How To: Cook whole roasted fish under salt

A whole salt-crusted fish? What does that mean? You basically cook a whole fish in a blanket of salt. Well, it's not just salt, but it's mostly salt. You bake it and then you remove the crusted salty layer before eating. You then remove the fish skin to get to the edible goodies. The salt basically dries out the skin so you can remove it.

Chef Jody Adams and Fish Expert Chris Edelman teach you how to prepare and bake a delicious whole salt-crusted fish. This highly entertaining and educational video teaches you the finer points of identifying a fresh fish, how to clean it, gut it and prep the salt crust. Of course you can have your fishmonger take care of the tough part and just focus on the easy salt crust. Makes a dramatic display at the table when you crack open the salt crust and reveal your moist, delicious filets.

Ingredients:

Serves 2

* 4 cups kosher salt
* ¼ cup lightly toasted coriander seeds, ground
* ¼ cup lightly toasted fennel seeds, ground
* 1 lemon, scrubbed
* 6 egg whites
* 1 whole fish (about 1 lb), cleaned but scales left on, rinsed & dried
* white pepper
* 2 thyme sprigs
* 2 bay leaves
* 2 fennel fronds (optional)
* 1 celery salsa verde recipe (see below)

Celery Salsa Verde

* 1½ cups roughly chopped parsley leaves
* ? cup roughly chopped celery leaves
* 1½ tbsp roughly chopped chervil & tarragon
* ? cup chopped capers
* 3 anchovy fillets, rinsed & roughly chopped
* zest of ½ lemon
* ¾ cups extra virgin olive oil
* 1 celery stalk, peeled & cut into ?" dice
* 1 clove garlic, microplaned
* ½ tbsp lemon juice
* kosher salt
* freshly ground black pepper