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Whole orata al sale with a cracked golden salt crust on a wooden board, steam rising, lemon and rosemary scattered around

Orata al Sale: Whole Sea Bream in a Salt Crust

Whole sea bream baked inside a hardened salt crust with lemon and rosemary, cracked open tableside for moist, clean-tasting flesh.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Italian
Calories: 230
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 2 whole gilthead sea bream (orata), scaled and gutted , about 600 g each
  • 1.5 kg coarse sea salt
  • 2 egg whites large; optional, helps the crust hold together
  • 120 ml water
  • 1 lemon, sliced
  • 4 fresh rosemary or thyme sprigs
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 tsp black peppercorns, cracked optional
  • extra virgin olive oil for serving
  • lemon wedges for serving

Method
 

  1. Heat the oven to 220 C / 425 F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. Rinse the bream inside and out, then pat completely dry with paper towels, including the cavity.
  3. Stuff each cavity with lemon slices, a rosemary sprig, a bay leaf, and a pinch of cracked pepper.
  4. In a large bowl, mix the coarse salt with the egg whites and water until it looks like wet sand and clumps when pressed.
  5. Spread a 1 cm bed of the salt mixture on the tray, place the fish on top, then pack the rest of the salt over and around each fish to fully encase it, pressing firmly to seal any gaps.
  6. Bake for 25 to 28 minutes, until the crust is golden and firm, and an instant-read thermometer inserted through the crust near the spine reads 135 F / 57 C.
  7. Remove from the oven and let rest 8 to 10 minutes, this lets the crust firm up before cracking.
  8. Crack the crust with the back of a spoon, brush off the loose salt, peel back the skin, and lift the fillets away from the bone.
  9. Serve warm, drizzled with olive oil and lemon wedges on the side.

Notes

  • Use coarse salt, not fine, or the crust won't set into a hard shell.
  • Dry the fish skin completely before packing salt around it.
  • Check temp near the spine, that's the last part to cook through.
  • Rest the baked fish 8 to 10 minutes before cracking the crust open.