Salmon in Salt Crust

Salt-baking is one of the most impressive things you can do in a pizza oven - and one of the easiest. You bury a whole salmon fillet in coarse salt, bake it, then crack open the crust to reveal perfectly seasoned, impossibly moist fish inside. The salt forms a sealed cocoon that steams the fish gently from all sides. Despite the mountain of salt, the fish doesn't taste overly salty - the crust acts as insulation, not seasoning.

Ingredients

• 1 whole salmon fillet (about 800g-1kg), skin on
• 2kg coarse cooking salt (not table salt)
• 2 egg whites (optional - helps the crust hold together)
• 2 cloves garlic, sliced
• A small bunch of fresh parsley
• Cherry tomatoes, halved, for serving
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Lemon wedges, for serving

Method

1. Let your pizza oven settle to around 250°C.
2. If using egg whites, mix them into the coarse salt - this helps the crust form a solid shell rather than loose grains.
3. Spread a 1cm layer of salt on the base of a baking tray or directly onto a refractory brick.
4. Stuff the salmon fillet with the garlic slices and parsley. Lay it skin-side down on the salt bed.
5. Pack the remaining salt over and around the fish, covering it completely. Sprinkle the surface lightly with water to help it compact.
6. Slide into your oven and bake for 35-40 minutes.
7. Remove from the oven and let it rest for 5 minutes. Crack the salt crust open with the back of a heavy knife - it should come away in large pieces.
8. Lift the salmon away from the salt, brush off any loose grains, and serve with halved cherry tomatoes dressed in olive oil, and lemon wedges.