Name: Snapper baked in salt with ratatouille
Yield: 6
Ingredients: Snapper; 2 kg coarse sea salt; 2 tbsp fresh thyme; 4 eggwhites; 1 snapper, cleaned, scales left on (see note) (about 1.8kg); Lemon dressing; 125 ml extra-virgin olive oil (½ cup); ½ lemon (juice only); 1 tbsp finely chopped chervil; Ratatouille; 120 ml extra-virgin olive oil; 1 onion, coarsely chopped; 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped; 5 ripe tomatoes, coarsely grated; 1 small eggplant, halved lengthways and thickly sliced; 1 small red capsicum, seeds removed and coarsely chopped; 475 gm zucchini, thickly sliced (about 5 small)

In Provence, where similar dishes are popular along the coast, they would drink this with a jaunty glass of Bandol rosé.

Ingredients

Snapper

2 kg coarse sea salt

2 tbsp fresh thyme

4 eggwhites

1 snapper, cleaned, scales left on (see note) (about 1.8kg)

Lemon dressing

125 ml extra-virgin olive oil (½ cup)

½ lemon (juice only)

1 tbsp finely chopped chervil

Ratatouille

120 ml extra-virgin olive oil

1 onion, coarsely chopped

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

5 ripe tomatoes, coarsely grated

1 small eggplant, halved lengthways and thickly sliced

1 small red capsicum, seeds removed and coarsely chopped

475 gm zucchini, thickly sliced (about 5 small)

Method

Main

1.To make ratatouille, heat 2 tbsp oil in a large saucepan over medium heat and sauté onion and garlic for 5 minutes or until soft. Add tomato and cook for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, heat remaining oil in a frying pan over medium heat and sauté eggplant for 5 minutes or until golden, use a slotted spoon to transfer to the tomato mixture. Cook capsicum for 3 minutes or until golden, transfer to vegetable mixture. Cook zucchini for 3 minutes or until golden, transfer with a slotted spoon to vegetable mixture. Add ½ cup water to vegetable mixture and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until sauce thickens and vegetables are tender. Serve either hot or cold.

2.Preheat oven to 200C. Combine salt, thyme and eggwhite in a bowl and mix well. Spread a thin layer of salt mixture over the base of a large oval oven-proof baking dish or tray large enough to hold the fish and place snapper on top. Spread remaining salt mixture evenly over snapper. Bake for 40 minutes or until tender.

3.To make the dressing, whisk the ingredients until combined.

4.Remove snapper from oven and cool for 5 minutes. Using a knife, carefully break salt crust and remove. Using a spoon, scrape off the skin and remove flesh from the bone and transfer to plates. Spoon some lemon dressing over the snapper flesh and serve with ratatouille.