Ingredients
For the dish, the best fish to use changes depending on the time of year. Lagos is one
favourite. Alternatively, you might use fangri or dentex, (but only if you can find them
over 3 Kg. in weight). Sea bass is also suitable. |
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Preparation
In the order that the ingredients appear in the list, place them in a
frying pan and fry lightly. Then place them in a bowl to cool down. Using a very clean,
metal baking-tray smear butter over its surface. Over the butter, spread out
lightly-boiled, fresh vine-leaves. The fish that you are about to place on top of the
vine-leaves should be very fresh (preferably caught within the last hour). After being
caught, the fish should haye been cleaned and left for one hour prior to this stage of
preparation. Using a wooden spoon, pack the pre-prepared marinade into the belly of the
fish. Then, with a knife, lift the surrounding vine-leaves to completely cover the fish.
Now encase the fish with around ten kilos of salt and leave to stand for half an hour
Preheat your oven to 180 degrees and place the salt-covered fish in it for 50 minutes.
After removing from the oven, carefully place pieces of lemon peel around the fish. For
effect, you might want to pour a measure of spirit alcohol over the fish so that you can
bring it to the table in flames. To serve, break the hard-baked salt with a hammer and
chisel.
Note: Throughout cooking and pneparation, the fish never comes into
contact with the salt so, once the seal is opened, add salt to tasta The beauty of cooking
the fish in salt is that it cooks in the heat stored in the salt rather than in the dinect
heat of the oven |
North Cyprus
