Salt-Baked Salmon with Citrus and Herbs
A whole salmon encrusted in salt and baked with citrus and fresh herbs, served with a luxurious beurre blanc sauce and herb salad. This impressive dish features a 5-6 pound fish that's perfectly cooked in its salt cocoon, keeping it moist and infused with citrus and aromatic herbs.
Ingredients
- •1 whole 5-6 pound head-and tail-on salmon or arctic char, cleaned
- •10 cups kosher salt (from about one 48-ounce box), plus more
- •1 whole grapefruit, thinly sliced
- •2 whole lemons, thinly sliced
- •½ bunch dill
- •½ bunch tarragon
- •1 small shallot, finely chopped
- •½ cup dry white wine
- •¾ cup chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces
- •2 tablespoons crème fraîche
- •1 teaspoon finely grated grapefruit zest
- •1 teaspoon fresh grapefruit juice
- •1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
- •3 teaspoons fresh lemon juice, divided
- •1 to taste Kosher salt
- •1 cup fresh parsley leaves with tender stems
- •⅓ cup fresh dill leaves
- •⅓ cup fresh tarragon leaves
- •2 tablespoons chopped capers
- •2 teaspoons caraway seeds
- •Note
Cooking Instructions
- 1.
Place a rack in the center of oven and preheat to 400°. Season inside of salmon with salt. Stuff with one-third of grapefruit slices, lemon slices, dill sprigs, and tarragon sprigs.
10 min
- 2.
Mix 10 cups salt and 1 1/2 cups water in a large bowl, adding more water as needed, until mixture is the texture of wet sand. Spread a thin layer of salt mixture on a rimmed baking sheet roughly the same shape and size as fish.
5 min
- 3.
Top salt mixture with another third of grapefruit and lemon slices and dill and tarragon sprigs; set salmon on salt bed and top with remaining citrus and herbs. Pack remaining salt mixture over fish, leaving head and tail peeking out.
10 min
- 4.
Roast salmon until just cooked through (poke a paring knife or metal skewer though the salt and into the flesh; it should feel warm to the touch when removed), 40-50 minutes.
45 min
- 5.
While salmon is cooking, simmer shallot and wine in a small saucepan until only 2 tablespoons liquid remains, 8-10 minutes. Whisking constantly, add butter a piece at a time, incorporating completely before adding the next piece, to make a glossy, emulsified sauce.
10 min
- 6.
Whisk crème fraîche, grapefruit zest, grapefruit juice, lemon zest, and 1 teaspoon lemon juice into sauce; season with salt. Reduce heat to low and keep sauce warm while you finish the dish.
5 min
- 7.
Remove salmon from oven and using a knife or the edge of a fish spatula, crack salt crust and remove (it should come off in large pieces); let salmon sit 5 minutes before serving.
5 min
- 8.
Meanwhile, toss parsley, dill, tarragon, capers, caraway seeds, and remaining 2 teaspoons lemon juice in a medium bowl; season herb salad with salt. Serve salmon with beurre blanc and herb salad.
5 min