The Art of Salt Crusted Sea Bream with Braised Leeks and Hazelnuts

When it comes to cooking whole fish, one of the most impressive dishes that can be prepared is salt crusted sea bream with braised leeks and hazelnuts. At first glance, this dish may seem intimidating due to its complexity, but as we delve into the recipe, we'll discover that it's actually quite straightforward and easy to prepare.

The first step in preparing this dish is to ensure that the fish is clean and free of guts. It's also crucial to leave the skin and scales on the fish, as they protect the actual flesh from becoming too salty. The most important thing to remember when preparing a salt crust is to make sure it's evenly distributed over the entire surface of the fish. This will not only ensure that the fish cooks evenly but also prevent it from becoming too salty.

To create the salt crust, we'll need about 100-200 milliliters of water and two kilograms of salt. The salt doesn't have to be fancy or expensive, as it won't make the fish salty. Instead, it will help form a nice crust that retains moisture and adds flavor to the dish. We'll also add some fennel seeds for extra flavor and slice a lemon to squeeze its juice over the fish.

Once we have our salt mixture ready, we can start applying it to the fish. We'll flatten the salt mixture slightly and lay the fish on top of it. Then, we'll sprinkle more salt over the fish and shape it into a ball that resembles snow. This will help create a nice crust that forms when the fish is cooked.

The next step is to preheat our oven to 180 degrees Celsius. While the oven is heating up, we can start preparing our braised leeks. We'll use a mixture of olive oil, garlic, and fresh thyme to cook the leeks until they're tender and flavorful. Braising the leeks in butter and white wine will give them an extra boost of flavor.

To prepare the hazelnuts for garnish, we'll simply roast them in the oven until they're brittle and firm. Then, we can chop them into rustic pieces that add a nice texture to the dish. Finally, we'll sprinkle some chopped parsley over the fish and leeks for added freshness.

As we cook the fish and leeks together, we'll notice how beautifully they complement each other. The salt crust adds a nice crunch to the fish, while the braised leeks provide a tender and flavorful contrast. When it comes time to serve, we can gently tap the top of the fish to release the salt crust, allowing us to lift it off easily.

The end result is truly stunning, with the fish cooked to perfection and the leeks still retaining their tender texture. The combination of flavors and textures is simply incredible, making this dish a true showstopper for any dinner party or special occasion. And the best part? It's actually quite easy to prepare, making it a great option for those who want to impress their guests without breaking a sweat.

