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Passover Recipes

Fool-Proof Salt-Baked Branzino

Name: Fool-Proof Salt-Baked Branzino
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 20 min
Ingredients: 2 ½ cups kosher salt; ½ cup egg whites (about 3-4 egg whites); 1 1 1/2 pound Branzino, fins trimmed and gutted; 1 lemon (sliced); 6 sprigs thyme; Freshly cracked black pepper

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 20

It’s easier than you think to cook a whole fish.

by Eitan Bernath

Food 4 Thought

Judaism is all about infusing the physical world with spiritual awareness. That’s one of the reasons the Jewish star, the main symbol of Judaism, is made up of two triangles, one pointed up and the other pointed down, one pointed towards the heavens (the spiritual) and one pointed towards the earth (the physical). When we choose to approach the very physical act of eating with spiritual attention we literally have the ability, as we have already seen, to change our lives and even the entire world. Learn more about how to make eating more spiritual.

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Cooking a whole fish has always intimidated me, so you can trust that this recipe is level 10 impressive but level 1 easy (I call it fool proof for a reason!). Salt-Baked Branzino sounds like something you’d see on a high-end restaurant menu, but it’s almost ridiculous how simple it is to make at home. The two-ingredient salt layer insulates AND flavors the fish from the outside while fresh lemon slices and herbs delicately flavor it from the inside. The result is a melt-in-your-mouth tender bite that bakes up in just 15 minutes. Serve it with a quick salad and a starch – I love pee wee potatoes! – and impress your guests by cracking the salt shell open right at the table.

IngredientsInstructions

Ingredients

Servings

2 ½ cups kosher salt
½ cup egg whites about 3-4 egg whites
1 1 1/2 pound Branzino, fins trimmed and gutted
1 lemon sliced
6 sprigs thyme
Freshly cracked black pepper

Instructions

Nutritional Facts

Nutrition Facts

Fool-Proof Salt-Baked Branzino

Amount per Serving

Calories

487

% Daily Value*

Fat

11

g

17

%

Saturated Fat

2

g

13

%

Polyunsaturated Fat

4

g

Monounsaturated Fat

3

g

Cholesterol

360

mg

120

%

Sodium

141879

mg

6169

%

Potassium

1373

mg

39

%

Carbohydrates

6

g

2

%

Fiber

2

g

8

%

Sugar

2

g

2

%

Protein

87

g

174

%

Vitamin A

559

IU

11

%

Vitamin C

33

mg

40

%

Calcium

186

mg

19

%

Iron

6

mg

33

%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a large mixing bowl, combine salt and egg whites. Mix until the texture is that of wet sand. Set aside.
Place fish on lined baking sheet and stuff inside cavity with lemon, thyme and black pepper. Then, cover completely with salt mixture, packing it around the entire fish, ensuring it is fully covered. Bake for 15 minutes, or until salt is hard when tapped and the edges just begin to turn lightly golden brown.
Remove from oven, and allow to cool for 5-10 minutes. Then, gently crack salt to reveal the full fish. Brush away any excess salt and remove fish skin. Serve fillets with salad and roasted potatoes, if desired.