Somebody mentioned this dish at the Eat Club dinner Tuesday night, and everyone at the table was fascinated. I was, too, the first time I saw it. The late Chef Jamie Shannon did it for a dinner at Commander’s Palace some ten years ago, and I’ll never forget it.
What we have here is a whole, gutted fish on a baking pan, sitting on a layer of salt, and then completely covered with a pile of salt. Any fish in the two-to-four-pound range will work. I recommend pompano, red snapper, Spanish mackerel, or other nice fatty fish.
The presentation is very dramatic. The salt will form a shell, which you will need a hammer or another heavy implement to break. The inside will not be salty–mirabile dictu!
1 whole fish, 2 to 4 pounds, gutted
2 boxes kosher salt
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
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The best pan to use for this will be an oval pan about 18 inches long by
12 inches wide, and about three inches deep. Cover the bottom with about a
half-inch of salt. Place the fish on top of the salt. Now cover the fish
with salt so that it mounds up about a half-inch thick at its thinnest part. -
Using a clean spray bottle, spray water all over the salt until it’s
glistening with dampness. Put the pan into the oven at 375 degrees and bake
for between 40 minutes (for a two-pounder) to an hour (for a four-pounder).
If you want to be exacting, shove (this will not be easy) a meat thermometer
through the salt and into the fish when you think it’s nearing doneness.
Look for an internal temperature of 125-130 degrees. -
Remove the fish from the oven and allow it to stand for 10-15 minutes.
Then break the salt shell, brush off the excess salt and, as you carve the
fish, remove the skin. This fish will be so juicy and delicious that I
recommend no sauce.
Serves two to six, depending on the size of the fish. (Figure about ten
ounces per person of whole fish.)
Tom Fitzmorris
New Orleans