How to Cook Crusted Sea Bass with Chili Jam
Serves: 4
Preparation time: 20 mins
Cooking time: 50 mins
Ingredients needed to make Crusted Sea Bass with Chili Jam:
For the crusted sea bass:
- One (2 lb 3 oz) sea bass, scales and guts removed.
- 5 egg whites
- 2 lemongrass stalks, finely chopped
- ½ bunch fresh cilantro, leaves picked
- 2 green chilies, fine chopped
- Zest of 4 limes
- Lime juice, as required
- 1 lb sea salt
For the chili jam:
- 8 red chillies, chopped
- 2 tbsp mirin
- Juice of 1 lime
- 5 ½ oz caster sugar
- 2 tbsp water
Cooking instructions for Crusted Sea Bass with Chili Jam:
- To make the chili jam, toss the chopped chilies into a pan and sprinkle the sugar over them.
- Add a splash each of water, lime juice as well as mirin into the pan and cook for about 8 minutes while stirring relentlessly.
- Turn off the heat and allow to it cool until the jam turns thicker.
- To cook the fish, warm up your oven to 390 degrees F and spread a sheet of greaseproof paper across a baking sheet.
- Dab the fish with paper towels to get rid of any excess moisture and stuff in the chopped cilantro into the hollowed cavity.
- Squeeze out some lemon juice over them and set aside.
- Place the egg whites in a bowl and whisk vigorously until they form stiff peaks.
- Add the salt in batches, while folding it into the whisked egg whites until all of it is used up.
- Sprinkle the lemon zest, lemongrass as well as green chilies into it and stir them into the mixture.
- Spread 1/3 of the salt-egg blend onto the prepared sheet and place the fish on it.
- Spread rest of the mixture over the sea bass to smother it completely and place the sheet into the hot oven.
- Bake for half an hour or until the salt crust hardens and turns crisp.
- Take the fish out of the oven and tap the crust gently with a palette knife to break it.
- Remove the crust completely and transfer the cooked sea bass onto a plate.
- Add a large dollop of chili jam on top of the fish and serve warm alongside lime wedges.
Image credit: Wikimedia Commons
