Salt-baked salmon seasoned with oranges and turmeric

This recipe is adapted from A Year of Everyday Cooking & Baking 365 by Meike Peters, Prestel Publishing ($40).

Salt-Baked Salmon With Blood Orange, Turmeric and Thyme

For the salt crust:

2 ¼ pounds flaky sea salt

¾ cup all-purpose flour

¼ cup cornstarch

2 egg whites

5 tablespoons cold water

For the salmon:

1 teaspoon black peppercorns, crushed with a mortar and pestle or coarsely ground

½ teaspoon ground turmeric

2 (10-ounce) skin-on salmon filets

2 small blood oranges (or other orange variety), thinly sliced

1 small bunch fresh thyme

Oven-safe cotton string

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Line a medium baking dish with parchment paper.

Combine the salt, flour, cornstarch, egg whites, and cold water in a large bowl and quickly mix until combined. Spread a thin layer of the salt mixture, roughly the size of 1 salmon filet, in the middle of the lined baking dish.

Whisk together the crushed black peppercorns and turmeric and rub the mixture into the flesh side of each salmon filet then spread the blood orange slices, slightly overlapping, on top. Arrange the thyme on top of 1 salmon filet and top with the second filet, so that the skin side of each filet is on the outside. Tie the salmon filets together with oven-safe cotton string and arrange on top of the salt mixture in the baking dish. Using your fingers, gently pack the remaining salt mixture over and around the salmon until it's covered. Bake for 55 minutes or until a metal skewer, poked through the crust into the thickest part of the salmon, is warm to the touch when you pull it out of the salmon.

Let the salt crust cool for 2 minutes then carefully break it open with a sharp knife. Scrape the salt off the salmon, divide the filets and orange slices among plates, and serve immediately.

Makes 2 to 4 servings.

Food on 04/01/2020

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