Bottega - Michael Chiarello [53]
The first question to ask your fishmonger is “How many days do you let your fish thaw?” If he looks you in the eye and says, “Three days,” this is a person who knows how to thaw fine fish. You can work this angle for yourself, too: Buy a 5-pound block of fish ahead of time, ask for it to be slacked for three days, and then either divide the fish among your cook friends or throw a fish-fry party. If you want to slack the fish at home, clear room in your refrigerator, cover the fish with plastic wrap, and let it sit undisturbed for 3 days. Don’t be tempted to bring it to room temperature until it’s completely thawed.
Salt-Roasted Branzino
SERVES 4 TO 6, DEPENDING ON THE SIZE OF YOUR FISH
This is just as much a Bottega signature as the brodetto, but this fish is simple, fast, and good for a spur-of-the-moment gathering with friends. Make this with the best white-fleshed fish in the market—snapper, sea bass, and bream are all great cooked this way.
One of the most vivid memories of my life happened during a meal of branzino. My then-girlfriend and now-wife, Eileen, and I were in Brittany, tasting sea salt, and then having this salt-encrusted fish made for us in a tiny restaurant on the coast. We watched as the waiter cracked open the salt crust, and we tasted this wonderful fish. Eileen and I were about halfway through the meal when we heard that two planes had flown into the World Trade Center. We ran out the door to the point of the coast that jutted farthest into the ocean, trying and trying and trying to reach our families by cell phone.
When it became clear that we needed to gather our things, we found that the staff had packed up not just our fish but other foods as well. Every face held the same expression: shock, but also concern, empathy, caring. We weren’t just Americans far from home; we were part of a very large group of people around the world feeling this loss.
You’d think I wouldn’t want to make this dish again, given those circumstances, but in fact, when I make this, I think about the people in that restaurant putting a hand on my shoulder, handing me a bag full of food, wishing me a fast trip home, and sending out a prayer that my family was safe. I make this fish every time with a filled heart and much gratitude.
Wine Pairing: Champagne
1 whole fish, about 14 inches long (about 1½ pounds), or 1 smaller whole fish for each person
1 lemon, thinly sliced, plus 5 lemons, halved
Sea salt, preferably gray salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Extra-virgin olive oil for drizzling
6 pounds kosher salt
6 cups water, plus more as needed
Preheat the oven to 500°F. Leave the fins on each fish but make a slit from mouth to tail along the bottom. Run your thumb along the slit to open it. With your thumbs, press along the spine to release blood, then rinse the fish in cold running water until clean and pat dry. Leave the scales and the collar on; you want the fish clean inside but intact. Lay the lemon slices inside the fish, overlapping them. Season inside the fish with sea salt and pepper and drizzle with olive oil both inside and out.
Pour the kosher salt into a very large bowl. Add the water, 1 cup at a time, and mix it with your hands, fluffing the salt like snow. In a roasting pan, a 9-by-13-inch baking dish, or any combination of pans that fits your fish, mound up about half the fluffed salt. Lay the fish on the salt. If cooking more than one fish, yin-yang them, so they’re laid out in the pan head to tail. If you have an internal thermometer (the kind with a cord that can run outside the oven), make an incision just behind the head of the middle fish where you can insert the thermometer.