One of my food goals has always been to cook an entire fish. I don’t know what took me so long (maybe I’ve been scared) but finally, I took a chance. Since Mason’s arrival, I haven’t cooked too much because there are not enough hours in the day BUT I’ve been slowly getting back into it and it feels really good. Not too long ago I told John that I was set on making dinner and it was time for me to try roasted branzino.
I went to Whole Foods and got two whole fish. The butchers at Whole Foods are always so nice and knowledgeable. They cleaned and gutted my branzino because I have no idea how to do that nor was I in the mood to try. I also felt brave (and a little fancy) so I asked my butcher to leave the head on.
Oh yeah.
The good thing about fish, any fish, is that it doesn’t take very long to prepare. That little detail is perfect for me in this season of my life since we have a tiny baby to keep entertained and fed.
Roasted branzino…it’s what’s for dinner
There aren’t a lot of fancy details for this recipe, folks. Seriously, it’s pretty easy and difficult to mess up. To be completely honest, you can adjust this recipe however you like. For instance:
- Instead of using lemons, you could use a combo of lemons and limes or even oranges or clementines.
- You can use whatever your favorite herbs are like dill, oregano or fennel. Really the sky is the limit on what you can do in the herb category.
- Another idea? Make an herb compound butter to serve on the fish – yum!
I knew I wanted the fish to be the star of our dinner so we kept it pretty simple with sides. We had some jasmine rice along with roasted broccoli. For the broccoli, I simply tossed them in olive oil, used Auntie Nono’s seasoning along with a bit of red pepper flakes. Then placed them in the oven – easy peasy.
In case you need a little motivation, take it from me: don’t be afraid to roast a whole fish. I’m so glad I finally tried it and it turned out so delicious. Alternatively, you could grill it but I’ve only been on the grill once and I’m not sure if I’m ready to get back out there. The jury is still out.
Notes
Watch out for tiny bones with this fish.
Ingredients
- 2 1lb. branzino, gutted & cleaned
- Olive oil
- Lemon, sliced into rounds
- Herbs (I used rosemary, sage and thyme)
- Garlic, thinly sliced (plus more minced)
- 1/2 of an onion, sliced
- Kosher salt & black pepper
Instructions
- Heat oven to 450 degrees.
- Pat the fish dry then drizzle with olive oil (outside and inside the fish).
- Season generously with kosher salt, black pepper, stuff with lemon slices, herbs, garlic and onion.
- Use the minced garlic (and more onions) to sprinkle on top of the fish.
- Bake for 20 minutes then drizzle with more oil and a squeeze fresh lemon juice.
