The German-born, London-based photographer and director shares his favorite dish from his debut Italian cookbook.
Anton Gottlob prefers his sea bass, as well as his photography, wild. The German-born photographer and director—internationally recognized for his saturated and spontaneous images that span fashion, commercial, and art—first developed a passion for his work while he was an intern for the portrait photographer Martin Schoeller. Soon after, he briefly relocated to London, where he is now based, to work for another acclaimed photographer who straddles art and fashion, Juergen Teller. Since then, Gottlob has gone on to develop his own practice, amassing numerous high-profile clients including Adidas, Burberry, Coach, Diesel, Gucci, Mulberry, and Valentino among others. In 2022, he released Scarpetta Vol.01, what he describes as a “super Italian cookbook,” with his best friend, the photographer and filmmaker Alessandro Tranchini. His favorite recipe from the cookbook, by far, is one for a Mediterranean sea bass, which Gottlob tells Family Style is “delicious and visually incredible.”
Ingredients
- Wild sea bass
- 2 pounds fine salt
- 2 pounds coarse salt
- 6 eggs whites
- Garlic
- Thyme
- Rosemary
Instructions
- Get yourself to the fishmonger and check how clear the sea bass’ eyes are. Ask if it’s farmed or wild. If the answer is farmed, I would take a pass. To make this dish, you need to be wild, like the animal you’re about to savor. Ask for it to be gutted, not scaled. In keeping the scales you create an impermeable protection to the salt and heat. Your choice of fish is entirely subjective; farmed is equally as good, but wild just hits different.
- Start by filling the guts with lemon peel, garlic, rosemary, thyme, salt and pepper.
- To make the salt mix, beat egg whites. Whisk until you have a silky but stiff foam. They’ll be ready if you can reverse the bowl over your head, and they stay in place. Once the whites are ready, add 2 pounds of fine salt and 18 ounces of coarse salt. If you want to infuse the salt, add finely chopped sage and thyme.
- Line your oven dish with oven-proof paper and layer it with the salt mixture to make a base.
- Gently rest the fish over the salt layer and add additional mixture to cover the whole fish. Try to cover the whole fish and leave just the tail out. Now you should have a white blob which resembles a fish, covered and sealed in a salt mixture.
- Preheat your oven to 356 degrees.
- For a 3.3-pound fish, let it sit in the oven for about 40 minutes. The goal is for the egg whites to solidify and create a chamber that steams the fish, permeating the skin with the salt. If you have a different-sized fish, let it cook until the salt cover solidifies.
- Remove from the oven and let it rest for 10 minutes.
- When trying to open the salt sculpture, it will always feel daunting, no matter how many times you’ve done it. You have two options. One, use a knife and run it along the spine to create an opening along the side of the fish. Then, cut a line vertically along the neck, this will allow you to peel it off cleanly in a few pieces. Or two, bash the salt with a spoon and clean it afterward. It is equally satisfying and sometimes the preferred method by local waiters at fish restaurants.
- If the scales have stayed on, wrap a fork around the skin, and it should peel like a banana.
- Serve warm with some olive oil and salt and a side of a vegetable of your preference; boiled potatoes are always a classic partner to this dish.