Salt-Baked Huon Salmon
- Cook time: 1hour
- Serves: 4
- Difficulty: Medium
Ingredients
- 1 x whole fillet of Huon salmon, skin on and scales preferably
- 2 lemons
- 1 bulb of fennel
- ½ a bunch of fresh-flat leaf parsley
- ½ a bunch of fresh chives
- 4 kg rock salt
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
Homemade Saffron Aioli
- 3 egg yolks
- 1 tbsp. Dijon mustard
- 300ml pure olive oil
- Pinch of saffron threads (about 8 crumbled)
- 1/2 teaspoon hot water
- Salt
- White pepper
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
Method
Salt-baked Huon Salmon
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas 4.
- Pat the salmon dry with kitchen paper (leaving the scales on helps to keep in the moisture as it cooks).
- Finely slice 1 lemon and the fennel into a bowl with the parsley, marjoram and chives. Lay the lemon and herbs down on a sheet of baking paper onto a tray.
- Combine the rock salt, eggs, flour and 250ml of water in a large bowl, mix well until the mixture resembles a thick paste and set aside.
- Lay the salmon diagonally into the tray, then spoon over the salt mixture, heaping it around and onto the salmon so that it’s evenly covered – you should have a layer of salt, roughly 2cm thick, all over the salmon. Pack tightly to ensure there are no holes for the steam to escape through.
- Place the tray in the hot oven for around 35 minutes, or until cooked through. 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.
Homemade Saffron Aioli
Tip: “Grating cooked egg yolk in at the end, creates another texture”
- To make the aioli, pour the olive oil into a measuring cup with a spout. In a blender or food processor, combine the egg yolks, mustard, garlic, saffron, salt and white pepper.
- Pulse several times until the garlic is pulverised. With the motor running, add the oils in a slow, steady stream.
- Stir in 1 tablespoon of lemon juice. Stir in the remaining 1 tablespoon of lemon juice if needed to thin the aioli; it should be the consistency of mayonnaise.
To Finish
To serve, place the salmon onto a large serving dish with the saffron aioli on the side. You can also add some garden leaves and fresh radish on the side for presentation.
