Description
This elegant Baked Whole Fish recipe features fresh sea bream, sea bass, or branzino infused with lemon, herbs, and garlic butter for a flavorful and aromatic meal. The fish is roasted to tender perfection in the oven alongside lemon slices, herbs, and a vibrant topping of sun-dried tomatoes, capers, olives, and parsley, making it a delightful main course perfect for a healthy and impressive dinner.
Ingredients
Scale
Fish and Butter Stuffing
- 2 large whole fishes (such as sea bream, sea bass or branzino)
- 1 heaping tablespoon softened butter
- 1 head garlic (2 cloves minced, remaining cloves left whole)
- 1 tablespoon chopped rosemary (plus extra sprigs for stuffing)
- 1 tablespoon thyme leaves (plus extra sprigs for baking)
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 lemon (sliced and then cut into triangles)
- Olive oil, for drizzling
Salsa Topping
- 4 large sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
- 1 heaping tablespoon capers, chopped
- 2 tablespoons green olives, stoned and chopped
- 1 handful parsley leaves, chopped
- Olive oil, as needed
Instructions
- Prepare the Fish: If your whole fishes have not yet been gutted and scaled, start by cleaning them thoroughly. This ensures the fish is ready for cooking and safe to eat.
- Preheat the Oven: Heat your oven to 400°F (200°C) and prepare a roasting tin suitable for the size of your fish to ensure even cooking.
- Make the Garlic Herb Butter: In a bowl, combine the softened butter with 2 minced garlic cloves, chopped rosemary, and thyme leaves. Add salt and pepper to taste, mixing everything thoroughly to create a flavorful compound butter.
- Stuff and Season the Fish: Spoon the herb garlic butter generously inside the cavities of each fish. Next, stuff the fish cavities with lemon triangles (some lemon slices may be left out if they don’t all fit) and rosemary sprigs. Lightly drizzle olive oil over the outside of the fish, sprinkle with salt, and optionally make two to three slashes on the surface to help flavors penetrate during baking.
- Arrange for Baking: Place the prepared fish into your roasting tin. Add extra thyme sprigs, whole garlic cloves left from the head, and remaining lemon slices around the fish to infuse additional aroma while baking.
- Bake the Fish: Roast in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes. For larger fish like sea bream, plan closer to 25 minutes; for smaller fish like branzino, about 20 minutes should suffice.
- Prepare the Topping: While the fish cooks, mix the chopped sun-dried tomatoes, capers, green olives, and parsley in a bowl. Drizzle with some olive oil to combine and set aside to serve as a bright, zesty topping.
- Serve: Once cooked, remove the fish from the oven and serve immediately, topped with the flavorful tomato and olive mixture along with lemon wedges as desired.
Notes
- If you cannot find whole fish, fillets can be used but adjust baking time accordingly.
- Be sure not to overstuff the fish with lemon to avoid bitterness leaking into the flesh.
- For an extra crispy skin, finish the fish under the broiler for 1-2 minutes, watching closely to prevent burning.
- Leftover salsa topping makes a great condiment for grilled vegetables or bread.
- Scaling and gutting fish can often be done at the fishmonger if you prefer to skip that step at home.
