Description
This restaurant-quality whole Branzino recipe features flaky, delicious Mediterranean sea bass baked with a lively lemon butter sauce, garlic, and fresh herbs. With minimal ingredients and just 25 minutes total, it's a simple yet gourmet main course perfect for a special dinner.
Ingredients
Scale
Butter Sauce
- 1 stick salted butter (4 oz)
- 4 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 small onion (chopped)
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice (freshly squeezed)
- 1 tablespoon parsley (or chives, freshly chopped)
- Table salt (to taste)
- Freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
Fish
- 3 whole branzino fish (about 1 ¼ pounds each, scaled and cleaned)
- 1 lemon (thinly sliced)
- Extra virgin olive oil (for drizzling)
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit and position the oven rack in the lower-middle slot to ensure even cooking of the fish.
- Prepare Butter Sauce: In a small saucepan, melt the salted butter over medium heat. Add the minced garlic and chopped onion, sautéing until translucent and fragrant, about 3-4 minutes. Stir in the freshly squeezed lemon juice and chopped parsley or chives. Season with table salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste, then remove from heat.
- Prepare Fish: Rinse the whole branzino under cold water and pat dry with paper towels. Season the cavity and outside of each fish with salt and pepper. Place thin lemon slices inside the cavity of each fish for added aroma and flavor.
- Arrange Fish for Baking: Place the fish on a baking sheet or ovenproof dish. Drizzle extra virgin olive oil over each fish and spoon some of the prepared lemon butter sauce over the top.
- Bake the Fish: Bake the fish in the preheated oven for 15 minutes, or until the flesh is opaque and flakes easily with a fork, indicating it is fully cooked.
- Serve: Remove the fish from the oven and spoon remaining lemon butter sauce over each serving. Garnish with additional fresh herbs if desired and serve immediately for best flavor and texture.
Notes
- For a stronger lemon flavor, zest the lemon and add to the butter sauce.
- Use fresh herbs like parsley or chives for a bright, fresh taste.
- Make sure the fish is properly scaled and cleaned by your fishmonger if you prefer not to do it yourself.
- You can substitute branzino with other similar whole white fish such as sea bass or snapper.
- If you prefer, wrap the fish loosely in foil to keep it moist while baking.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 127 kcal
- Sugar: 1 g
- Sodium: 82 mg
- Fat: 13 g
- Saturated Fat: 7 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 6 g
- Trans Fat: 0.4 g
- Carbohydrates: 2 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 22.5 g
- Cholesterol: 27 mg
