Hornea el salmón con sal para obtener un resultado perfectamente hojaldrado
A pesar de la inmensa popularidad del salmón, sigue siendo una proteína difícil de dominar para muchos cocineros. Se busca una textura delicada y hojaldrada, pero este tipo de marisco se cocina tan rápido que a menudo es difícil de controlar y termina demasiado cocido y duro.
Despite salmon's immense popularity, it remains a challenging protein for many cooks to master. A delicate, flaky texture is desirable, but this type of seafood cooks so quickly that it's often difficult to control and ends up overcooked and tough. Luckily, there are ways to avoid this. Our guide to salmon covers the most common cooking methods; however, there's a less common option you should consider if you're cooking salmon for a crowd: baking it in salt.
Although various meats, vegetables, and seafood can be baked, this technique, originating from the Mediterranean coast, is primarily associated with fish. It involves baking food wrapped in a thick layer of salt, which traps the steam, preserving tenderness and gently seasoning it during baking. By creating a solid layer of salt around the fish, moisture is prevented from escaping, forming a steam chamber where the fish cooks in its own juices, achieving a perfectly flaky texture.
How to use the salt-crusted cooking method to cook salmon
You might not think of using the oven to cook salmon, but it's actually one of the easiest ways to prepare it. You can even bake it covered in cream cheese, although salt is a more traditional option. The purpose of covering this type of fish with salt is to retain its moisture during cooking. However, another advantage of this method is that it's quite simple and requires virtually no effort. You just need a fair amount of salt, around one to one and a half kilos of kosher salt for a whole fish.
To prepare the salt crust, mix the salt with water until you have a paste with the consistency of damp sand. Spread a layer of this paste on the bottom of a baking tray and place the fish on top. You can also season the outside at this point. Lemon and dill are two of the best seasonings to enhance the flavor of salmon, especially when baked in salt.
Next, wrap the fish completely in the remaining salt and bake at 200 degrees Celsius (390 degrees Fahrenheit) for approximately 30 minutes to an hour, depending on the size of the fish. Don't worry if the salmon is very salty. When it's done, break the salt crust and peel it off, leaving only a light coating of the seasoning that infuses the fish.