Instructions: Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6.

Put the lemon and dried fennel stalks inside the cavity of the fish.

Cover the bottom of the baking dish with half the salt and lay the fish on top.

Cover the fish completely with the remaining salt.

Mix the flour into a thin paste with a little water.

Brush the surface of the salt evenly with the flour solution.

Bake the fish in the preheated oven.

After 20 minutes insert a skewer into the fish.

If the tip of the skewer is very hot the fish is ready.

Crack open the salt crust and remove the hard pieces ensuring that no salt remains on the flesh of the fish.

Carefully lift the fish and place on a platter.

Remove the skin.

Serve warm with Salsa Verde Aioli or Basil Mayonnaise (qv).

Wild salmon can be prepared and cooked in the same way.

Serves 6

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