Hudson Hayden/The Globe and Mail
Fresh yuzu is tart, but also fruity and a bit floral. This recipe uses its juice, zest and flesh to bring simple roast fish to an epic level with almost no effort at all.
Servings: 4
Ready Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients
2 fresh yuzu
4 teaspoons coarse sea salt
3 fresh whole dorade (a.k.a. sea bream) or other white-fleshed Mediterranean fish such as spigola, about 3/4 lb each, gutted and scaled
1 tablespoon olive oil
Freshly ground pepper to taste
Several sprigs fresh parsley or tarragon
Method
Preheat oven to 425 F. Using a rasp, zest one yuzu on all sides, taking only the top layer of the fruit’s skin. Use fingertips to mix zest with sea salt until well combined. Lay a sheet of parchment paper on a large baking sheet. Season fish on both sides, inside and out, with yuzu salt. (You may have some leftover yuzu salt depending on the size of your fish and your taste; try it on chicken.) Arrange fish on baking tray, taking care not to overlap. Slice second yuzu and fit a couple of slices into each fish’s cavity, along with a couple of sprigs of herbs. Cut zested fruit in half and squeeze all over fish. Drizzle with olive oil and season with a bit of pepper.
Roast in centre of oven for 20 minutes or until just opaque.
To serve, peel back fish skin and lift top fillets right off the bone, making sure each person get a slice or two of roasted yuzu with their fish. Carefully remove entire backbone of each fish and set aside before serving bottom fillets.