Salt-Crusted Snapper with Eggplant-Raisin Puree

Michael has been dreaming of doing a whole salt-crusted fish for a long time.  So when he saw this in Food & Wine, it was a dream come true.

I wasn't too sure about the eggplant-raisin puree but it turned out really good!  Plus we used our Chinese eggplants and bay leaves from our balcony garden to make it extra fun!

The fish was moist, juicy, and not very salty!  And the bones were really big and easy to pick out so not to get stuck in your throat like smaller fish.  Great summer dish.

INGREDIENTS
Three 4-inch cinnamon sticks
1 medium eggplant (1 pound)
1/4 cup golden raisins
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Sea salt
Cayenne pepper
3 pounds kosher salt
2 cups water
One 2-pound cleaned red snapper
2 bay leaves
1/2 lemon, preferably Meyer lemon, cut into wedges

Preheat the oven to 400°. Poke the cinnamon into the eggplant. Roast the eggplant on a baking sheet until tender, about 50 minutes. Transfer the eggplant to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let cool slightly. Discard the cinnamon and peel the eggplant.

In a microwave-safe bowl, cover the raisins with water and microwave at high power until plumped, about 30 seconds. Drain the raisins and transfer them to a blender. Add the roasted eggplant and the olive oil and puree until smooth. Season the puree with sea salt and cayenne.

In a bowl, mix the kosher salt with the water until it is the consistency of moist sand. On a parchment paper–lined baking sheet, mound one-fourth of the salt slightly larger than the fish. Lay the fish on the salt and fill its cavity with the bay leaves and lemon wedges. Poke a short skewer into the thickest part of the fish, just behind the head. Pack the remaining kosher salt over and around the fish to enclose it; leave the skewer visible.

Bake the fish for about 35 minutes, until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the skewer hole registers 135°. Let the fish rest for 5 minutes; crack and remove the salt crust. Serve the fish without the skin, with the eggplant puree alongside.

Serve With Arugula salad.