Bass Baked in a Salt Crust

Ok folks, today we are going to bake a whole fish.  Not only are we going to bake a whole fish (eyeballs, fins, the whole shebang!), we are going to completely encase the fish in kosher salt and bake it into it's very own crusty cocoon. 

Why on earth would anyone waste so much salt cooking a fish, you ask?  As for the mechanics of the matter, the salt dome on the fish acts like an oven within an oven.  Inside it's salty cave, the fish begins to steam in it's own moisture, but since salt absorbs moisture, the dome creates a dry environment and the fish ends up roasting.  Hm... sounds pretty much the same as if you roasted the fish in the oven without using a whole box of salt...

To be honest, the fish doesn't taste that much different roasted in all that salt.  It would be a stretch to say that the closed environment caused the citrus and herbs packed into the fish to give it a more concentrated flavor.  If you use your imagination, it does seem a little moister...  Maybe. 

So, again, why roast a whole fish in a big 'ole mess of salt if it tastes the same?  Because you can, I answer! It's great fun, and it looks wildly impressive presented at the dinner table with a dramatic flourish!  This is not the dish you cook at home, alone, without a whole gaggle of guests to ooh and ahh over your masterful cooking skills. 

Cooking a whole fish might sound intimidating (all the better to impress people), but actually it's really easy, and the fishmonger at the grocery store will do all the hard stuff for you (get rid of the guts, ew).  So without further ado, I give you a ridiculously complicated way to cook fish that tastes exactly the same as sticking it in the oven plain and simple.  This one is about showmanship!

Ingredients
One 2-4 lb bass (or similar sized white fish) - ask the fish guy to clean and scale it
4c. kosher salt
8 egg whites
Fronds from one fennel bulb (save the bulb to roast with some other veggies)
2 thin lemon
2 thin oranges
Extra virgin olive oil

Preheat the oven to 425 and let the fish stand at room temperature for 15 minutes.  Stir the salt and egg whites together in a medium bowl, creating a snowy mixture.  In a large baking dish (big enough for the fish!), spread a layer of the salt mixture about 1/4 in thick, covering an area just larger than the fish.  Lay the fish on the salt bed and stuff the fennel fronds, lemon and orange slices into the cavity of it's belly.  Spread the remaining salt mixture over the fish, and pat with paper towels to remove any excess moisture.  Roast for 40 minutes, or until the thickest part of the fish reaches a temp of 125 (good luck stabbing a thermometer through the salt armor, though.  I totally gave up on taking the fish's temp). 

To serve the fish, whisk it out of the oven and over to the table.  Have handy another dish to hold the crust remains after you excavate your meal.  With a big kitchen mallet, crack the crust and break it into large pieces.  Remove the crust and set it aside. 

Use a narrow spatula to peel off the top layer of skin from the fish, and then lift out the fillet beneath, setting the fillet on a serving platter.  Then, start at the tail end of the fish and remove the fish skeleton in one piece, setting it aside.  Lift out the bottom fillet and transfer it to your serving platter.  Serve with more kosher salt and lemon wedges.  Yum/wow!

Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Rosemary Corn Muffin Crust

One day, I will cook like Thomas Keller.  I will brine every piece of meat (to season it and keep it juicy! says Keller), I will temper it (letting the cold meat come to room temperature is apparently "critical" to even cooking), I will use a proper thermometer to ascertain doneness (instead of prematurely slicing it open to take a gander at the center), and I will let the meat rest after roasting (to allow the juices to redistribute while the meat-fibers firm up, which enables the meat to hold in more juice... TK really harps on this).  I will even finish my dish with a scattering of fancy gray salt, instead of Morton's.  Alas, the motivation to boil two quarts of water with a panoply of herbs, spices and salt, chill the giant salty tub overnight, and then reserve four hours to brine a little slip of tenderloin, continues to evade me.  Nor have I fretted about cooking the tip of the tenderloin slightly more than the center, nor stressed about the meat juices running amuck in the pan and sizzling skyward to leave my roast dismally dry.

