Dorada al Sal "Seabream Cooked in Salt"

Dorada al Sal is a delicious traditional Spanish fish recipe. Dorada is sea bream, and this method of cooking it results in the most tender and beautiful fish.

The whole fish is cooked in a bed of salt. I know it may sound a little weird, but the result is not salty at all. The salt seals in the flavor and juices resulting in some of the tastiest and moist fish you have ever had!

The trick here is removing the fish from the salt after cooking. In Spain, they bring the fish and salt to your table and remove the fish in front of you. Even after making this myself a few times, I still don't know how they do it perfectly every time!

I really recommend you trying this one at home. I usually serve it with some simple steamed vegetables for a nice healthy meal. Give it a try and let me know what you think!

Wash the fish, but do not clean and remove the insides, this will prevent the salt from getting into the fish.

Put down about a 3/4 inch layer of salt in the bottom of a large baking dish (large enough for all of the fish). Arrange the fish on the salt and then bury the fish in the remaining salt. You should cover the fish with at least 3/4" of the salt. Pour a little bit of water (about 1 cup) over the top of the salt, this allows the salt to form a hard crust around the fish.

Bake for about 40 minutes.

Remove from the oven and carefully remove the salt from the top of the fish. Remove each fish to a large plate and carefully brush off any extra salt. Remove the skin and pull out the meat and arrange it on each plate.

Serve and enjoy!

Return from Dorada al Sal Recipe to Home Page