🥗 Ingredients

1 whole sea bass, ~1.3 kg pre-cleaning (~1-1.1 kg gutted and scaled), serves 2
2 kg coarse sea salt or kosher salt (coarse only, NOT fine)
~150-200 ml cold water (just enough to bring salt to "wet snow" consistency)
1 lemon, sliced into rounds
3-4 garlic cloves, lightly crushed
4-5 sprigs fresh thyme
2-3 sprigs fresh rosemary
Good olive oil, for finishing

👨‍🍳 Instructions

The salt crust acts as an insulated oven inside your oven — the fish steams in its own juices and emerges incredibly moist. This is the probe-based, water-only version. No egg whites, no timer guessing.

--- Prep ---
1. Preheat oven to 200°C.
2. Make sure the fish is gutted and scaled. Pat it dry inside and out.
3. Stuff the cavity with the lemon slices, crushed garlic, thyme, and rosemary.

--- Build the crust ---
4. In a large bowl, combine 2 kg coarse salt with cold water a splash at a time, mixing until you reach a "wet snow" or "packable wet sand" consistency. Squeeze a handful — it should hold its shape when squeezed. Falls apart = more water (1 tbsp at a time). Soupy = more salt.
5. On an oven tray, spread one third of the salt mixture in a layer slightly longer and wider than the fish. This base prevents the metal tray from conducting heat directly into the bottom of the fish (which would overcook the underside).
6. Place the fish on top of the salt bed.
7. Insert your temperature probe into the thickest part of the fish, just behind the head, over the spine. The probe lead should exit cleanly out one end.
8. Cover the fish completely with the remaining salt, packing it firmly with your hands like you're sculpting. NO air pockets, NO thin spots. Pile a little extra around where the probe enters — that's the one place a brittle water-only crust might split.

--- Bake ---
9. Bake at 200°C until the probe reads 130°F (54°C) at the thickest part of the fish. For a ~1.3 kg fish this is typically 20-25 minutes, but trust the probe, not the clock.
10. If a crack appears mid-bake, pull the tray, slap on a wet-salt patch, and return to the oven. Cracks vent steam and ruin even cooking.

--- Rest (this is the make-or-break step) ---
11. Pull the fish at 130°F internal. Let it sit in its UNBROKEN crust for exactly 5 minutes on the counter (8 minutes maximum). Residual heat trapped inside the salt dome will push the internal temperature up to a perfect 140-145°F. Do NOT exceed 8 minutes — the insulation will keep cooking the fish toward dry and chalky.

--- Serve ---
12. At the table, crack the crust with the back of a heavy spoon. Tap around the edges first to break the seal, then gently lift the top off in pieces.
13. Brush all loose salt away.
14. Make a shallow incision along the skin and peel it back — it lifts off easily.
15. Remove the dorsal fin. Cut along the central spine and gently lift the top fillet off the bones in one piece.
16. Flip the fish and repeat for the second fillet.
17. Drizzle with good olive oil and serve. Boiled potatoes and blanched vegetables pair beautifully. Avoid strong sides — they'll overpower the delicate fish.