Roasted Branzino with Lemon and Herbs
Whole branzino roasted until the flesh is delicate and flaky, with a crisp skin and bright lemon-herb butter. A restaurant-quality Italian seafood dish that takes just 25 minutes from oven to table.
- Total time
- 25 min
- Servings
- 2
- Calories
- 320
- Protein
- 38g
Ingredients
- 2 fish (about 1 pound each) whole branzino (or sea bass), cleaned and gutted
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 whole lemon
- 4 sprigs fresh rosemary sprigs
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme sprigs
- 2 cloves garlic clove
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- 1
Set the oven to 425°F and wait until the indicator light goes out or you hear the preheat beep, about 10 minutes.
- 2
Pat both branzino completely dry inside and outside using paper towels—this helps the skin crisp in the oven.
- 3
Place the lemon on a cutting board and slice it crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick rounds, like slicing a coin.
- 4
Mince the garlic cloves until the pieces are smaller than a grain of rice, about the size of pencil-tip dots.
- 5
Arrange the branzino on a 12-inch × 18-inch sheet pan so they lie flat and do not touch each other.
- 6
Sprinkle the salt and black pepper evenly over both fish, inside the cavity and on the skin.
- 7
Divide the lemon slices, rosemary sprigs, thyme sprigs, and minced garlic between the two fish cavities, distributing them evenly inside each belly.
- 8
Slice the butter into three pats and place one pat on top of each fish, then place the sheet pan in the oven.
- 9
Roast for 12–14 minutes until the skin looks crispy and golden, the flesh near the backbone turns opaque white when you peek inside with a fork, and the eyes look milky.
- 10
Remove the sheet pan from the oven—the pan and fish will be very hot, so use oven mitts.
- 11
Slide each fish onto a warm plate using a wide spatula, tilting the sheet pan gently to help.
- 12
Drizzle any browned butter and pan juices remaining on the sheet pan over each fish.
Tools you’ll need
- oven
- 12-inch × 18-inch sheet pan
- paper towels
- cutting board
- chef's knife
- oven mitts
- wide spatula
- warm dinner plates
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