Salt Crust Salmon Recipes

SALT-CRUSTED SALMON WITH COLLARD GREEN SALSA VERDE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
• Mix the salt and egg whites in a medium bowl with your hands and incorporate until the mixture feels like wet sand.
• Spread 1 1/2 cups of the salt mixture into a thin layer, in the shape of the salmon, on a baking sheet. (You may need to spread the mixture diagonally on the baking sheet.)
• Arrange the lemongrass, ginger, chile, and cilantro over the bed of salt. Place the fish, skin side up, on the bed of salt and aromatics and pack the remaining salt mixture over and around the fish, molding it to the shape of the fillet, sealing the fish and aromatics inside.
• Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake for 25 to 30 minutes. The salt crust should have a warm golden color almost like sand and be rock hard. Remove from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes.
• Present the fish at the table within its salt crust, then, using a wooden spoon, strike the crust to crack it. Carefully lift pieces of the salt crust from the fish in large chunks. Peel back the skin, exposing the juicy, perfectly cooked fish. Divide the fish among plates. Discard the salt and aromatics.
• Serve with the salsa verde.
• In a food processor, pulse the collard greens, Brazil nuts, garlic, parsley and olive oil until thoroughly combined. You can use a flexible rubber spatula to scrape down the ingredients in the food processor to make sure everything mixes evenly.
• Transfer the mixture to a bowl, add the lemon zest and salt to taste (I use about 1 1/2 teaspoons). Stir in the vinegar just before serving.
• Adapted and excerpted from "Between Harlem and Heaven: Afro-Asian-American Cooking for Big Nights, Weeknights, and Every Day" by JJ Johnson and Alexander Smalls with Veronica Chambers. Copyright © 2018 by JJ Johnson and Alexander Smalls with Veronica Chambers. Reprinted with permission from Flatiron Books. All rights reserved. Photography by Beatriz da Costa.

SALT CRUSTED SALMON

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400°F.
• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil.
• In a medium bowl, combine the egg whites and sea salt.
• Knead with your hands until a thick paste is formed.
• Fill the cavity of the fish with a mixture of lemon, onion, garlic, celery, leeks, and dill. Coat fish with olive oil. Put the fish on the prepared baking sheet.
• Mould the salt paste evenly over the entire fish. Make sure there are no holes in the salt paste.
• Bake the fish until the crust is golden brown and very firm, about 45 minutes.
• Slide the parchment and fish onto serving platter or cutting board. Allow to rest for 5 minutes.
• Crack the crust with the back of a large knife and discard the crust. Garnish with haricot verts, Kalamata olives, lemon slices and egg.

CRUSTED SALMON

Steps:

• Place salmon fillets in a shallow dish; add milk. Turn to coat. Let stand for 10 minutes; drain., Meanwhile, in a shallow bowl, combine the pecans, flour, brown sugar, seasoned salt and pepper. Coat fillets with pecan mixture, gently pressing into the fish., In a large cast-iron or other ovenproof skillet, brown salmon over medium-high heat in oil. Bake at 400° until fish just begins to flake easily with fork, 8-10 minutes.

SALT-CRUST SALMON

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas 4.
• Wash the salmon well both inside and out, then pat dry with kitchen paper.
• Finely slice 1 lemon and the fennel into rounds and stuff into the salmon cavity with the parsley, marjoram and chives.
• Combine the rock salt, eggs and 250ml of water in a large bowl, then evenly spread one-third of the mixture over a large baking tray (35cm x 45cm).
• Make a slight hollow in the middle to hold the salmon snugly, lay the salmon diagonally in the tray, then spoon over the remaining salt mixture, heaping it around and on to the salmon to create an even 2cm-thick layer all over the fish. Bake for 35 minutes.
• To test if the salmon is ready, push a skewer through the salt into the thickest part of the fish - if it comes out warm after 5 seconds, it's done. Remove from the oven and set aside in the crust for just 1 hour.
• Meanwhile, make the basil yoghurt. Pick the basil leaves into a blender and add the mustard, the juice of 1 lemon and half the yoghurt. Blitz until smooth, then fold back through the rest of the yoghurt with 4 tablespoons of oil, and season to perfection with sea salt and black pepper.
• To make the salsa, deseed the chillies and very finely chop with the mint leaves and a drizzle of honey. Scrape into a bowl, add 2 tablespoons of oil and 2 teaspoons of vinegar, and season to perfection.
• Lightly crack the salt casing and pull it away from the salmon, brushing any excess from the top. Gently loosen and carefully transfer the fish to a large platter.
• Pull the skin away, then use a regular eating knife to scrape away any darker fish, leaving you with beautifully cooked pink salmon, which you can rustically remove in flakes and lobes.
• Serve with the basil yoghurt, salsa and lemon wedges for squeezing over.

NUT-CRUSTED SALMON

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Combine pistachios and panko in a shallow bowl.
• Mix cream cheese, Dijon, lemon juice, dill, and hot pepper sauce together in a bowl; season with salt and pepper.
• Pat salmon fillets dry, then coat in cream cheese mixture on both sides. Roll in pistachio mixture, patting crumbs in place. Place fish on a nonstick baking sheet.
• Bake in the center of the preheated oven until fish flakes easily with a fork, about 15 minutes; cooking time will depend on the thickness of the fish.