Prawns and Sea Bass in a Salt Crust

Cooking in salt is a simple and healthy way to prepare fish and shellfish, but also meat and vegetables. We will show you how to bake in salt the sea basses and prawns.

Our favorite shellfish baked in salt are the red shrimps, that live in the Ionian Sea and in the South Seas, and they are slightly sweeter than the normal ones.

If you are planning a trip to Apulia – Puglia, don’t miss out testing  the most delicious Gamberi rossi al sale (red shrimps baked in salt) at the Restaurant “La Puritate“, in Gallipoli.

Gallipoli is a small fishing town located by the Ionian sea, on the west coast of the Apulia. The old part, an island connected by a bridge to the mainland, is a medieval village with narrow streets and white buildings, typical of Mediterranean style.

But, in the meantime, try our new tasteful recipe!

INGREDIENTS for 4 servings

1 sea bass (ask your fishmonger to clean the fish without removing the scales)
8 prawns
4 kg coarse salt (depending on the size of fish)
lemon
garlic and parsley

For the Sea Bass:

Season the abdominal cavity of the sea bass with 2 slices of lemon, parsley and a clove of garlic. Spread 1/4 of the salt on a baking pan to form a bed and lay the fish on it, then cover with another 1/4 of salt (see the picture below). Sprinkle a little water on the top.  Pre-heat the oven at 200°C  and cook the fish for about 15-20 min or until the top of the salt is a golden brown colour. Break the salt layer and remove it before serving the fish.

Remember: about 30 min to bake 1 kg of fish at 200°C.

sea bass on a salt’s bed

sea bass in salt

For the Prawns:

In an other baking pan spread 1/4 of salt and lay the prawns next to each other on the salt. Totally cover with the remaining salt and sprinkle a little water on the top. Preheat the oven at 200°C and bake for approximately 8-10 min, until the top of the salt is brown colour. To check if the prawns are ready, look at the colour, the black prawns change colour to orange/red when cooked. Break and remove the salt layer and enjoy the prawns!

Tip: to eliminate the excess salt, turn the prawns a few times in olive oil and then remove the shell.