Maybe Keller's cooking methods will produce a blissfully delicious, elevated pork experience (in fact, I have no doubt that they will), but I think my rogue roast, untempered, unrested, all juiced up and raring to go right from the oven, would give Keller's fancy-pants pork a run for its money!  It even looks just as fancy (see picture).  All you need for this tasty tenderloin (with its savory, crispy, corn-muffin crust... who doesn't like crust?) are a handful of ingredients and an hour.  Your pork will be juicy and fabulous, I promise!  The loin is among the leaner cuts of the pig, so in keeping with the wholesome theme I served this little piggy with plumped-cherry brown rice and a nectarine blue cheese salad (recipes included).  Start the rice first because it takes the longest!  These quantities serve ~4 hungry people.

Rosemary Corn Muffin Pork Ingredients
1 (1 lb) pork tenderloin
salt and pepper to season the roast
olive oil for the pan (~1T)
2T butter
2 minced garlic cloves
1c. crumbled corn bread/muffin (homemade leftovers work best... store bought can be used in a pinch, but they will make a sweeter, stickier coating)
2t. finely chopped fresh rosemary
2T Dijon or hot sweet mustard

Preheat the oven to 425 and pat the pork with a paper towel to remove excess moisture.  Salt and pepper the pork.  In a large saute pan, heat the oil until hot and shimmering (but not smoking).  Add the pork to the hot oil and caramelize on all sides, then transfer to an oiled baking dish.  You might want to line the dish with tinfoil first for easier cleanup.  If the skillet has begun to smoke, let it cool a bit and then add the butter.  Once the butter melts, add the garlic and cook until golden and fragrant, ~30 seconds.  Remove the pan from heat and stir in the rosemary and corn muffin crumbs.  Season with additional salt and black pepper.  Spread the mustard over the pork, and pat on the crumb mixture.  Roast until the internal temperature of the pork reaches 140 to 150 degrees, ~30 minutes (or you can crudely slice open the pork to check for pinkness, as I did).  Check the pork at about 15 minutes, and if the crumbs are browning too quickly, tent the roast with foil for the remainder of the cooking time.  If you have the patience, allow the roast to rest for 10-15 minutes before slicing and serving.

Ingredients for Plumped-cherry brown rice with pine nuts
1c. short grain brown rice
2.5c. water
1T butter
1/3c. dried cherries
1/3 c. pine nuts
2 1-in. pieces of fresh ginger, peeled

In a medium saucepan combine the rice, water, butter, ginger hunks, and cherries.  Bring to a boil, stir, reduce heat, and cover.  Allow the rice mixture to simmer undisturbed for 50 minutes.  In a small saucepan, toast the pine nuts until they release their oils and just begin to brown.  Remove from heat immediately and set aside until the rice is done.  While the rice cooks, prep the pork and the salad.  When you are ready to serve the rice, remove the hunks of ginger and toss in the pine nuts.

Nectarine Blue Cheese Salad Ingredients
2 ripe nectarines
1 head of your favorite lettuce
a handful of arugula
1/4 c. crumbled Point Reyes blue cheese
1/2 c. pecans

Dressing
Good quality olive oil, ~1/2c.
Juice of one lemon
White balsamic vinegar, ~1/4c.
Either 2t. peach or apricot jam, or a splash of flavored white balsamic vinegar (I used peach white balsamic vinegar)
Salt and pepper to taste

Tear the lettuce and arugula into salad-sized pieces, wash thoroughly, and dry.  Toast the pecans in a small saucepan until they release their oils and begin to brown.  Remove from heat and set aside to cool.  Cut the nectarines into bite-sized chunks.  Whisk the dressing ingredients in a small bowl, and adjust the oil/vinegar ratio to suit your tastes.  When you are ready to serve the salad, toss the greens and nectarines with the dressing.  Crumble the toasted pecans over the top, and sprinkle in the blue cheese.  Serve with the rice and the pork!