Salt-crusted Snapper

Total Time: 1 hr 40 mins Preparation Time: 40 mins Cook Time: 1 hr

Ingredients

• Servings: 4
• 1 (5 lb) red snapper or 1 (5 lb) sea bass, whole, scaled, cleaned and fins removed
• fresh ground pepper, to taste
• 3 egg whites, at room temperature
• 2/3 cup water
• 9 cups kosher salt

Recipe

• 1 preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• 2 rinse snapper inside and out with cold water; pat dry with paper towels.
• 3 season fish inside and out with pepper.
• 4 in a bowl, stir together egg whites, water and salt to make a paste.
• 5 spread half of salt paste over the bottom of an oval roasting pan.
• 6 place fish on top; pack remaining salt paste over entire surface of fish.
• 7 roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of fish registers 135 degrees f., about 50-60 minutes.
• 8 the salt paste will have formed a hard crust; gently crack it with a spoon, lift off crust and discard.
• 9 serve fish immediately.