Tom Douglas' Whole Salted Salmon

Perfect for that special occasion when you want to impress your guests but you don't want to spend the whole day in the kitchen. This recipe is sure to be a crowd pleaser.

Recipe from “Tom’s Big Dinners” by Tom Douglas with Ed Levine, Shelley Lance and Jackie Cross

Makes 8 servings

EQUIPMENT

• Kitchen string

INGREDIENTS

• Sea salt
• 1 whole wild salmon, about 4 pounds, gutted, rinsed and patted dry
• ½ medium onion, thinly sliced
• ½ lemon, thinly sliced
• 1 small bunch fennel fronds or fresh dill
• All-purpose flour for dusting
• Olive oil for brushing
• Lemon wedges and fennel fronds or fresh dill for garnish
• Sweet Fennel Butter (recipe follows), softened

 DIRECTIONS

1. Fire up the grill, with the coals lined up for direct heat about 5 to 6 inches below the fish.
2. Sprinkle sea salt generously in the cavity of the fish and over the skin, then stuff cavity with onion, lemon and fennel or dill. Tie kitchen string around fish in 3 or 4 places to hold stuffing in. In between strings, make deep incisions with your knife through the thickest part of the fish on both sides, all the way down to the spine, so fish will cook more quickly and smoke flavor will get inside fish.
3. Lightly dust one side of fish with flour. Brush both floured sides of fish and the grate with oil, then place salmon on grill, floured side down. Once salmon is on grill, lightly dust other side with flour and brush with oil.
4. Grill salmon over medium-hot direct heat, with lid on and vents open. (Maintain heat at 300 degrees to 350 degrees.) When skin side facing the grill is nicely browned, after about 20 minutes, use two large spatulas to flip fish to other side. Slide spatula under fish in several places to detach skin from grill. Continue to grill until fish is just cooked through in the thickest part of the fish, about 10 to 20 minutes longer. Remove from grill, place on platter, cut off string, and let rest 10 minutes.
5. Garnish salmon with lemon wedges and fennel or dill. Put fennel butter in a small bowl and serve on the side.

Sweet Fennel Butter

Makes about 1 cup

• 1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh fennel fronds or fresh dill
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
• 2 teaspoons freshly grated orange zest
• 1 teaspoon honey
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Mix together butter, fennel or dill, orange juice, zest and honey until smooth, either in a food processor, in an electric mixer, or by hand. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Scrape butter into a decorative small bowl and serve.

Note: You can make the butter up to 3 days ahead and store, tightly wrapped, in the refrigerator. Bring to room temperature a few hours before you plan to serve it.