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!

Low Country Boil

This dish was a lot of fun to make and eat, especially if - like me - you are trying to reconnect with your Y chromosome.

First: the big pot. There is something truly satisfying and virile about cooking with an enormous, round, cauldron-like vessel. (Some insight into my soul: I don't watch football on Sundays, I don't like cars with big engines, and I don't own a single power tool...so cooking in big pots is one of the few ways I can get in touch with my inner hombre.) Second, the boil frees us from the boundaries of the normal, "civilized" dining experience. The boil scoffs at serving dishes, preferring instead to be dumped unceremoniously onto the middle of a picnic table. This dish laughs at plates - those unnecessary middlemen that impede the food's journey to our mouths. The boil sneers at forks, spoons, and knives, electing instead to be devoured by the most efficient, crab-tearing, shell-peeling, potato-picking, corn-on-the-cob-holding tool of them all: one's own hands (disclaimer: you might have noticed plates in these photos.  Those were completely unnecessary additions to the meal, insisted upon by the X-chromosomes at the table).

This leads to the third reason this dish is so fun to make: it brings people together. Dinner can be a sterile, disconnected occasion (although never so in this household!), where dining tables are long and pristine, utensils clink and scrape against fine china, and the entire dining process is governed by rules of traditional etiquette. The boil, on the other hand, is meant for sharing, grabbing, poking, cracking, peeling, sifting, and devouring...all in very close proximity to your fellow diners.

So put away your china, crystal, and silverware...it's time to get down and dirty with a Low Country Boil!

Ingredients (Serves 6)

(Note: feel free to add or remove ingredients. This recipe is designed for substituting or spicing-up and down as desired)

Seasonings:

Water - enough to cover the contents of the pot

Old Bay Seasoning - 1/2 cup

Crab Boil Seasoning Packet - 2 packets of Zatarain's

Salt - 1 cup
Hot Sauce - 1/2 cup

Veggies:

1 Large Yellow Onion, quartered

1 head of garlic, chopped horizontally

2 lemons, halved

3/4 lb. red potatoes

3/4 lb. Yukon gold potatoes

4 ears of corn, shucked and halved

1 lb. mushrooms

1 lb. brussel sprouts

1 lb. asparagus

Meat:

4 Alaskan King Crab Legs

4 bratwursts, halved

1.5 lbs. prawns, shell-on

Preparation

As mentioned above, you will need a big pot. A 4-gallon pot would be ideal for this size boil. If you don't have that big of a pot, you can cook it in batches, or in multiple pots.

1. Boil the water.

2. It is best to pre-cook the bratwurst, which gives the sausage a nice caramelized look and taste. While the water is heating up, cut the bratwurst into halves and cook at medium heat until browned (about 5 minutes). When the bratwursts are done, set aside and let them cool.

3. Begin chopping the veggies.

4. When the water is boiling, put in all the seasonings (including the garlic) and the potatoes. Boil for 7 minutes.

5. Put the rest of the veggies in, except the asparagus. Also put the sausages in the pot. Boil for 7 minutes.

6. Put the asparagus, crab, and prawns in. Boil for about 5 minutes. Try not to overcook the seafood...5 minutes should be plenty.

7. Remove from heat. Drain the water.

8. Cover the dining table with newspaper, then lay out a strip of parchment paper. Dump the contents of the pot onto the parchment paper - and begin the feast!

9. Serve with Sourdough bread. The cooked garlic is soft and spreadable, and great on the toasted bread with butter.

Bacon Salmon Sandwiches

In my opinion, there are few things that fail to pair brilliantly with bacon.  Bacon even goes well with sweets!  Bacon and chocolate might not be for everyone, but don't tell my you haven't dipped a nice greasy stick of bacon into your pancake syrup... But I musn't stray into sweets (as I am inclined to do)!  Maybe I will post a bacon-chocolate recipe on my sister-blog, dedicated to sweets (Evil Batch), but for now back to our luscious bacon salmon sandwich.  The smoky richness of bacon harmonizes beautifully with the sweet meatiness of salmon, and since salmon is healthy (albeit tasty), you don't have to feel too guilty about adding a few indulgent strips of fatty pork.  I shouldn't let the bacon steal the show though, because this sandwich really showcases the flaky fresh filet, pan fried to perfection.  The peppery arugula and citrusy dressing add bright notes to contrast against the smoky-richness of the bacon-salmon combo, while caramelized onions chime into the sandwich symphony with pungent sweetness.  Creamy avocado softens and rounds-out the flavors.  Perfect eats for a warm evening.

Ingredients
*Note, cooking involves a lot of creative license, and often benefits from substitutions and variations to suit your personal preferences (unlike baking, which usually requires precise measurements for best results).  Thus, specified quantities are guidelines unless otherwise indicated.  This particular recipe offers approximate quantities to make four bacon-salmon sandwiches.

A little under 1lb of fresh salmon
Two handfuls of arugula
1 lemon
2 pinches of sugar
High-quality extra virgin olive oil (tasting oil usually has a stronger, fruitier flavor than generic olive oil - you pay for the flavor, but it's worth it)
Splash of white balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper for use throughout the cooking process
half an onion
8 slices of bacon
1 avocado
8 slices of sourdough bread (or if you have big long slices, use 4 slices, each cut in half to produce 8 pieces)
Olive oil for cooking (as distinguished from olive oil for tasting, used above)
Butter for buttering

Prepare the bread: preheat the oven to 300, and slather butter onto the sliced sourdough.  Lay the slices on a large baking sheet.

 Cook the bacon in a hot skillet until crispy.  Lay on paper towels to drain.

Prepare the caramelized onion: thinly slice the onion, add a heavy drizzle of olive oil to a saucepan, and place over medium-low heat.  Allow the oil to get hot, and then add the onion and stir to coat.  Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes and then add a pinch of sugar and turn the heat to low.  Continue cooking until caramelized, ~25 min.  Keep an eye on the onions.  Stir occasionally and add a drizzle of oil whenever the onions look dry or begin to scorch.  You can continue with the following steps as the onions cook...

Prepare the dressing: in a small bowl, combine about 1/3c. of the extra virgin olive oil with the juice of one lemon, a pinch of sugar, and a splash of white balsamic vinegar.  Whisk in salt and pepper to taste.  Sample the dressing and vary the ingredient quantities to suit your preference.

Prepare the fish: generously douse a large frying pan with olive oil (cooking quality), and turn the heat to medium.  When the oil is hot and shimmering (but before it smokes!), add the salmon skin-side down, and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Cook the salmon ~5 minutes per side, or until it flakes easily when tested with a fork.  The cooking time will vary depending on the thickness of your filet - skinny fish will cook faster than chubby fish.

Halfway through the fish-cooking process, pop the bread in the oven to toast lightly, and toss the dressing with the arugula.

When the fish is done, remove the skin by sliding a butter knife under the edge and peeling it away.  It should come off easily.  Remove the bread from the oven, and top each slice with a quarter each of the caramelized onions, salmon, arugula mixture, and avocado.  Add two slices of bacon to each sandwich and top with a slice of toasty bread.  Serve with tomato soup, and any extra arugula salad.

Deconstructed Sandwich
If you don't like the idea of eating a sandwich for dinner, you can follow this recipe, but instead of combining everything into a hand-held meal, do the following:

Break the bacon into bits.  Toss the arugula mixture with the bacon bits, avocado, and caramelized onions for a savory side-salad.  Serve the filets with the salad and slices of buttered sourdough.