Baked Sea Bream with a Holiday Feeling

I don't know about you, but the sea bream taste gives me a holiday feeling every single time. Most probably because I don't cook it very often at home since I am very picky about fresh fish. And unfortunately, since we don't live near the sea, I don't always like what stores are selling in their fish section.

The fish type I prefer eating in Cluj is trout because I know for a fact it is fresh. Even so, when buying fresh trout, we never end up having salt-baked fish. Most of the time, we settle with something as comforting and delicious as our Crispy Fried Trout.

Anyhow, I was shopping the other day, and they just received fresh fish, and when I saw the beautiful merchandise, I immediately thought of salt baked sea bream. Since it sounds fancier than it actually is, here is what you need to do:

• Make sure that your fish is thoroughly cleaned and gutted. If you are not positive about this aspect, just ask the seller.
• Even though you will bake your fish completely covered in salt, you will still need to season its inside. The exterior salt will not offer any seasoning, but it will only help it retain its moisture.
• So, give it a nice pinch of salt and pepper, then place the garlic cloves, orange slices, and thyme in the fish's interior. Press gently, so the oranges release some of their juice.
• Prepare the salt bed. I recommend you start with 1 kg of salt and 100 ml of water. You can add more if needed. Mix them with your hands. You will want to end up with something that looks like snow.
• Place a parchment paper on your tray. Top it with some salt and carefully put the fish on it.

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• Cover them entirely with salt. You don't want to miss any part.

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• Cook them in the oven at 180 degrees Celsius (350 F) for 30 minutes.
• While the fish is baking, you can prepare the garnish. Boil your potatoes until fork tender in a pot with salted water.
• When ready, drain them and move them to a serving bowl. Top them with butter, salt, and fresh thyme. Cover the bowl with tin foil and let the butter melt.

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• For the garlic sauce, simply mince the garlic, then mix it with the olive oil, freshly chopped parsley, chili flakes, and salt.

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• When the fish is baked, take it out of the oven and be prepared to serve everything.

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• With a spoon, crack the salt. This is actually the most terrible part of this dish. It sounds easier than it is. Anyway, break the crust, then gently remove the fish skin and enjoy the juicy meat.
• However, as tasty as this meal is, it won't be very easy to plate. So, don't get frustrated about this. Just enjoy the taste.

When it comes to the history of this sea bream recipe, I can tell you that it has its origins in the fourth century BC. Back then, the Greek poet, Archestratus, talked about a fish seasoned with thyme and cooked while being encapsulated in a salt crust.

Anyhow, the technique of baking in salt is used not only for fish but also for other ingredients such as egg yolks, poultry, and vegetables. The whole idea behind it is that the salt locks in the moisture and doesn't let the oven dry-out the food.

* If you care about the sea bream calories, let me tell you that the fish is healthy. So, if you want to reduce the number you see below, just make a healthier garnish that contains less butter.

** I am sure that you can use normal oranges, but I love the color and the juiciness of the blood ones.

*** Don't forget to tag us on Instagram when making this dish.