Salt-Crusted Baked Trout

  

 

A succulent one pan dish with a playful presentation....this is one of my favorite ways to cook a whole fish. You can purchase trout that has been gutted and boned, but if you get a fish with bones... once cooked inside a salt crust, the meat separates quite easily off the bones.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Stuff the fish with a few half lemon slices, Thai basil and approximately a 1/2 teaspoon of minced garlic ginger paste. Pour enough kosher salt to cover the bottom of a cast iron pan (about 1/2 cup). Place the whole fish on the salt and pour more salt to cover everything except the head and tail. Bake for 15-20 minutes. The salt will turn golden brown and the eyes will no longer be clear. Crack the salt, and carefully peel it away from the fish. The meat will be easy to pull away, juicy and tender!