Bake or Roast Branzino with Lemon

Bake or Roast Branzino with Lemon Garlic & Wine is one of the most flavorful, soft, and delicate fish to eat. Branzino is stuffed with lemon slices, garlic, and fresh parsley and baked with wine until the fish is fully cooked.  A delicious seafood dish that’s easy to prepare and costs much less than ordering it in a restaurant. 

What is a Branzino?

Branzino is a European Sea Bass and it’s usually baked or grilled and served with olive oil and fresh herbs dressing drizzled on top, or on the side. 

It is one of my favorite seafood dishes and one I enjoy making at home all the time! 

When you make any seafood dinner at home, especially branzino it will only cost you about one-third of the price compared to ordering in a restaurant.  That is a great saving! 

 

When Buying Branzino…

If you purchase branzino at your local seafood market, ask the guy behind the counter to remove its head, tail, and guts. Then have him scale it for you. 

If you prefer to leave it whole, then ask the fishmonger to only remove its guts, but still, scale it for you. 

Then follow our easy recipe!  

It only takes a few minutes to prep, and into the oven, it goes!  It bakes in less than 30 minutes! 

You can easily grill branzino outdoors on your barbecue, and we have a recipe for Grilled Whole Branzino if you’d like to try it.

 

How to Serve Branzino?

Best to serve branzino with freshly squeezed lemon juice on top, or on the side.  Then drizzle lightly over the fish with some extra virgin olive oil to give it the final touch and more flavor.  Garnish with freshly chopped parsley sprinkled on top. 

 Cook’s Notes and Tips:

• Branzino is a fish with bones.  Before serving, you will have to remove the spine and large bones and discard them.  Then use a spatula to transfer the meat to a serving dish or platter. 

• Because of the bones, branzino is a fish I would not recommend serving to small children. 

• Ovens will vary, so with that said, you may need more or less baking/or roasting time. 

• Also, Branzino’s will vary in weight and in thickness, and you will need to check on the fish to see if it’s fully cooked near the end of cooking time.

• HOW CAN WE TELL WHEN the fish is fully cooked?  You can tell when the body is firm when you touch it, or lightly press down on it. 

• Always use a good quality of extra virgin olive oil for serving with this recipe.

• Branzino is available all year long in most supermarkets that have a fish department, like Whole Foods. 

HOW TO BAKE or ROAST BRANZINO with LEMON? (*full recipe card below!)

Ingredients for Bake or Roast Branzino with Lemon:

• 2 small Branzino’s ( about 1 pound each)
• extra virgin olive oil
• 4 garlic cloves- sliced
• 2 lemons – divided
• 1 cup fresh Italian parsley – chopped
• 1 tsp. dried rosemary
• sea salt and freshly cracked ground black pepper
• 3/4 cup white wine
• 1/4 cup lemon juice, and extra for serving

 

Directions to Bake or Roast Branzino with Lemon:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (204 C).  Rinse fish, and pat dry. Line a baking pan with foil wrap and spray with cooking oil (for fast clean-up).

2. Place fish onto a pan.  Stuff the cavity of each fish with some garlic slices, 2 to 3 lemon slices, and some fresh parsley.  Season the outside of the fish with some salt, pepper, and rosemary.

3. BAKE uncovered at 400 degrees F (204C) for 12 to 15 minutes.

4. Then pull the pan out and turn the fish over. 

5. Pour the wine and lemon juice over the fish, and bake for an additional 12 to 15 minutes. 

*Optional:  Just before you remove the fish from the oven, TURN the oven to broil, and broil fish for about 3 minutes, until skins blister.  Remove from the oven.

How to Debone Branzino and Serve?

To Debone the Fish: place the fork inside the center of the cavity and gently flip the fish open. 

Next, lift, remove, and discard the “spine” down the middle and all large bones you can find.  

Then, remove the parsley and lemon slices to the side, and discard. 

To Serve Branzino: use a spatula to help transfer the meat of the fish onto a serving dish or platter.

Next, lightly drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and squeeze fresh lemon juice on top.  Garnish with lemon slices and freshly chopped parsley. 

Serve immediately.   Serves 2

 

Our family loves when I make their favorite seafood dinners like this one.  This is a delicious recipe and one that is very easy to do! 

Don’t be afraid to try it.  

Bake or Roast Branzino with Lemon Garlic & Wine is a wonderful seafood dish you can easily cook in the comfort of your own kitchen!  

ENJOY!!

…Thanks for PINNING!

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