Branzino Blt Recipes

PAN-SEARED BRANZINO

Steps:

• With your hand at least 12 inches away, lightly sprinkle salt and black pepper on both sides of fish fillets in a single layer, right before cooking.
• Preheat a large skillet over medium heat until hot but not smoking. Add oil and heat it for a few seconds until shimmers, and let it spread across the pan.
• Cook fish fillets, skin-side up for about 45-60 seconds or until lightly golden browned. At this point, you only need to give the flesh a nice golden color as it will continue to cook after flipping.
• Carefully flip the fish fillets and cook the skin for about 2 minutes. Using a spatula, hold for a few seconds to ensure even cooking and crisp skin all over.
• Add butter, thyme, and fresh lemon juice to the pan. Tilt the pan slightly and use a spoon to baste the fish with melted butter. Continue basting for a few seconds until the fish is fully cooked and the skin is crispy.

BRANZINO BLT

Steps:

• Preheat a wood burning oven or conventional oven to 450 degrees F. Preheat a grill to medium-high heat.
• Render the bacon bits in a medium high-sided saute pan over medium heat until crispy. Remove the bacon bits and reserve for serving later; reserve the rendered fat.
• Add the reserved rendered fat, heirloom tomatoes, garlic, some basil, vinegar and some olive oil to a medium saucepan and turn the heat to low. Allow the tomatoes to confit in the rendered fat until they are tender and have lost some of their juice, about 10 minutes.
• Rinse the branzinos under cold water and dry off with paper towels. Sprinkle the surface and cavities of the fish with salt and pepper. Slice the lemons into wheels and place in the cavities of the fish along with some fresh basil leaves. Place the fish on a sheet tray and bake until the fish is cooked through and the skin has crisped, 15 to 20 minutes.
• For the grits: Add 375 grams water to a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Add the polenta and stir to combine. Add the mascarpone and salt and stir until the mascarpone is melted. Stir in the butter, banana and Parmesan until completely incorporated and melted into the polenta.
• Place the halved romaine on the grill, cut-side down, and sear until grilled, about 2 minutes.
• Arrange the grilled baby romaine on a large platter. Top with the branzino, spoonfuls of the tomato vinaigrette and grits, then garnish with the bacon crumbles.

ROASTED BRANZINO WITH LEMON AND THYME

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Pat fish dry; rub cavity and skin with oil, then season generously with salt and pepper. Stuff cavity with lemon slices and a few sprigs of thyme. Transfer to a rimmed baking sheet, standing fish upright (cavity-side down); anchor in place with 3 lemon wedges along each side. Scatter remaining thyme sprigs around fish.
• Roast until fish is just cooked through, 17 to 22 minutes, depending on size. Fillet fish and serve with roasted lemon wedges or one of the fish sauces.

BRANZINO A LABELLE

Steps:

• Season the branzino fillets with salt and a big pinch of pepper. Sprinkle with the turmeric.
• Heat the grapeseed oil in a large pan over medium heat until shimmering. Add the fillets to the pan and cook for 2 minutes. Flip and add the butter, parsley and garlic to the pan. Continue cooking, basting the fish as the butter melts, until cooked through, about 2 minutes.
• Transfer the fillets to a platter. Garnish on the side with the tomatoes and lemon wedges.

BRANZINO WITH POLENTA, WILD MUSHROOMS AND WATERCRESS

Steps:

• Preheat a large saute pan with the canola oil and 1 tablespoon butter over medium heat. Place the branzino in the pan skin-side down and cook until the skin is crispy, about 10 minutes. Flip the fish with a spatula and cook the other side for 1 minute. Set aside.
• Add the milk to a small pot and bring to a boil. Lower the heat, add the polenta and cook, stirring slowly, for 10 minutes, then add the mascarpone and 1 tablespoon butter. Cover and remove from the heat.
• Heat a medium saute pan over medium heat. Add the remaining tablespoon butter, then the shallots and garlic, and cook until translucent. Break mushrooms by hand and add to the pan, then cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the white wine and cook for 10 more minutes. Stir in the sherry vinegar and remove from the heat.
• Place the polenta on the bottom of 2 plates, spoon the mushrooms over the polenta and place the branzino fillets on top. Garnish with the watercress, then drizzle with the olive oil and squeeze the lemon over the top.

BAKED BRANZINO WITH CITRUS GREMOLATA

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Generously grease a large rimmed baking sheet with olive oil.
• Arrange the fillets on the baking sheet in one layer. Drizzle the 2 tablespoons of olive oil over the fish and season with salt and black pepper. Bake until the fish is flaky and just fully cooked through, about 12 minutes.
• Meanwhile, finely grate the zest of 1 lemon and 1 orange into a small bowl and add the parsley, good olive oil, red pepper flakes, a pinch of salt, a few grinds of black pepper, juice of half the lemon and juice of half the orange. Stir gently to combine.
• Slice the remaining lemon and orange. Serve the fish topped with the gremolata and citrus slices.