WHOLE ROASTED BRANZINO
This delicious, sweet mild white fish is usually sold stuffed full of fresh herbs and lemon slices in our seafood case. Call ahead to ensure we have some available if you’d like to make this super impressive but very easy dish! For cooking inspiration, we turn to Lidia Bastianich and make just a few adaptations. Watch this 9 minute YouTube video and you’ll see just how easy this is to prepare. Littleton’s version is even easier as the bones are already removed.
INGREDIENTS
INSTRUCTIONS
- 4 whole branzino, about 1 ¼ pound each, cleaned and stuffed
- ¾ cup good olive oil
- 6 cloves garlic, sliced thinly
- 1 tsp salt
- Fresh ground pepper
- 1# small red or yukon gold potatoes (our russian fingerlings or mixed marble potatoes would be great here too)
- 4 medium sweet onions or 2 vidalias, peeled and cut in large chunks
- ¼ cup breadcrumbs
- 2 tsp chopped thyme or ½ tsp dried
- Juice of 1 lemon
- ¼ cup chopped flat leaf parsley
Fresh Tomato Salad:
- 1 qt. Cherry tomatoes, any color, halved or quartered
- ¼ cup red onion, julienned about 2-3” long
- 2T olive oil
- 1T balsamic or wine vinegar
- ½ tsp dijon mustard
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- Fresh basil leaves, chiffonade (thinly sliced), as much as you like
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees
- Combine the oil, garlic, 1 tsp salt, ground black pepper in a small bowl. Set aside
- Put the potatoes and onions in a saucepan of lightly salted water. Simmer and cook until about halfway done. Drain in a colander.
- Season the fish with salt and pepper lightly inside and out.
- Place the fish on a sheet tray so that they are not touching. Rub all over with some garlic oil. Do not put your hands or a brush into the oil once it has touched the raw fish.
- Toss the potatoes and onions with 2T of the garlic olive oil and put in a single layer on another baking sheet.
- Place the fish and veggies into the hot oven and roast for 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a small bowl, toss the breadcrumbs with 2 tsp garlic oil and the chopped thyme.
- Then make the fresh tomato salad- Mix the oil, vinegar, dijon, garlic together. Toss in cherry tomatoes and fresh basil and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Take the fish and vegetables out of the oven, top with breadcrumbs and put back in the oven for 5-10 minutes, or until the fish is 145 degrees internal and the veggies are tender.
- Allow the fish to rest for at least 5 minutes out of the oven.
- Stir the lemon juice and parsley into the remaining garlic oil.
- Remove the fish carefully to a serving platter.
- Using a spoon and a fork, remove the head and tail. You could serve them this way and folks can skin the fish themselves.
- If you’d like to do it ahead of time, scrape the breadcrumbs to the side and reserve. Roll off the skin of the top of the fish with your fork. Carefully use the back of the spoon to split the top side of the fish in ½ and flip over each side of the fillet. Remove all of the herbs and lemon that is in the middle of the fish. Check for any stray bones. You should now have boneless filets! Replace the breadcrumbs on top of the fish. Repeat with remaining fish.
- Drizzle the remaining garlic oil over the fish filets.
- Add the roasted potatoes and onions and the tomato salad to the plate(s).
