Bring bold coastal flavors to your table with this Salt-Crusted Fish with Olive Salsa. A whole red snapper is baked beneath a crisp salt crust to lock in moisture and flavor, then paired with a bright, briny olive salsa made with Castelvetrano and kalamata olives, sun-dried tomatoes, and fresh herbs. It’s an impressive, no-fuss dish perfect for summer dinners and casual gatherings alike.
Salt-Crusted Fish with Olive Salsa
Makes 2 to 3 servings
Ingredients
Fish:
- 3 pounds coarse kosher salt
- ½ cup cold water
- 1 (2½-pound) whole red snapper, cleaned and scaled
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 lemon slices
- 2 orange slices
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
Salsa:
- 1½ cups chopped pitted Castelvetrano olives
- ½ cup chopped pitted kalamata olives
- ⅓ cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes in oil
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped yellow onion
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ teaspoon orange zest
- ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 small clove garlic, minced
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
- For fish: In a large bowl, toss together salt and ½ cup cold water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until salt resembles damp sand. Diagonally spread half of salt mixture across prepared pan to fit shape of fish.
- Brush both sides of fish with oil. Place fish on salt. Place lemon slices, orange slices, and oregano in cavity.
- Lightly pack remaining salt on top of fish, leaving a small hole to be able to an insert an instant-read thermometer later.
- Bake until an instant-read thermometer registers 145°, about 25 minutes. (Note: The fish will keep cooking as it sits in the salt.) Let stand for 5 minutes. Using the back of a spoon or meat mallet, crack open salt crust. Brush off remaining salt. Gently remove skin of fish.
- For salsa: In a medium bowl, combine all olives, tomato, onion, oregano, oil, orange zest, pepper, and garlic. Serve with fish.
For the red-snapper lovers, check out this recipe for a fresh summer appetizer sure to please! https://louisianacookin.com/red-snapper-and-shrimp-summer-ceviche/
