So I’m probably the LAST person on earth who would endorse a dish involving a whole fish. But here I am. Doin’ it.
You may not know this about me, but I was once a long-time shunner of any and all seafood–everything from innocent filets of salmon to the most non-threatening tuna salad sandwich. I would balk at my mother’s insistences that eating fish would make me smarter.
At each steadfast entreaty to try whatever sea creature had made it onto our table, I’d quickly cover the top of my plate with my hands and shake my head vigorously in a kind of reverse-Oliver-Twist pantomime.
Growing up in a Chinese family, where fish was on the menu often and an abundance of tiny, sharp bones was never a deterrent, there were definitely days when I would make do with rice and vegetables.
But I have since softened on this particular food group, and found that I [most shockingly] like fish. It started with a daring first bite of shrimp scampi, escalated with a plate of spicy tuna rolls in an unassuming Peekskill, NY restaurant, and rounded out with an amazing Hunan fish dish with chilies and tofu (we have a recipe for it here!). It took about twenty three years, but I got here in the end.
This Lemon Soy Roasted Branzino is a twist on a dish I had with the family at an Italian restaurant in New York City. We dubbed it, quote: “the best non-Chinese fish dish we’ve ever had.” Trust me, that’s high praise.
Branzino is a European, or Mediterranean sea bass, and it is often served whole, as you see here. It doesn’t have a whole bunch of annoying little bones, and it’s actually pretty easy to handle and prepare.
We found these beauties at our local behemoth of a Costco, already cleaned and ready to go. If you can’t find branzino, trout will also work for this recipe.
Don’t be afraid. If I can handle it, you can definitely handle it.
Let’s get started.
Roasted Branzino Recipe Instructions
The first step to this roasted branzino recipe is to find really fresh fish. As I mentioned earlier, we bought this branzino at Costco, and it was extremely fresh. They were already cleaned, which was a MAJOR plus.
When you compare the cost of making roasted whole branzino cooked at home to restaurant prices, you may eat more often at home!
When you’re ready to cook, preheat the oven to 425 degrees. In a bowl, mix the melted butter with the soy sauce, juice/zest of ½ a lemon, and 1 tablespoon chopped parsley.
Season the branzino cavities with salt and stuff 3 lemon rounds and a sprig of thyme into each.
In a large, nonstick, ovenproof skillet, heat the olive oil until shimmering. Add the branzino and cook over high heat until the skin is browned and crisp, about 2 minutes per side. You may need to do this in batches.
Transfer the fish to a large rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with the butter mixture, season with more salt to taste and roast for 9 minutes. Finish under the broiler for 1-2 minutes.
Keep an eye on it to prevent burning and don’t overcook your branzinos! To check doneness, you can use a knife to make a very small slit on the fish to look at the meat and backbone. If the meat is white, then the fish is done!
Even if the bone is slightly translucent, your fish is still done because the fish will continue to cook when you remove it from the oven and you will not be eating the bone! We use this same method for our Cantonese style whole steamed fish recipe.
Garnish with more chopped parsley and serve this lemon soy roasted branzino with lemon wedges on the side!
A small salad goes well with this lemon soy roasted branzino!
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Recipe
Lemon Soy Roasted Branzino
Ingredients
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. In a bowl, mix the butter with the soy sauce, juice/zest of ½ a lemon, and 1 tablespoon chopped parsley.
- Season the branzino cavities with salt and stuff 3 lemon rounds and a sprig of thyme into each.
- In a large, nonstick, ovenproof skillet, heat the olive oil until shimmering. Add the branzino and cook over high heat until the skin is browned and crisp, about 2 minutes per side. You may need to do this in batches. Transfer the fish to a large rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with the butter mixture, season with more salt to taste and roast for 9 minutes. Finish under the broiler for 1-2 minutes. Keep an eye on it to prevent burning.
- Garnish with more chopped parsley and serve!
