Extraordinary Recipes

Guinea-fowl baked in salt and herbs

You don’t usually want food to taste salty, but to be enhanced by salt. This recipe uses salt as a sealing method, initially flavouring the meat then steaming it. Always break it open at the table – it’s great for showing off. You can, of course, use chicken instead of guinea-fowl, but just look at that picture.

1.5Kg guinea fowl (or chicken)
2Kg rock salt
Zest of 1 lemon
2 large handfuls chopped thyme
2 large handfuls chopped rosemary
25ml water
10 cloves garlic - unpeeled

Set your oven to 220Deg C, wipe and untruss your bird and line a roasting tin with foil.

In a large bowl, mix all of the other ingredients except the garlic together (the water helps with handling it). Lay 1/3 of the mixture in the roasting tin, making an indentation in the middle. Lay the garlic in the indentation, press the bird breast-side down firmly on top of them, then use the rest of the salt mixture to cover it. It should be fully enclosed. If it’s not, use more salt.

Bake in the oven for 40 minutes. Remove, then leave to stand for another 25 minutes.

At the table, break open the crust, take a huge lungful of the aromas that are released, then serve. Beware of clumsiness: this is the point at which you can mix salt with the meat.

Serves 3-4

Send your strange recipes to research@thegastronaut.com, saying why you like them. I’ll add the best ones to this page.

Ó Stefan Gates 2005