Whole Roasted Branzino with Lemon Butter Wine Sauce (Salt Crusted)
Salt Baked Branzino is the perfect dish to impress your guests but does not require a ton of time or technique to accomplish!
Equipment
- Large rimmed sheet pan or large roasting pan to salt crust and roast the branzino
- Parchment paper for the sheet pan
- Large Mixing Bowl for the salt mixture
- small saucepan to make the butter sauce
- Fine mesh sieve to strain the sauce
- whisk for the butter sauce
Ingredients
- 1 whole branzino (2-3 lbs) scaled, gutted and cleaned
- 3 cups Kosher salt
- 2 tbs dried thyme
- 3 egg whites
- 1 lemon sliced
- 2 sprigs fresh tarragon
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary
Lemon Beurre Blanc
- ½ cup dry white wine (Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio work well)
- 6 black peppercorns whole
- 1 small shallot chopped
- 2 tablespoon lemon juice
- 8 tbs cold unsalted butter (¼lb) cut in 8-10 pieces
Instructions
Prepare The Pan And Salt
- Preheat the oven to 400F.
- In a large roasting pan or sheet pan (larger than the fish) line with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, mix the salt, dried thyme and egg whites with your hands. It should be the consistency of wet sand or a chunky paste. It won't be too wet and that is perfect. Set aside.3 cups Kosher salt, 2 tbs dried thyme, 3 egg whites
Prepare The Fish
- Remove the fish from the refrigerator. Make sure it has been gutted and scaled (you can ask the fish monger to do this for you before purchasing).1 whole branzino
- Cut the dorsal and pectoral fins and any other fin that is spiny or might stab you when you are ready to eat.
- Stuff the cavity of the fish with the lemon slices, tarragon and rosemary. Place the fish on the parchment lined sheet pan.1 lemon, 2 sprigs fresh tarragon, 1 sprig fresh rosemary
Crust The Fish
- Put the salt mixture on the fish and press it down forming a seal that is about ¼ inch thick around the entire fish. There should be no gaps or cracks and the fish should not be visible.
Roast The Fish
- Put the fish on the middle rack of the preheated oven and roast for 20 minutes. Some of the salt mixture may turn a light brown and the salt dome will be quite hard when finished.
Prepare the Sauce
- While the fish roasts, prepare the sauce. Combine the wine, peppercorns and shallot in a small sauce pan over medium heat. Bring to a gentle boil and reduce the liquid by half.½ cup dry white wine, 6 black peppercorns, 1 small shallot
- Once the liquid has reduced by half, strain the solids through a sieve and return the strained sauce to the pan. Reduce to about 2 tablespoons of liquid then add the lemon juice and cook for about 30 more seconds. Once reduced, keep warm on low until your fish is ready.2 tbsp lemon juice
- Once your fish is ready and removed from the oven, set it aside while you finish the sauce.
- To finish the sauce, remove the pan from the heat completely and let cool for a minute or two. You do not want the pan to be hot, but only warm so the sauce doesn't break. Whisk in the butter one piece at a time, emulsifying the mixture. If your butter isn't easily melting, you may need to return the pan to the burner (on low) briefly for about 30 seconds, but don't let your sauce get too hot during this process.8 tbs cold unsalted butter
- Once all the butter has been incorporated, you are ready to plate your dish.
Serve
- To serve the roasted fish, use a serving spoon to crack the salt dome and remove it from the fish. You want to have enough room to remove the fillets from the Branzino. With a sharp knife, slice the fish through the skin at the end of the tail all the way to the bone. You can use your fingers, a knife, a spoon or a spatula to remove the skin from the tail toward the head. The skin should come off very easily without any effort. Discard the skin.
- Using the spoon, slide the spoon along the spine toward the head of the fish where the fillet stops. Remove the fillet of fish to a clean plate. Gently flip the fish over (or you can remove the skeleton and the head and lift the tender flesh from the bottom skin) and repeat to remove the opposite fillet. Serve with the lemon beurre blanc drizzled over the top with extra on the side as desired.
Notes
Substitutions and Variations
- If you can't find a whole branzino fish, whole sea bass and red snapper are the best subs. Just adjust the cooking time based on size. A thicker fish might need 25 minutes instead of 20.
- For the herb stuffing, try fennel fronds and orange slices for a more Italian vibe. Or go with dill and lime for something brighter and more Scandinavian. Thyme, parsley, and garlic make a classic Provençal variation. Almost anything will work so be adventurous!
- You can also change the flavor of the salt crust itself. Mix in lemon zest, crushed fennel seeds, or even a tablespoon of smoked paprika for a subtle smoky note. Just don't add anything wet or the crust won't form properly.
- If you are looking for other sauces for Branzino, here are some that will pair well with this fish:
- How to store leftover branzino:
- Leftover branzino keeps well in the fridge for up to two days. Store the fillets in an airtight container, and if you have extra beurre blanc, keep it in a separate small jar. The sauce will solidify when cold, which is normal.
- How to reheat leftover branzino:
- To reheat the fish, use a low oven at 275F for about 10 minutes. Cover it loosely with foil so it doesn't dry out. You can also reheat it gently in a skillet with a tiny bit of butter or olive oil over low heat.
- For the beurre blanc, reheat it very gently in a small sauce pan over the lowest heat possible, whisking constantly. Beurre blanc is best fresh, but you can salvage leftovers if you're careful. Whisk in a splash of cold cream if you notice that it is not emulsified after reheating to give it a bit more body.
- Can you freeze leftover branzino?
- Freezing leftover branzino is not recommended. You can however freeze the raw fish to use at a later date, although the fresher the fish, the better this dish will be.
- Don't skimp on the salt crust thickness. A thin crust cracks and breaks during baking, letting steam escape. You want a ¼ inch seal all the way around.
- Use cold butter straight from the fridge for the beurre blanc. Room temperature butter melts too fast and won't emulsify properly. Cold butter gives you control.
- If your sauce breaks, pull it off the heat immediately and whisk in an ice cube. This cools it down fast and can sometimes bring the emulsion back together. You can also add a splash of cold cream if it stays broken to give it a bit more body.
- Let the fish rest for 2-5 minutes after you remove it from the oven. This makes it easier to crack the crust without burning your hands, and it lets the juices redistribute.
Nutrition
Calories: 685kcalCarbohydrates: 14gProtein: 37gFat: 50gSaturated Fat: 30gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 13gTrans Fat: 2gCholesterol: 256mgSodium: 169967mgPotassium: 829mgFiber: 4gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 1805IUVitamin C: 38mgCalcium: 272mgIron: 9mg
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