Salt-Crusted Whole Sea Bream with Lemon-Herb Aioli

⏱ 55 min · Serves 2

A whole bream baked in a crackling shell of egg-white salt steams itself into something impossibly moist and delicate. Cracked open at the table with the back of a spoon, it releases a cloud of lemon and fennel scent — and a garlicky herb aioli is all it needs alongside.

Per serving: 720 kcal · 48.0g protein · 6.0g carbs · 56.0g fat

Ingredients

• 1 whole sea bream (about 700–800g), gutted and scaled
• 2kg coarse sea salt
• 3 egg whites
• 80ml cold water
• 1 lemon, half sliced, half juiced
• 1 small fennel bulb, fronds reserved, bulb thinly sliced
• 4 sprigs thyme
• 3 sprigs flat-leaf parsley
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tsp fennel seeds, lightly crushed
• 2 egg yolks, at room temperature
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1 small garlic clove, crushed to a paste with a pinch of salt
• 150ml light olive oil
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tbsp finely chopped mixed soft herbs (chives, dill, parsley, tarragon)
• Black pepper
• Boiled new potatoes and green salad, to serve

Method

1. Heat the oven to 200C fan / 220C conventional. Line a large baking tray with baking paper.
2. Mix the coarse salt, fennel seeds, egg whites and water in a big bowl until it feels like damp sand and clumps when squeezed.
3. Spread a 1cm bed of the salt mix on the tray, roughly the shape of the fish. Pat the bream dry and stuff the cavity with the lemon slices, thyme, parsley sprigs and bay leaves.
4. Lay the fish on the salt bed and pack the remaining mixture firmly over it, sealing completely — leave the tail poking out if it helps you judge doneness. Don't leave gaps.
5. Bake for 25 minutes for a 700–800g fish (add 4 minutes for every extra 100g). A skewer pushed through the crust into the thickest part should come out hot to the touch.
6. Meanwhile make the aioli: whisk the egg yolks, Dijon, garlic paste and 1 tsp of the lemon juice in a bowl. Add the light olive oil drop by drop at first, whisking hard, then in a slow trickle until thick. Whisk in the extra virgin oil, then the chopped herbs, remaining lemon juice to taste, salt and pepper. Loosen with a teaspoon of cold water if very stiff.
7. Toss the sliced fennel with a squeeze of lemon, a little extra virgin oil and salt; scatter with the reserved fronds.
8. Rest the fish 5 minutes, then crack the crust with the back of a heavy spoon and lift it away in shards. Brush off any loose salt and peel back the skin.
9. Lift the top fillets onto warm plates, remove the backbone, then serve the lower fillets. Serve with the herb aioli, fennel salad, new potatoes and green salad.