This roasted branzino recipe is a delicious 20-minute summer dish. A whole branzino is lightly seasoned, stuffed with shallots and lemon slices, and baked to flaky perfection.
Prep Time10 minutesmins
Cook Time15 minutesmins
Total Time25 minutesmins
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: Mediterranean
Keyword: branzino fish recipe, branzino recipe, roasted branzino
Prep. Preheat the oven to 425°F and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper.
Prepare the fish. Lay the (already cleaned and gutted) fish flat on the prepared baking sheet. Cut 3 small slits on the side of each fish, opposite of the side that's already cut through the fish.
Season the branzino. Rub the fish with olive oil on the outside and inside the body cavity, and season with salt and pepper - inside and out. Squeeze lemon wedges over each fish and inside the fish.
Stuff the fish. Stuff a couple of lemon slices and some of the sliced shallots inside the cavity of each branzino. Arrange the remaining lemon slices and shallots over the top of the branzini.
Bake. Bake for 10 minutes. Turn off the oven and turn on the broiler. Broil the fish for 3-5 minutes or until a tad crispy. Remove the fish from the oven.
Finish it off. Squeeze the remaining lemon wedges over the fish (one lemon wedge per fish) and garnish with parsley. Serve.
Notes
Clean the fish. Ask the fishmonger behind the counter to clean the fish. Red snapper is a good substitute if branzini is unavailable.
Seasoning options. I used simple seasonings, but optional additions can include dried oregano and garlic powder.
Lemons. I like using Meyer lemons because of their sweet flavor, but you can use regular lemons, too.
Shallots. If you don't have any shallots, red onion is OK to use.
Storage. Keep leftovers in the fridge, covered, for up to 3 days or freeze for 2 to 3 months.