Baking fish in coarse salt is one of the finest, most flavorful, and simplest ways to prepare fish, for the salt crust acts as a moist ΓÇ£oven,ΓÇ¥ enveloping the entire fish, baking it gently and evenly.
Preheat the oven to 500┬░F. Cover the bottom of a baking dish that is just large enough to hold the fish with a 1/2-inch layer of:
Coarse salt or sea salt
Rinse and pat dry:
1 center-cut piece fish (2 to 3 pounds each), such as salmon, or 1 whole fish (2 to 3 pounds each), such as red snapper, grouper, porgy, tilefish, rockfish, or any other white-fleshed
The fish need not be scaled but should be gutted and gilled. Lay the fish on the salt and pour enough salt over and around the fish to cover all of its surfaces by at least 1/4 inch. Place in the oven and bake, undisturbed, for at least 30 minutes. Poke through the salt into the thickest part of the fish with an instant-read thermometer. At 130┬░F, the fish is done; this likely will take 10 to 15 minutes more.
Remove the pan from the oven and let stand for 5 minutes. Remove the fish to a platter and brush off all the salt; some of it will have caked, but all of it will come off easily. Remove to a clean plate and remove the skin; it, too, will come off easily. Serve the fish by spooning it off the bone. Garnish with:
