Whole Roasted Branzino with Lemon & Herbs
Branzino is the fish for people who think cooking whole fish is fussy. It’s a mild, sweet Mediterranean sea bass with delicate white flesh, small enough that one fish feeds one person and cooks in under 20 minutes. The method is simple: stuff the cavity with lemon, garlic, and whatever fresh herbs you have, give it a hot oven, and let the skin crisp while the inside steams in its own aromatics. There’s no sauce to make or flipping to manage, and very little cleanup, but it lands on the table looking like you put in real effort. Have the fish counter scale and gut it, and the hardest part of the recipe is done before you get home.
Ingredients
2 whole branzino, scaled and gutted (about 1–1.5 lb each)
3 tablespoons olive oil
1.5 teaspoons kosher salt
0.5 teaspoons black pepper
2 lemon, thinly sliced, plus wedges for serving
4 garlic cloves, smashed
6 fresh parsley or dill sprigs
4 fresh thyme sprigs
Steps
Heat the oven: Preheat the oven to 450°F (230°C) and line a sheet pan with parchment or foil.
Dry and score: Pat the 2 whole branzino, scaled and gutted (about 1–1.5 lb each) very dry inside and out. Cut 3 shallow diagonal slashes on each side down to the bone.
Season: Rub the fish all over with 3 tablespoons olive oil, then season inside and out with 1.5 teaspoons kosher salt and 0.5 teaspoons black pepper.
Stuff: Fill each cavity with slices from 2 lemon, thinly sliced, plus wedges for serving, 4 garlic cloves, smashed, 6 fresh parsley or dill sprigs, and 4 fresh thyme sprigs. Lay the fish on the pan.
Roast: Roast until the flesh is opaque and flakes easily near the backbone, and the eyes turn white.
Serve: Let rest 2 minutes. Run a knife along the backbone, lift off the top fillet, then pull out the spine to free the bottom fillet. Serve with lemon wedges and a drizzle of olive oil.