Here’s to a Thai-inspired recipe - Salt Baked Tilapia fish.
This is one of the simplest way to cook a fish. I just stuffed all the ingredients (lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, shallot and coriander with roots) in it's tummy. Buried in normal table salt and baked for 20-25mins (depending on fish sizes). And you will have a incredibly moist, juicy and flaky fish.
One important tips is to leave the scales on, the skin will be easier to peel off.
For the salt crust, I only use water . You can also mix in some egg white. Adding egg white will give you a nicer brown coloured crust and better binding of the salt paste. I just don't want to waste an egg!
Ingredients:
1 pc Tilapia fish (gutted) scale remain (abt 500g)
270g Salt + 2 tbsp Water
Stuffing:
1pc Lemongrass (bruised)
2pc Kaffir Lime Leaves (teared)
1/2 pc Shallot (loosen)
1 stalk coriander with roots (whole)
Dipping Sauce:
1 pc Green Chilli (cut)
2-3 pcs Chilli Padi (cut)
1 clove Garlic (minced)
3 nos Calamansi Lime Juice
1 stalk coriander (cut short)
1/2 shallot (minced)
2 tbsp Kicap Manis (Sweet Soy Sauce)
Method:
1. Clean fish, gutted but scale remains.
2. Mix salt with water to create wet sand texture like.
3. Stuff all the aromatics into the stomach cavity.
4. Prepare a baking tray with parchment paper.
5. Spread a thin layer of salt on the tray. Lay the fish over and continue to cover the whole fish with salt.
6. Bake in preheated oven at 180C for 20 mins.
7. Meantime, prepare the dipping sauce by mixing everything together.
8. Once the fish is done, remove from oven. Crack the salt and carefully push aside the salt. Make a slit at the sides to peel the skin before digging into the juicy fish meat.
Enjoy!
Happy Cooking.