Try Mark Bittman’s Salty Spin On the Classic Fish and Chips

Mark Bittman’s Oven-Roasted Sweet Potato Fries, Salt-Baked Whole Fish With Aioli, and Fruit Slush. AARP (Courtesy Mark Bittman; Burcu Avsar and Zach DeSart; Aya Brackett; Jim Henkens)

Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Jump to recipes Salt-Baked Whole Fish With Aioli • Oven-Roasted Sweet Potato Fries • Fruit Slush

In many ways, fish and chips is the ideal dish. It incorporates so many good things — an excellent piece of protein (flaky white fish, well-sourced, is hard to beat), a super crisp outer

“shell,” just the right amount of salt to make your taste buds sing, and a tangy sauce.

Of course, deep-fried food isn’t perfect. It’s certainly not something you should be consuming every day, and when doing it at home, it can be intimidating. There are ways, though, to get

some of those deep-fried qualities — the crust, the salt, the oceanic vibe — at home, without the mess, without so much oil.

The old technique of wrapping food and a little liquid in a package, called en papillote, is still a valuable one, especially with some modern tweaks. My Salt-Baked Fish is a classic

cooking-under-wraps preparation, only instead of seasoning the fish, I aggressively season the crust. Once it’s done, you serve it with aioli and sweet potato homefries, and you’ll have your

own home-cooked version of the British standby.

Once you’re done, a fruity dessert will be much needed to cap off the meal, and the fruit slush we’re presenting you with today really could not be easier (and I’m pleased to say that it

fits in nicely with a theme that is decidedly seaside). And, of course, each of the three easy recipes is perfect for two. Enjoy! 

Salt-Baked Whole Fish is a classic cooking-under-wraps preparation — but instead of seasoning the fish, you’ll season its crust. Aya Brackett

Time: About one hour

This recipe is a take on cooking-under-wraps, only instead of seasoning whole fish before sealing it in paper, I aggressively season a salt crust used to seal and steam the fish, which in

turn gently infuses it with flavor and cooks it perfectly.

Ingredients

2 bay leaves, broken into pieces1 tablespoon black peppercorns1 tablespoon fennel seeds2 teaspoons coriander seeds1 tablespoon brown mustard seeds2½ cups (about 1½ pounds) kosher salt1 egg

white, beaten or whisked until foamyAbout 1 pound whole white fish (usually 1 medium fish, like trout or bass) scaled and gutted, with head onLemon wedges1 recipe Aioli (recipe follows), for

serving