Butterflied Branzino
This is my absolute favorite way to serve fish. It captures the essence of life on the Mediterranean. Fresh fish doused in olive oil, garlic, and lemon juice (my holy trinity). All tied together with bright herbs and some tomatoes. Every ingredient here gets to really stand out and shine. With just salt and pepper used to season everything, you get to really taste the quality of each ingredient (so this is where quality would really matter). You want the freshest fish, garlic, tomato, onion, everything. It’s all prepared very simply and tastes even better than it looks.
Serves: 2
Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients
1 Branzino
2 tbsp Olive Oil
2 tsp Salt
1 tsp Black pepper
0.25 cup Green Onion
1 tsp Red Pepper Flakes
4 Garlic Cloves
1 Lemon
Aleppo Pepper (Garnish)
Fresh Parsley (Garnish)
Instructions
Butterfly the branzino by making a diagonal cut from the head & behind the fins. Remove all fins. Then remove the spine and rib bones. If this is too much work or daunting, you can ask your fish shop to gut the fish for you. Once butterflied, salt the fish well and set aside.
Finely chop the green onion and parsley and grind the garlic into a paste with a pinch of salt. Set both aside.
Heat a large skillet for 2 minutes then drop to medium. Add 2 tbsp of olive oil and place the fish skin side up. Sear the fish for 2 minutes until a nice color develops. Then flip, drop to a lower heat, and sear the skin until the edges get crispy. Then remove and set aside.
In the same skillet, add a few cherry tomatoes and a half lemon with a bit more oil. Quickly blister both until the tomatoes are popping and the lemon is golden brown.
In a small skillet, heat and add olive oil. Drop in the garlic, red pepper, and green onion. Flash fry until fragrant then immediately pour onto the fish.
Garnish with fresh parsley, flakey salt, Aleppo pepper, and the seared lemon.