As we explore the world of cooking, it's clear that salt crusted sea bream with braised leeks and hazelnuts is a dish that requires patience and attention to detail. But with practice and experimentation, anyone can master this recipe and create a truly unforgettable dining experience.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: ensalt crusted sea bream served with braised leeks and hazelnuts first job is that salt crust this dish looks intimidating but it is actually very straightforward and very easy make sure all the guts are out and the fish is clean the most important thing is always leaving the skin and the scales on the skin protects the actual flesh would become a salty give the fish are really nice seasoning inside even though we're putting a salt crust on the outside it's still very important to seize in the middle fennel seeds goes pretty well with fish and then slice the lemon nice large thick slices the zest and the lemon bakes inside the fish fall over the fish and just squeeze the juice now for the salt about a hundred 50 ml to 200 mil of water what we're trying to do now is bring the salt together and you want to sort of end up with ball of salt that looks almost like snow you'll need about two kilos of salt for this and it doesn't need to be the fancy stuff even though you're using a lot of it it won't make the fish salty instead the crust forms are killed that retains moisture basically a nice bet of salt underneath flatten it down lay the fish on top of the salt get your salt and just start back in you can salt crust almost any fish from sea bass to salmon or flatfish like soul but it's not great with oily fish now it looks like a ridiculous amount of salt but it's really important to cover all the fish because we want that nice shell and the minute salt hits the oven this lot of tightens up and forms this large crust that goes in at 180 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes whilst the fish cooks is on to my beautiful braised leeks splash of olive oil leak is a very sort of firm robust vegetable so it can take a really nice sear but I see something about these leeks I hear they go beautifully with the sea bream but braised leeks color properly with a lot of flavor on there tastes absolutely delicious take a couple of cloves of garlic and just crush them in with the league's some fresh thyme get some butter in there braising them in butter and white wine gives them the most amazing flavor brazing as a Chevy term for searing at a high temperature then cooking with a bit of liquid bringing that up to the boil and then the rest of butter now as the white wine reduces down the flavor the leaks intensifying they glaze turn it down just leave that little gap there if we totally covered it then evenly all that conversation underneath the lid they will just make the leaks watery the leaks will take about 12 minutes to cook so now for the garnish roasted hazelnuts they'll be roast in the oven very brittle they firm so get an insight Tesla mortar but a seasoning and just crush your nuts don't over pan them I just when there's nice sort of rustic chopped toasted hazelnuts now get your knife you want that going through with ease and turn off the gas by absolutely adore them like stunning little parcels soft and slightly creamy now baste the leeks for the remaining butter spread your flat leaf parsley over generously and then just sprinkle of toasted hazelnuts the combination of that earthiness from the leeks the roasted flavored from the hazelnuts that is a stunning way of eating leeks and therefore the fish look now just gently tap top and it starts falling away you can just see that beautiful shine carefully lifts off your so now peel that skin look juicy and succulent and see we miss stays incredibly moist the other great thing about cooking whole fish like this it makes it so easy to fill it take your spoon run that down through the top and the fish would just slide off now just push back that lovely fill it and look that is cooked beautifully and that's what keeps them coming back for more and more and more when you have friends over you want to keep lunch relaxed lay back but impressive and a salt crust bring with beautiful braised leeks is just that sea finger rule one thing you're in front to behind pinkie hold it down you'll see the chilies start swelling up delicious jellysalt crusted sea bream served with braised leeks and hazelnuts first job is that salt crust this dish looks intimidating but it is actually very straightforward and very easy make sure all the guts are out and the fish is clean the most important thing is always leaving the skin and the scales on the skin protects the actual flesh would become a salty give the fish are really nice seasoning inside even though we're putting a salt crust on the outside it's still very important to seize in the middle fennel seeds goes pretty well with fish and then slice the lemon nice large thick slices the zest and the lemon bakes inside the fish fall over the fish and just squeeze the juice now for the salt about a hundred 50 ml to 200 mil of water what we're trying to do now is bring the salt together and you want to sort of end up with ball of salt that looks almost like snow you'll need about two kilos of salt for this and it doesn't need to be the fancy stuff even though you're using a lot of it it won't make the fish salty instead the crust forms are killed that retains moisture basically a nice bet of salt underneath flatten it down lay the fish on top of the salt get your salt and just start back in you can salt crust almost any fish from sea bass to salmon or flatfish like soul but it's not great with oily fish now it looks like a ridiculous amount of salt but it's really important to cover all the fish because we want that nice shell and the minute salt hits the oven this lot of tightens up and forms this large crust that goes in at 180 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes whilst the fish cooks is on to my beautiful braised leeks splash of olive oil leak is a very sort of firm robust vegetable so it can take a really nice sear but I see something about these leeks I hear they go beautifully with the sea bream but braised leeks color properly with a lot of flavor on there tastes absolutely delicious take a couple of cloves of garlic and just crush them in with the league's some fresh thyme get some butter in there braising them in butter and white wine gives them the most amazing flavor brazing as a Chevy term for searing at a high temperature then cooking with a bit of liquid bringing that up to the boil and then the rest of butter now as the white wine reduces down the flavor the leaks intensifying they glaze turn it down just leave that little gap there if we totally covered it then evenly all that conversation underneath the lid they will just make the leaks watery the leaks will take about 12 minutes to cook so now for the garnish roasted hazelnuts they'll be roast in the oven very brittle they firm so get an insight Tesla mortar but a seasoning and just crush your nuts don't over pan them I just when there's nice sort of rustic chopped toasted hazelnuts now get your knife you want that going through with ease and turn off the gas by absolutely adore them like stunning little parcels soft and slightly creamy now baste the leeks for the remaining butter spread your flat leaf parsley over generously and then just sprinkle of toasted hazelnuts the combination of that earthiness from the leeks the roasted flavored from the hazelnuts that is a stunning way of eating leeks and therefore the fish look now just gently tap top and it starts falling away you can just see that beautiful shine carefully lifts off your so now peel that skin look juicy and succulent and see we miss stays incredibly moist the other great thing about cooking whole fish like this it makes it so easy to fill it take your spoon run that down through the top and the fish would just slide off now just push back that lovely fill it and look that is cooked beautifully and that's what keeps them coming back for more and more and more when you have friends over you want to keep lunch relaxed lay back but impressive and a salt crust bring with beautiful braised leeks is just that sea finger rule one thing you're in front to behind pinkie hold it down you'll see the chilies start swelling up delicious jelly\n"