Salt-crust whole tenderloin
A whole beef tenderloin sealed in a salt crust and roasted. Looks dramatic, costs a special-occasion amount, perfectly fits the Lion Diet rules.
- Variant
- lion
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 35 min
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
- 011 whole beef tenderloin, 1.5-2 kg, trimmed
- 022-3 kg coarse rock salt
- 03Water (about 200 ml)
Method
Preheat the oven to 220C. Pat the tenderloin completely dry — wet meat will not seal correctly inside the salt crust.
In a large bowl, mix the rock salt with just enough water to make it the texture of damp sand. Hold a small handful — it should just clump together. Too wet and the crust collapses; too dry and it will not seal.
On a heavy roasting tray, spread a layer of the damp salt about 1.5 cm thick, longer and wider than the tenderloin. Lay the tenderloin on top.
Cover the tenderloin completely with the remaining salt mixture, packing it firmly so there are no gaps. The meat should be entirely sealed inside the salt — like a sarcophagus.
Roast for 30-35 minutes for medium-rare on a 2 kg tenderloin. A meat thermometer inserted through the salt should read 50-52C in the centre.
Rest the salt-covered tenderloin for 10 minutes. Then crack the salt crust open with the back of a heavy spoon. Lift out the tenderloin, brush off any clinging salt, and slice into 2 cm medallions.
The salt does the seasoning during the cook — you should not need additional salt at the table.