Salt-crusted Snapper

A Williams-Sonoma recipe. While roasting, the paste turns into a hardened crust that functions like a clay pot, protecting food from direct heat while promoting uniform cooking and sealing in moisture.

• Ready In: 1 hr 40 mins
• Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 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

Directions

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.