F&W Free Preview All You Coastal Living Cooking Light Food and Wine tab Health myRecipes Southern Living Sunset

Roasted Branzino with Caper Butter

  • ACTIVE: 25 MIN
  • TOTAL TIME: 40 MIN
  • SERVINGS: 8

"It's almost impossible to end up with dry, overcooked fish when cooking it whole," says chef Steve Corry. "The bones protect against extreme heat, plus they add flavor and moisture." Here, Corry pan-roasts whole branzino, Mediterranean sea bass, that's stuffed simply with lemon and rosemary. He makes the easy compound butter, which melts on the fish to become a sauce, with wild Tunisian mountain capers, although any caper will work.

Our Pairing Suggestion

When prepared simply, mild branzino can be overwhelmed by big, New World white wines, but it pairs well with Vermentino, the crisp Italian white.

Recipe: Roasted Branzino with Caper Butter

  • FAST

Ingredients

  1. 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
  2. 1 tablespoon finely chopped capers
  3. 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  4. 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
  5. Salt
  6. Four 1- to 1 1/4-pound whole branzino or striped bass, scaled and gutted
  7. 1 lemon, sliced into 8 rounds
  8. 4 large rosemary sprigs
  9. 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  1. Preheat the oven to 425°. In a medium bowl, mix the butter with the capers, lemon juice and parsley and season with salt. Keep at room temperature.
  2. Season the branzino cavities with salt and stuff 2 lemon rounds and 1 rosemary sprig in each. Season the fish with salt.
  3. In a large, nonstick, ovenproof skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil until shimmering. Add 2 of the branzino and cook over high heat until the skin is browned and crisp, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer the fish to a large rimmed baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil and 2 stuffed branzino. Roast the fish in the oven for about 10 minutes, until just cooked through.
  4. Serve whole or filleted, passing the caper butter at the table.
food
The Dish Twice weekly chef recipes made easy, weekly meal planners.

wine
The Wine List Weekly pairings, best bottles to buy and the latest news.

daily
F&W Daily One sensational dish served fresh every day.
American Express Publishing ("AEP") may use your email address to send you account updates and offers that may interest you. To learn more about the ways we may use your email address and about your privacy choices, read the AEP Privacy Statement.
How we use your email address

MARKETPLACE

View Website Terms and Conditions and Privacy Statement of American Express Publishing Corporation.

Users of this site agree to be bound by the terms of the American Express Publishing
Corporation Website Terms and Conditions.

Copyright © 1997 - 2012 American Express Publishing Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
3.42-ci