Grilled Whole Branzino

How To Grill Branzino? Grilled Whole Branzino on an outside grill is one of the easiest ways to cook the whole fish!  Our whole branzino is stuffed with 4 simple ingredients, and grilled for a few minutes per side until fully cooked. It’s perfect every time!

Grilled Whole Branzino

Grilling whole fish is easy! And, the flavor will depend on the ingredients you stuff the fish with. This is an easy seafood recipe for grilling whole fish, and it always turns out SO delicious every time.  If you never made this before, we highly recommend you try it!

About The Fish, Branzino

• Branzino is a very light and moist fish with a mildly sweet flavor, different from sea bass or halibut. 
• It’s a delicate white fish that doesn’t need a lot of seasonings to enhance its flavor. 
• A little lemon, garlic, parsley, olive oil, and salt and pepper are all it needs!
• The outcome is always perfect and consistent every time you make it, tender, super moist, and delicious tasting!

How Many Ways To Cook Whole Branzino?

There are 4 different ways to cook a whole branzino:

1. Baking or Roasting – you can bake branzino in the oven, like our recipe for bake or roast branzino with lemon, and our roasted red snapper- Italian style.
2. Broiling – you will need to put the oven rack 4 inches from the top heating element, and broiling the whole fish ( in a pan) will cook it in less time, but you will need to keep an eye on it.
3. Poaching – using a large deep pan, the fish cooks with liquid, either water, broth, or wine and it boils until the fish is fully cooked.
4. Grilling – outside grill over moderate heat, with a grill basket, basting the fish often with marinade, if preferred.

But today, this recipe is about grilling outdoors and making dinner super easy!  We’ll show you how easy is it to STUFF, GRILL, and FILET this fish!

What to look for when buying branzino?

When buying branzino at your local seafood market, always check to see if the fish has:

• clear bright eyes, and not sunken
• bright red gills
• firm fresh, and it springs back when pressed
• the belly cavity is clean
• and it has to smell like the ocean, which is a sign of its freshness

And, always ask…

Always ask the guy behind the seafood counter to clean out the guts, and have it scaled and the fins removed.  This way, all the work has been done for you, and all you have to do is stuff them and grill!

PRO TIP! When you bring the fish home, it’s best to keep it in a sealed bag in the refrigerator until you’re ready to grill them outside.

How to Make Grilled Whole Branzino? (Step-by-Step, or full recipe below!)

First, you will need a “Stainless Steel Fish Grill Basket” and then gather all the ingredients needed for this recipe. Then follow our step-by-step directions below, or jump down to our full recipe card.

Cook’s Notes & Tips for Success!

• Outdoor grills will vary, so with that said, you may need more or less time grilling depending on how thick the fish is.   
• Also, any Branzino will vary in weight and thickness, and you will need to check on the fish to see if it’s fully cooked near the end of cooking time.
• Always use a good quality of extra virgin olive oil for serving with this recipe.

Ingredients You Will Need:

• 4 Whole Branzino, (at least 1 pound each) guts were cleaned out and scaled
• sea salt and black pepper
• 6 to 8 cloves of garlic
• few sprigs of fresh parsley
• 3 lemons – divided
• extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling
• some lemon wedges, for serving

Directions: How To Grill Whole Branzino?

1.  First, rinse the fish.

2.  Then simply place the branzino into a wire basket, similar to a portable stainless steel grilling fish basket, and lay it over a baking pan to work on ( do this to keep your counter clean).

3.  Next, season each fish with salt and pepper inside the cavity and on the outside of the whole fish.

4.  Stuff each cavity with a few slices of lemon, some cloves of garlic, and sprigs of fresh parsley, then drizzle with some olive oil inside the cavity.  The olive oil will help keep the fish moist while grilling.

5.  Grill branzino until the fish is fully cooked, usually about 5 to 10 minutes per side for the smaller ones and 15 minutes or more for the larger ones (over a pound each). You can tell if the fish is fully cooked when you poke it with a fork and the meat is firm to the touch.

6.  Then remove from the grill, and let it rest for a few minutes before preparing for serving.

How To Fillet The Whole Fish Before Serving?

I prefer to fillet the whole fish, removing all the bones before serving, which takes about 5 to 8 minutes to fillet. NOTE: 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. 

1.  The First Step: use a fork or a spatula – place it in the middle of the fish and flip it open.

2.  Then remove the spine and any large visible bones you may find.

3.  Once you remove the spine and fillet each one, transfer all the white meat to a serving plate, add a little drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, and fresh lemon juice on top, and serve.  

This makes it easier and more enjoyable to eat fish.

A COOK’s NOTE:  You will need a little patience to fillet it, but it’s worth it.  This is a fish that everyone needs to be told to eat slowly, due to possibly some bones could be left behind.

Nutrition and Benefits… 

• One-pound branzino is less than 300 calories, making it a healthy choice. 
• Branzino is high in omega-3 fatty acids and fish oil. 
• This fish is also packed with protein, and vitamin D, and is rich in antioxidant selenium.

FAQ’s

1. How can we tell when the fish is fully cooked?  One easy way you can tell when the fish is cooked is when you touch it or press it down on the body – it should feel firm. 
2. Would you recommend this fish to children? Because of the bones, branzino is a fish I would not recommend serving to small children. 
3. How do we serve Branzino? Best to serve branzino with freshly squeezed lemon juice on top, or on the side. Then drizzle 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. 
4. Where does Branzino come from? Branzino is a white ocean fish that thrives in the Mediterranean Sea and can be found in most seafood markets. Its white meat is soft, flaky, and very mild in flavor.
5. Where can we buy Branzino? Branzino is available all year long in most supermarkets that have a fish department, like Whole Foods.  It is usually sold for around $12.00 to $14.00 per pound. And, that is not too expensive, considering they charge about $38.00 or more per dish in an “upscale” restaurant.

A Wonderful Seafood Dinner

Branzino is a very light and moist fish and it’s exquisite when served with a great bottle of white wine! Everyone always asks us what kind of wine to pair with seafood dishes.  We like to recommend a chilled Pinot Grigio. It has a vibrant citrus flavor and would complement this dish.

Also, you can serve it with a few delicious sides like our perfectly grilled asparagus, and favorite Greek salad to complete your dinner. We hope you’ll enjoy this recipe as much as we do.

More Delicious Seafood Recipes!   

• Honey Mustard Grouper
• Baked Salmon with Dijon Basil Pesto
• Grilled Sesame Ginger Tuna Kabobs.
• Best Grilled Shrimp and Scallop Kabobs.
• Grilled Swordfish Kabobs.

Looking for additional WHOLE fish Recipes? …check these out!

• Roasted Red Snapper Italian Style!
• Easy Baked Swordfish
• Baked or Roast Branzino with Lemon, Garlic & Wine.
• Baked Flounder Filet Oreganata- Lightened!

Your comments help us! If you make our Grilled Whole Branzino, let us know and leave a comment with a star rating on the recipe card!  We’d love to hear from you!

Happy Grilling!  🙂

xo Anna and Liz