Roasted Branzino
Whenever I see Branzino on a restaurant menu, I almost always shun other entrees and order it. Also known as European seabass, and sometimes “spigola” in Italy, it’s one of my favorite fishes. Its white flesh is mild and buttery and is becoming increasingly available in supermarkets too. Don’t be dissuaded if you’ve never prepared a whole fish. It’s easy to cook and debone.
Stuff the inside with a few lemon slices, some parsley, salt and pepper. Drizzle a little olive oil on top and sprinkle with salt and pepper, then roast it in the oven at a high heat.
Fillet the fish by inserting a knife along the side.
Place the knife into the fish just below the head, then run the knife along the bone and remove the flesh.
You can easily pull the main bone away from the fish and scoop out the bottom fillet. Be careful though, because there may be a few stray bones along the side. There’s still a lot of succulent meat around the head and main bone, and if you’re like me, you won’t let that go to waste.
I couldn’t resist.
Roasted Branzino
printable recipe here
1 whole branzino – about 1 – 1 1/2 pounds
lemon slices
herbed salt
(or kosher salt mixed with minced herbs like rosemary and thyme)
freshly ground black pepper
olive oil for drizzling on top
2 T. butter
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup white wine
1 T. capers
juice from 1/2 large lemon
minced parsley
Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Put the branzino on a baking dish and season it liberally inside and out with the seasoned salt and black pepper. Place lemon slices inside the cavity. Drizzle olive oil on top.
Bake it for 15 minutes. While it’s baking, make the sauce by melted the butter and adding the minced garlic cloves, allowing them to cook at low heat for a couple of minutes. Crank up the heat a bit and add the white wine. Cook for another couple of minutes, then just before serving add the capers, lemon juice and minced parsley.
Fillet the fish from the bone, being careful to remove the small bones along the side. Pour the sauce over the top of the fish and serve.
This Post Has 15 Comments
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That fish looks ever so scrumptious and moist.
Cheers,
Rosa
Still afraid of filleting the fish……I order branzino, but never make it at home. I need a private, in person lesson. 🙂
Bart would just flip for this. I have He often orders branzino in restaurants. The only whole ones we see here are from Turkey, and rather, well, petite. TIny, to be honest. I will have to keep on the lookout for a beefier branzino!
That looks buttery and delicious Linda, I don't make whole fish often, I think I did it twice in my life. I'm afraid of the bones, I too need a private lesson, 🙂 Love your last shot!
I don't get the fear of fish ~ or other seafood. One of the easiest foods to make, and healthful too. We love branzino. This is such a nice recipe for spring. Delicious pictures, too. Grazie Linda.
Un pesce che qui a Trieste è molto amato, bellissima ricetta Linda !
è uno dei pesci che adoro e infatti mangio più spesso, un abbraccio SILVIA
So amazing and easy, Linda! I love cooking fish – more than cooking meat, actually. Awesome step-by-step and beautiful photos.
This looks absolutely scrumptious and in line with my semi-new eating habits. I've never cooked a whole fish before… why does that frighten me?
This looks magical!!! I am drooling 🙂 Such a fantastic white fish 🙂
Dear Linda, One of my favorite fishes to eat and it looks wonderful. Blessings dear. Catherine xo
Branzino is so good! This looks so delish. I have not made it because I am not good at fileting fish.
Branzino is just started to be seen in this area and I saw it on a menu recently for the first time. Know I wish I would have ordered it! It looks so good the way you've made it.
YUM! I'm another who always orders this fish also when I see it on the menu, Linda. There is a restaurant downtown Manhattan that usually has it as their special and the waiter will fillet the cooked fish at the table, making quite a show of it! 🙂
It looks sooooo delicious! Congrats for this tasty experience.