Dill
Whole roasted turbot in salt crust
- Serves 2 people
Author Notes
Today I would like to introduce you to my very special friend - Mr. Turbot. I tired this beautiful fishie 🐟 about two years ago in Portugal and let me tell you something: fish just does not get better than this. It is one of the most luxury ocean treats, that I've had in my whole life. If you only knew how healthy this little "basterd" is! Bursting with iodine, potassium and albumin (all great for your hair, nails, eyes, skin, etc.) mr. Turbot also has very delicate, soft and white meat. Scared to swallow a little bone? - you can now forget about it! This guy simply has no bones except for a spine and two chains of big bones next to its fins, located along both sides of the body. Both are easily removed with one movement. Finally: tired of cleaning your sink after cleaning your fish? You do not need to clean Mr. Turbot: its body is as perfect, as Michelangelo's David and requires no interference of your or your fisherman's knife.
Mr Turbot prefers cool waters and lives in the Atlantic ocean, Baltic and Mediterranean seas. It grows up to 1 meter (3.2 feet) and can weigh maximum 25 kilograms (55 pounds). Well, at least this is the biggest seen and registered size. Being a predator itself, this fish lives on the seabed and hides in the sand, hoping to escape from the hungry hunter. But it can not escape from me and my empty stomach! —AnastasiasKitchen
Ingredients
-
700-1000 grams
whole turbot
-
2000 grams
granulated salt
-
1
bunch of dill and tarragon
-
1
lemon
Directions
- It all starts with choosing the right fish. How do you know, which one to pick? Here are my little hints. Do not go for a big fish; the bigger the fish, the older it is and the more likely its meat will be drier. My turbot was only 700gr/1.5lb and it was more than enough for two people. (Anything below 1kg/2.2lb is good.) The freshness of the fish can be judged by the eyes of the fish: only fish, caught in the last 24 hours will have normal eyes. Within the second 24 hours after being caught, its eyes will become blurred and homogeneous.
- Set your fish ready. No cleaning, no cutting or peeling required! Just rinse it in cold water and place it on a yummy, herbal pillow made of dill, tarragon, lemons and lot of salt. Salt serves as a protector from the direct heat waves. It keeps the fish moisturised and evenly spreads the heat.
- Place the fish onto the herbs and cover it in salt. Make sure, that every single piece of your fish is well covered. Drizzle with a few splashes of water to help salt particles get sticky and literally seal your fish from all sides. (The dill below was just for fun: a kind of a tribute to my beautiful fishie 🐟. I took it away after taking this photo.) Put the tray into the pre-heated oven and cook for 30-35 minutes: 180C/356F/fan.
- When the fish is ready, take it out and carefully crush the top. It will be solid and hard as a rock. So, split it in halves with a sharp knife and carefully remove each of them, not ruining the fish.
- Now turn the fish upside down and gently remove the first layer of the meat! Do not forget the most delicious "bullets", which are proudly looking at you from the fins of the fish. You can still see them on the left side of the photo below. These bullets are the real vitamin bomb, ready to explode with albumin... AND! they are super-mega juicy and tasty. My favourite part of this fish!
- Remove the spine and the bones on the fins: just pull them up and take out. Now melt a piece of unsalted butter and pour it on top of your fish. Squeeze more fresh lemon to cut off the fat and enjoy! By the way a lot of people eat Mr. Turbot's skin - it is very thin, soft, stretchy and healthy. But be carful and do not consume too much, as it is also very rich in fish oils. Though very taste in the beginning, it might cause dizziness afterwords.
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