By Neil Perry
The salt crust keeps the trout so moist. Serve it just above room temperature and with any sauce you like; salsa verde or chimichurri would be delicious.
This fish dish can also be cooked on a barbecue with a lid. Breaking open the salt crust is a great party trick.
Dramatic centrepiece ... whole salt-baked ocean trout.Credit: William Meppem
Serves 6-8
2 lemons
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
1.8kg whole ocean trout
1 bunch dill
5kg table salt
1 cup aioli
extra virgin olive oil
Preheat the oven to 220°C. Cut 1 lemon into 6 wedges.
Sprinkle sea salt in the cavity of the fish. Tear dill and place it in the cavity, along with the lemon wedges.
On a large baking tray, spread a 1cm-thick layer of table salt. Place the fish on top of the salt and cover it with the rest of the table salt. Sprinkle 1/4 cup water over the salt; this will help to form the crust.
Bake the fish for 25 minutes. Set it aside to rest for 10 minutes.
Break the crust from the top of the fish (most likely, the skin will come off with it). Remove any remaining skin and discard.
To fillet the fish, draw a line down the spine and remove the flesh in large chunks. Break the spine at the head and tail and remove. Take the fillets from the second side.
Divide the fish among the serving plates (about 180g per serve) with a dollop of aioli on the side. Drizzle with olive oil and finish with a squeeze of lemon over the fish and a generous grind of pepper.
Raspberry panna cotta
Panna cotta is a classic summer dessert. Serve it with mixed berries or any seasonal fruit you like, and lots of it. The more, the merrier.
Serves 10
1 litre double cream
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup frozen raspberries, thawed, puréed and strained through a sieve
3 leaves gelatine
2 punnets fresh raspberries
icing sugar, sifted
Place the cream and sugar in a saucepan over a medium heat. Bring to the boil, reduce heat and simmer gently for 5 minutes.
Add the strained raspberry purée to the saucepan. Soak the gelatine in water until soft, squeeze out and add the softened gelatine to the cream mix. Stir well, then strain the mixture through a fine sieve.
Pour the cream mixture into 10 plastic dariole moulds. Place in the refrigerator to set for 4 hours or overnight.
To serve, dip each mould into a bowl of hot water for a few seconds. Run a knife around the edge and turn the panna cotta out onto a plate. Place the fresh raspberries around the panna cotta and dust with icing sugar.
Something to drink
Brachetto d'acqui. The Giacomo Bologna "Braida" Brachetto d'Acqui 2009 (about $30) is a light, slightly sweet and frizzante red dessert wine from Piedmont, Italy. The gorgeous red fruit notes match well with the panna cotta's flavours, and the bubbles are perfect to refresh the palate.