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Branzino is the Italian name for European Sea Bass. This is the best Branzino recipe uses fresh Branziso fish filet and Japanese seasonings, pan grilled and smoked. It's fine dining and Michelin-star restaurant quality!
Branzino Fish
What is Branzino?
Branzino is an Italian word, also called European Sea Bass. The fish is native to the waters off the Mediterranean (western Europe).
It’s one of the most popular fish in Italy and often served whole and roasted, with olive oil, lemon, capers, olive and parsley.
The fish has silver skin, lean and long, with a lot of scales. It weights from 1 – 3 lbs.
It has soft and tender white flesh after cooking and prized for its mild, delicate taste and flaky texture.
It’s a fish commonly served in fine dining and fancy restaurants in Europe and United States.
To learn all about the fish, please check out the PDF by Sustainable Catch Seafood.
Branzino Recipe
This is a Japanese-inspired branzino recipe that you will find in Michelin-star restaurants.
In fact, I developed this recipe based on a recent dining experience at n/naka, a 2-star Michelin Japanese restaurant.
This recipe is absolutely amazing and I hope you get to try it if you can find Branzino at your fish market.
Whole Branzino Vs Branzino Filet
The fish can be prepared both ways, either whole or filet.
I like both; whole fish and fillet are equally delicious and tantalizing.
For many Americans, serving whole fish with its head, tail and fish bones are not common.
In this case, Branzino filet will be great for a variety of cooking methods: pan-searing, roasting or baking in oven.
How To Clean Branzino
It’s very easy to prepare the whole fish. First, you start off by scaling the fish thoroughly.
I like using a Chef’s knife to scrape off the scales. Make sure you scrape the scales in an upward motion to remove them. Make sure you don’t scrape off the silver skin.
Next, you can remove the gills by hand.
To gut the fish, slice an opening along its belly, all the way from below the gill down to the bottom part of its belly.
The fish has a lot of fatty guts inside the stomach cavity. You may pull out the guts by using your hand.
You might need a pair of kitchen scissors to help cut off the guts.
After gutting the fish, rinse the inside and outside of the fish thoroughly with cold running water.
Pat dry with paper towels and the fish is now ready to be cooked whole or cut into Branzino filet.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, absolutely. One of the most popular ways to cook the fish is grilled Branzino whole.
Other than grilling, another cooking method is oven baked or roasted.
In fact, in the Mediterranean, the fish is best roasted whole with lemon, olives and parsley.
Yes, it’s a great fish and especially popular in fine dining restaurants. It’s also packed full of nutrition such as protein and vitamins.
This recipe is only 307 calories per serving.
What To Serve With This Recipe
Serve this dish with other Japanese dishes. For a Japanese meal at home, I recommend the following recipes.
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Other Fish Recipes You Might Like
Branzino Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 lb. (500g) whole Branzino fish
- 1 tablespoon cooking oil
Marinade:
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
- 1 tablespoon Japanese cooking sake
- 1 tablespoon Japanese mirin, sweet cooking wine
Instructions
How to Clean Branzino
- Rinse the fish with cold running water and pat dry with paper towels. Lay the fish on a cutting board. Using a Chef's knife, scrape off the scales using an upward motion. Ensure both sides of the branzino are properly scaled and cleaned off, paying attention to the sides of the fish as well.
How to Cut Whole Branzino to Branzino Filet
- Position the Chef's knife horizontally. Start at the tail and slice into the flesh, making sure to get as close to the bone as possible to extract the most fillet from the fish. Slice in an upward motion, cutting the fillet off the body. Repeat the same process on the other side of the fish, leaving out the stomach and head sections. Ensure that you slice off as much flesh as possible.
- Cut the branzino fillet into smaller, bite-sized pieces.
- In a container, mix together all the ingredients for the marinade. Stir to combine well. Add the branzino fillet into the marinade, ensuring both sides are evenly coated. Cover the container and let it marinate in the fridge for 2 hours, or preferably overnight.
How to Grill Branzino
- You can grill the fish fillet using an outdoor grill or a pan grill. Heat a skillet on medium heat with 1 tablespoon of cooking oil. Place the fish fillet in the skillet, skin side down. Pan-grill the fish until the skin turns crispy, about 1 minute. Gently flip the fillet and cook the other side until the fish is cooked through and slightly browned and charred.
- Transfer the fish gently and let it cool on the plate. To smoke the fish, heat up a stovetop smoker with 1 tablespoon of wood chips. Place the fish on a sheet of aluminum foil and cover with the lid.
- Turn on medium-low heat and smoke for 5 minutes. Remove the smoker from the heat and let the fish smoke for an additional 5 minutes.
- Transfer the Branzino fish to a plate and serve immediately with microgreens and Japanese salmon roe (ikura).
Notes
- This recipe is inspired by my dinner at n/naka, a two-star Michelin Japanese restaurant in Los Angeles.
- If you can’t find Branzino, you can use red snapper for this recipe.
- I used Lee Kum Kee brand oyster sauce to marinate the fish.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
If you enjoy smoked food flavor, you can cold smoke without adding heat to your dish. If you don’t have a cold smoking gun and cloche, you can duplicate the effect by placing your food on a parchment line cookie sheet, making a small bowl out of aluminum foil, place your wood chips in the foil bowl, light it and place a casserole dish or Pyrex bowl over both. As the wood chips smolder under cover, it produces the desired smoke flavor without overcooking the food.
Bee we don’t appear to have that fish available in New Zealand. The nearest looking fish here would be what we call Kawhai …..like a sea trout.
Sure, you can use that or snapper.
After searing in the pan, can I bake in the oven instead of smoking in a smoker since I don’t own a smoker. If yes, would you pls tell me the oven temperature, baking time & any other tips if any.
There is no need to bake if you don’t have a smoker. It will overcook the fish.
I love this Branzino recipe!