Sea Bream in Sea Salt Crust

Ingredients

• 2 bell peppers (1 red, 1 yellow)
• 500 g sea bream (deveined, ready to cook, 1 whole sea bream)
• 2 sprigs thyme
• 2 stems Parsley
• 4 stems basil
• 3 stems tarragon
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1500 g coarse sea salt
• 4 eggs
• 100 g flour
• 50 g starch
• 200 g ripe tomatoes (cherry tomatoes, 3 ripe)
• 1 Red Onion
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 0.5 Red chili pepper
• 20 g sun‑dried tomatoes in oil
• 2 tbsp Capers (jarred)
• 1 tbsp black olives (pitted)
• Sea salt

Instructions

1. 1.

   Quarter the bell peppers, remove seeds, wash and place skin side up on a baking sheet. Roast on the middle rack of the oven for 10–15 minutes until the skins darken and blister. Remove the peppers, cover with damp kitchen paper and let cool slightly.

2. 2.

   Wash the sea bream and pat dry inside and out with kitchen paper. Trim the fins with kitchen scissors.

3. 3.

   Wash and shake herbs dry, peel garlic cloves. Place thyme, parsley and two stems each of basil and tarragon along with 2 garlic cloves into the fish cavity.

4. 4.

   In a large bowl whisk coarse sea salt with eggs, flour and starch. Line a baking sheet with foil.

5. 5.

   Spread about half of the salt mixture on the sheet; it should be slightly larger than the fish. Lay the sea bream on top, cover with the remaining salt mixture and press firmly around it. Bake in a preheated oven at 180 °C (fan: 160 °C, gas: level 2‑3) on the second rack from below for about 25 minutes.

6. 6.

   Meanwhile cut the tomato stems into wedges and briefly blanch the tomatoes in boiling water. Remove with a slotted spoon or ladle and shock them in ice water.

7. 7.

   Peel, quarter, seed and slice the tomatoes into strips.

8. 8.

   With a sharp knife peel the skin off the cooled bell peppers. Slice the peppers diagonally into pieces.

9. 9.

   Peel the onion, halve it and cut into wedges. Slice one remaining garlic clove into thin rounds.

10. 10.

    Heat oil in a pan. Add onion wedges and garlic slices; sauté over medium heat for about 5 minutes until translucent. Add pepper and tomatoes, stir and cook another 4–5 minutes.

11. 11.

    If desired, wash the half chili, halve again, seed, rinse and finely chop. Drain the sun‑dried tomatoes and cut into small pieces. Drain capers.

12. 12.

    Coarsely chop olives. Combine all vegetables with the pan and mix well. Season with salt to taste.

13. 13.

    Toss in the remaining basil and tarragon leaves, fold in gently. Keep warm.

14. 14.

    Remove the sea bream from the oven. Carefully split the crust with a bread knife (saw‑blade).

15. 15.

    Lift the fish from the crust and fillet it. Plate the fish with the braised vegetables on serving plates.