Salmon Baked in Rock Salt

Rock your Omega-3s with this tasty recipe from Club Med Columbus Isle.

Salmon baked in Rock Salt
Serving Size: 10
1 whole salmon -- scaled & cleaned
6 1/2 pounds rock salt
8 egg whites
1 bunch thyme
1 bunch rosemary
1 bunch parsley
1 bunch basil
10 whole shallot -- peeled

Preheat the oven to 375F.

Sprinkle a large flat cookie sheet with water. Cover the bottom with tinfoil. This will speed the cleaning at the end of the evening.

Sprinkle a handful of the rock salt on the bottom of the sheet.

Stuff the inside of the salmon with the herbs and shallots. Lay the salmon down on top of the salt.

Put all the remaining salt into a large mixing bowl. Add six egg whites, one at a time, to the salt. Mix with your hands so you can feel the consistency of the salt-egg mixture. Mixing the salt with egg whites will aerate the mixture. The egg whites will start to lift, like a meringue. If you need to add another egg white or two because the mixture is too dry, then go ahead. But always add one at a time, and mix for a minute to see if the mixture is still too dry or not. If there is too much egg white, the mixture won't hold. The desired consistency is that where you can grab a handful and squeeze it and it will hold its form. It will also be a bit moist.

Completely cover the salmon with this mixture leaving the head and tail exposed. The thickness on top should be about half an inch. Smooth it out. Then with the tip of a spoon, create scales by lightly pressing into the mixture.

Bake in the oven for approximately 1 hour.
Break away the salt crust, peel back the skin and discard.

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Per Serving : 82 Calories; 4g Fat; 7g Protein; 3g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber
Serving Ideas: Serve with lemon wedges or a white butter sauce.
NOTES: The salmon should be about 7 kg. It can be replaced by just about any fish such as red snapper or grouper. This recipe is also good to cook large cuts of meat.