Otono has hit Catalunya hard and early this year. It gets cold at night. The leaves are changing color not because of the smog but because of the temperature. The tomatoes on the terrace are just about done. In the kitchen it's time for old favorites and new recipes.
Last night I baked 2 dorados in salt. Dorados are perch like fish that are have really mild flesh and are naturally juicey. Baking fish in salt may very well be Spain's finest contribution to culinary techniques. It's dead simple and it works every time. Take one whole medium sized, firm fleshed fish, like for example, a dorado or a perch or maybe a red snapper (which do not work that well but hey they're close). Take an oven proof pan or a casserole. In Spain they have special baking salt which is coarser that kosher salt and less coarse than rock salt. Use either and get what is cheapest because you are just going to throw it away when you are done. Cover the bottom of the pan with like a 1/2" of salt. Place your fish (which should only be gilled and not cleaned or descaled, trust me, and of course still have the head on) on the salt and then bury that sucker in more salt so it's completely covered. Of course while you are doing this you have preheated the oven, I just leave it at 11, no messin' around for me. Puter' in and go put some Spanish white wine in the freezer because you forgot to chill this earlier.
Cut to 25 minutes later. Pull out the fish. Now it's a little tricky here but give it a go, no? Remove as much salt as possible (you'll have lots left on) then take a knife and cut the skin of the fish end to end right down the middle. Peel back the skin trying to keep errant salt away from the fish. The salt is only a cooking vehicle and not a flavoring agent. OK now lift off the filet in either one or two pieces. This reveals the backbone. Grab the tail and pull the backbone towards the head, which should come free exposing the second filet. leaving the skin behind remove the second filet. A twist of lemon, some lovely boiled potatoes and some green beans and venga! Es bueno.
