A little over a week ago, Sean and I went to dinner at Nomad, and it was an unexpected surprise-the good kind. We had the most delicious bread. I thought it was life changing, because I’m not the sort of girl who really, really likes bread. Usually, I could take it or leave it, and I’m often not willing to give up empty calories for it. But Nomad’s bread – well that was a different story entirely. It was crunchy, yet soft, and had the flavor of anise. Oh so special, let me tell you. I’m still dreaming about that bread.
When you go out to eat, it’s enough to have one really great thing, but at Nomad, I was blessed to have two amazing things: the bread, and the fish au salt. Now, I’d seen fish cooked in a salt crust before on a few cooking shows, and I was always intrigued. How, on earth could a fish encased in salt not be unbearably salty? But it isn’t. No, no dear readers. It’s flaky, smooth, and succulent with just a hint of the sea. Think of the most delicious, yet simple roast fish you’ve ever tried.
Nomad’s chef, Luisa Fernandes came out to personally present the fish a lovely branzino (European sea bass), and as she cracked away at the shell, I picked her brain for the recipe. It’s simple egg whites, and a lot of salt, she told me. It was clear that she loved preparing the fish, and sharing the recipe with me. I found her generous and gratuitous.
As for the fish, Sean and I couldn’t wait to try it at home. The next day we stopped at Citarella and bought two branzinos (Have I ever said how much I love the convenience of Citarella? I do.), and as soon as we had a moment, I looked up a few recipes online and in my cookbooks, and I finally came up with one that I liked enough: a combo of Luisa Fernandes’ and Mario Batalli’s. Then I went to work:
I whisked 3 egg whites until they peaked (rather, my KitchenAid standing mixer did), and I stirred in 3 cups of Kosher salt and a bunch of chopped thyme.
I patted my salt and egg white mixture onto a tray lined with aluminum foil.
I covered the fish completely and baked it for 30 minutes at 450°F.
Once the salt crust hardened:
I let it sit for about 10 minutes then I cracked it open:
And I served it with on a tray:
With roasted garlic:
Couscous and roasted red peppers:
It didn’t take long to prepare, and with three ingredients and one herb, I was struck, once again, by how fantastic and simple Mediterranean food can be. And I wondered to myself, who was the first person to figure out that encasing a fish in salt would make it so tender, and so fragrant?
A genius. No doubt.
A fantastic and remarkably easy dish. I thank Luisa Fernandes for being so generous with her fish recipe…. now if I can hit her up for that bread.
Photo Credit: Sean
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