Striped Bass in Salt Dome

My cooking-a-holic friend R decided to treat a group of us to a three-course meal on Sunday. The main course was an adventurous Striped Bass in Salt Dome. If you were like me, you must be thinking "salt dome?" I had originally pictured a fish igloo. So what did this thing really look like?

The salt dome was actually a large quantity of a simple Kosher salt mixture that enveloped a whole fish. Once baked, the salt hardened and made a thick shell over the fish. R then cracked open the dome and gently lifted the bass out onto a plate. Some citrus and herbs were also stuffed in the belly to freshen it up. The flavor was simple, salty and delicious. It reminded me of the smelt skewers found at Yakitori joints. While most of the fish was devoured by all (even an eyeball or two), I was the only one who slurped up the brain. It sounds bizarre, but it was a childhood favorite of mine. I haven't had a good one in many years, so this was quite a treat!

As a special treat, here's a video of the fish unveiling!



The recipe can be found here and more pics are here.