Fast Roasted Branzino

This looks much harder than it is. Have your local fishmonger gut and clean the fish before to save time and mess at home. Most recipes call for leaving the bones in, but I prefer to have them removed. They are so small they normally miss a few anyway, the bones give the fish extra flavor and help prevent the fish from drying out.

INGREDIENTS

2lbs branzino
1 lemon, quartered and juiced
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
½ stick room temperature, unsalted butter (sub ghee or vegan butter)
~10 capers, chopped fine
¼ cup dry white wine
JF Universal Salt, to taste

PROCESS

Preheat oven 425º. Combine the butter, chopped capers, salt and a tablespoon of fresh lemon juice in small bowl and set aside to stuff the fish. Reserve 1tbs for the sauté pan. Season the fish cavities with salt and a generous amount of butter. Place two lemon rounds in each along with one rosemary sprig.

Preheat a large nonstick sauté pan and melt the reserved butter over medium-high heat. Place fish in pan and sear on both sides for approx. 30 seconds. Add the wine to the pan and allow to cook another 1 min. Do not over cook. Transfer the fish to a parchment lined baking sheet reserving the melted butter/wine. Roast, the fish, uncovered for 10-12 minutes.

Serve with extra lemon and salt and pepper to taste. If serving for guests or family, you can present the fish before serving. You can also serve whole and let everyone help themselves. Be careful of any of the small bones that may be left in the fish.

BACK TO JF KITCHEN