Fish

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6 December 2016 BY Julie Biuso
SERVES: 2

Moist and succulent. Two words you like to hear in the same sentence as fish.

Ingredients

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½ baguette (French bread), preferably stale Cold water 8 basil leaves 4 tomatoes, cubed, seeds removed 1 small red onion, peeled and finely sliced ½ telegraph cucumber, peeled and diced 2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped 1 Tbsp chopped parsley 2 tsp red wine or sherry vinegar 4 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil Salt & freshly ground black pepper 2 hard-boiled eggs

Method

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Salt-crust Fish

1 Preheat oven to 200°C (400°F). In a large mixing bowl whisk salt and egg whites together until light and fluffy. Do not be tempted to taste them! Line a baking sheet with baking (parchment) paper. Pat fish dry with paper towels and season with thyme leaves and a splash of oil. Coat fish in the salt mixture until completely covered. Make sure there are no gaps in the covering and place on the baking paper.

2 Cook fish for 20-25 minutes until the crust is golden brown and has hardened. Remove from the oven and let the fish rest.

3 Break the crust with the back of a knife and discard all the pieces. After all your hard work this seems like such a shame, but you don’t want to eat the crust. Carefully remove the cooked fish and serve with Panzanella.

Panzanella

1 Dip the bread briefly into cold water, then tear it into pieces. The bread should be damp but not soggy. Transfer to a bowl. Tear basil into small pieces and add to bowl with tomatoes, onion, cucumber, garlic and parsley. Sprinkle salad with vinegar and olive oil, add salt and pepper to taste, toss well, then adjust seasoning. Rest salad for 30 minutes.

2 Before serving, toss again and garnish with the eggs.

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