Salt Baked Snapper With Ice Wine Nage Food

SEA SALT-CRUSTED PINK SNAPPER WITH ICE WINE NAGE

Steps:

• Using the bottom of a heavy pan, crush juniper berries and star anise. Add to a large bowl along with salt, fennel seeds, lemon, and orange zest; mix well. Add egg whites and stir until well combined.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Coat fish with oil on oil sides. Spread 3 cups of salt mixture on a rimmed baking sheet large enough to hold the fish. Place fish on top of salt; cover fish completely with remaining salt. Bake until a the tip of a knife inserted in the thickest part of the fish feels warm to the touch when you remove it, 30 to 45 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in a large skillet, melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Add onions and cook, stirring, until translucent, about 4 minutes. Add endive and carrots and cook 2 minutes more. Add wine, lemon juice, orange juice, and saffron. Increase heat to medium-high and bring to a boil. Cook until liquid has reduced by one-third, about 5 minutes.
• Using a slotted spoon, transfer vegetables to a bowl; set aside. Reduce heat to medium-low and whisk remaining 10 tablespoons butter, 1 or 2 tablespoons at a time, into the nage, just until melted. Season with salt and pepper. Add vegetables back into the nage until just heated through.
• Using a knife and spoon, break the salt crust from the fish and remove it in sections. Lift fish away from bones and serve with nage and garnish with parsley.

WHOLE RED SNAPPER BAKED IN SALT

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Rinse and dry the fish thoroughly. Whisk together the egg whites and water and combine with the salt in a large mixing bowl. Work the mixture with your hands to distribute the water and egg whites in the salt. The salt mixture should hold together when you press a mound of it together between the palms of your hands. If it doesn't, work in another egg white.
• Fill a baking dish that is 2 inches longer than the fish about 1/3 full of the salt mixture. Place the fish on top. Cover the fish with the rest of the salt mixture and smooth the salt over with a spatula. Place the fish in the oven for about 40 minutes. The only way to know whether the fish is done is by inserting an instant-read thermometer through the layer of salt and measuring the temperature of the fish. When it reaches 135 degrees F, take it out, and serve immediately.
• Bring the fish to the table on a baking sheet or on a large platter and crack it with a mallet or even a hammer. Pull back the salt layer, then peel off the skin with a fork. Serve on hot plates.

SALT-BAKED SNAPPER WITH ICE WINE NAGE

Steps:

• To prepare snapper: Heat oven to 400 degrees. Finely grate zest of lemon and orange into a large bowl. Squeeze juices from lemon and orange into a separate bowl, and reserve for preparing nage. To bowl of zests, add the salt, juniper berries, fennel seed, star anise and egg whites. Mix well. Spread half the mixture flat on a baking tray. Rub snapper all over with olive oil, and place on top of salt mixture. Spread with remaining salt mixture, patting it down and leaving mixture thinner at edges than on top. (This is where crust will be cracked after baking.) Bake 30-35 minutes for medium-rare fish, 40 to 45 minutes for medium.
• While fish bakes, prepare nage and vegetables: Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a sauté pan over medium heat. Add onions, and sauté until translucent, about 4 minutes. Add endive and carrots, and sauté for 2 minutes. Add wine, reserved lemon and orange juice and saffron. Raise heat to medium-high and boil until nage is reduced by about a third, about 5 minutes.
• Remove nage from heat. Using a slotted spoon, transfer vegetables to a bowl, and set them aside. Return pan to low heat, and whisk in remaining 10 tablespoons butter, a tablespoon or two at a time. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Return vegetables to pan, and reheat just until warmed. Add parsley, remove from heat, and keep warm.
• To serve, use a kitchen mallet to crack salt crust lightly around edges of fish. Remove salt crust with a knife, and transfer portions of fish fillet to each of four plates. Top with nage and vegetables, and serve immediately.

BAKED RED SNAPPER IN A SALT CRUST

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a bowl blend together the flour, cornmeal, coarse salt, and fresh rosemary. Add the egg whites and the water. Stir to combine. Add more water if necessary to form a stiff dough.
• On a lightly floured surface roll out the dough. Transfer it to a baking sheet. Wrap the whole red snapper completely in the dough. Press the edges of the dough to seal. Put in oven and bake for 25 minutes.
• Remove the crust. Fillet and serve the fish. Lacryma Christi del Vesuvio, Mastroberardino, 1994

SALT BAKED RED SNAPPER

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees with a rack in the center. Rinse fish thoroughly, inside and out, until no traces of blood remain. Pat fish dry with paper towels. Stuff cavity of fish with a few lemon slices, a few sprigs of parsley, a few sprigs of thyme, and a bay leaf; set aside.
• In a large bowl, stir together salt and egg whites until thoroughly combined. Spread a 1/2-inch layer of salt, about the size of the fish, in a baking dish. Arrange the remaining lemon slices, parsley, thyme, and bay leaves over the salt; place fish on top of herbs.
• Pour the remaining salt over fish, completely covering the body; the tail can stick over edge of pan. Using your fingers, pat down salt, completely sealing the fish.
• Place pan in oven, and cook until fish is done, allowing 15 minutes per pound. (One way chefs check for doneness is to insert a carving fork or metal skewer through the salt crust and into the fish, then place the skewer to the chin under lower lip for 15 seconds; if the metal feels very warm the fish is done.) Remove pan from oven; let sit 5 minutes.
• Gently break away the crust. Transfer fish to a cutting board. Using a paring knife and your fingers, peel away skin. Separate, and serve.