Fish and Seafood Recipes
Pompano in a Salt Crust
Mark Twain called the pompano "as delicious as the less criminal forms of sin."
Yield: 2 servings
Ingredients
- 6 to 8 leaves romaine lettuce
- 1 1/2 or 2 pounds pompano, cleaned and with head and tail on
- Salt, to taste
- Pepper, to taste
- Small bunch parsley or other fresh herbs
- 1 (3 pound) box kosher salt
- 1/4 pound (1 stick) butter
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 2 to 3 sprigs fresh cilantro, chopped
- 1 lemon, quartered
Instructions
- Blanch romaine leaves in boiling water for 30 seconds to soften them. Drain, rinse in cold water, drain, and pat dry.
- Season fish lightly inside and out. Stuff cavity with parsley or herbs. Wrap fish entirely in the romaine leaves. Place a thick layer of salt in a deep baking dish. Add the fish and cover with salt, at least 1 inch deep on top. Sprinkle salt lightly with cold water to help the salt solidify while baking. Bake at 400 degrees F for 40 to 50 minutes.
- Crack the crust, remove fish from salt, and then from its green wrapper. Remove fillets from the backbone, top and bottom, and place on a serving platter. Melt butter with cumin and coriander and pour over the fillets.
- Serve with lemon quarters.