During a recent visit to Portugal I had the thrill of eating an impressive but quite simple-to-make Mediterranean dish – whole fish baked on a bed of salt. On that evening the server had wheeled a cart over to our table and, with a flourish, revealed a white dome of sea salt. After cracking open the top with a knife and peeling back the crust, he then skinned, filleted and doled out our bass table-side.

Seeing the mounds of coarse salt encasing the fish, I assumed that our entrees would taste as salty as the sea. One bite proved how wrong assumptions can be. The flesh had a subtle, almost meaty flavor and lacked any hint of saltiness. Soft and succulent, it was undoubtedly the most delectable and memorable meal on this journey. It was also one that I would feel compelled to replicate in my own kitchen.

Back at home I amassed approximately 4 1/2 pounds of coarse sea salt and 2 pounds of whole lane snapper. I would have preferred to use a more sustainable fish such as croaker or porgy but, as they weren’t available, lane snapper would have to suffice. Note that any whole, firm, heavy-boned fish, including rockfish, tilefish, striped bass, trout and the over-fished sea bass, work well in this recipe. Keep in mind, though, that you will need roughly 1 pound of fish per person. As a result, cost may become a factor in what fish you choose to bake.

Thanks to my fishmonger, I didn’t have to gut or remove the fins on the snapper; he had already done this for me. Instead I just unwrapped the fish and, after forming a 2-inch layer of sea salt on a baking pan, lowered it onto its bed.

Snapper in place, I then poured and mounded more salt over it. My goal was to have a mountain of salt covering the fish. This would act as an insulator, keeping in moisture and producing a luscious, flavorful dish.

After 40 minutes in a 400-degree Fahrenheit oven this was exactly what I had – a delicious, melt-in-your-mouth dinner for two. Easy to make yet dramatic to view, salt-baked fish wowed me time after time. Hopefully, it will delight you, too.

SALT BAKED SNAPPER
Serves 2

2 pounds lane snapper or other firm fish
4+ pounds coarse sea salt
2 sprigs fresh rosemary

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

On a standard baking sheet make a 2-inch bed of sea salt. Place your fish in the center of the bed and insert two sprigs of rosemary into its main cavity. Fish seasoned, pour enough salt over top to cover and form a thick mound over the fish. Bake for the fish for 40 minutes, checking the internal temperature with a meat thermometer to ensure that it has reached 140 degrees Fahrenheit.

Remove from the oven and, using a knife and fork, crack open and peel back the salt crust and skin. If the skin doesn’t not come off, use your fork and knife to remove it. Fillet the fish and serve immediately.