Salt Baked Fish Recipe

Red snapper is stuffed with lemon and rosemary or thyme, then baked on a bed of salt. It makes a great low-calorie entree and goes together quickly.

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

• 4 cups kosher salt
• 1 whole red snapper, striped bass, or porgy (1-1/2 pounds), cleaned and scaled
• 1 lemon
• 3 rosemary or thyme sprigs

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Line 13-inch by 9-inch baking pan with foil; spread 2 cups salt in bottom of pan.

Rinse red snapper inside and out with cold running water; pat dry with paper towels. From lemon, cut 3 slices. Cut remaining lemon into wedges. Place lemon slices and rosemary or thyme in cavity of fish.

Place snapper on bed of salt; cover with remaining 2 cups salt. Bake until fish is just opaque throughout when knife is inserted at backbone, about 30 minutes.

To serve, tap salt crust to release from top of fish; discard. Slide cake server under front section of top fillet and lift off fillet; transfer to platter. Slide server under backbone and lift it away from bottom fillet; discard. Slide cake server between bottom fillet and skin and transfer fillet to platter. Serve with reserved lemon wedges.

Yield: 2 main dish servings

Per serving: about 188 calories, 37 g protein, 6 g carbohydrate, 3 g total fat (1 g saturated), 66 mg cholesterol, 800 mg sodium.

Recipe Source: The All New Good Housekeeping Cookbook Edited by Susan Westmoreland (Hearst Books)
Reprinted with permission.