a baking tray large enough for the fish to fit in and that it fits in your oven. Beginners mistake ... not to check before you buy your fish!

Serves 4-6

1½ kg whole sea bass, cleaned
2 lemons, sliced
A bunch of fennel. Fennel is abundant here
2-3 kg coarse salt

Preheat your oven to 200C. Wash and dry the fish well. Stuff the cavity with the lemon and fennel.  Sprinkle a layer of salt for the fish to sit on, about 1cm deep. Place the fish on the salt and we also put more lemon slices on top of the fish. Pour the rest of the salt over and around the fish so it is covered. It is OK for the head and tail to be visible.

Place the fish in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Then remove it and allow it to rest for about 10 minutes. Insert a metal skewer and feel if it is hot (or not). The fish will continue to cook during the resting time.
Crack the salt and pull it away from the fish – it should take the

skin with it. The fish can be served whole or the flesh removed to a

serving dish.