Whole Roasted Turbot In Salt Crust - turbot

Method

• 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.