Oven-Baked Branzino with Greek Ladolemono Sauce
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
Branzino is a very flavorful, mild and delicate fish that is very easy to prepare roasted in the oven with some sliced potatoes and a delicious ladolemono sauce.
Author: Marilena Leavitt
Recipe type: Main dish
Cuisine: Greek/Mediterranean
Serves: 2
Ingredients
- ¾ - 1 lb. small, new potatoes, cut into ¼” disks (optional)
- 1 medium Branzino (about 1lb.) – cleaned and scaled
- --- sea salt
- --- freshly ground black pepper
- --- dried Greek oregano
- --- extra virgin olive oil
- ½ lemon cut into ¼” slices
- ½ cup fresh dill, chopped
- 1 TBSP. water
- For the Ladolemono Sauce:
- ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
- ½ tsp. sea salt
- ¼ tsp. freshly ground pepper
- 1 tsp. dried Greek oregano
- ½ tsp. Dijon mustard (optional)
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Before Starting: When buying the fish, ask the fishmonger to clean and scale your fish, leaving the spin bone, the head, and the tail intact.
- Preheat your oven to 400°F and place a rack in the center of the oven. Set aside a medium size, rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Prepare the fish. Rinse and pat dry the branzino then make three, diagonal, slits about 2” long (depending on the size of your fish) on both sides. Rub 2 tablespoons of olive oil over the outside and the inside of the fish, then generously season it, including the cavity, with salt, pepper and oregano. Overlap a few lemon slices in the cavity and top with some fresh dill. Allow the fish to sit at room temperature for at least 20 minutes before cooking (or while the potatoes cook).
- Prepare the potatoes. If you are using potatoes, scrub them well and slice them thinly into disks. You can leave the skin on or peel it off. Toss with plenty of salt, black pepper, dried oregano, olive oil and one tablespoons of water. Place them in a single or slightly overlapping layer on the prepared baking sheet. Roast at 400°F until al dente, about 20 minutes.
- Make the ladolemono sauce. Mix together the lemon juice, salt, pepper, oregano and mustard if using. Whisk in the olive oil until a smooth sauce is formed. Alternatively, put all ingredients in a jar with a screw on top and shake vigorously until everything is well incorporated.
- Roast the fish. When the potatoes are mostly cooked, place the prepared fish over the potatoes, drizzle the whole pan with some more olive oil and roast for about 15 minutes (depending on the size of the fish). At this point, the fish should be almost completely cooked through. If you prefer a charred, blistered skin, turn on the broiler and place the fish about 6” under the broiler, for just 3-4 minutes so the skin gets crispy. If you do not want to do that, just bake it for 3-5 minutes more.
- Remove the pan from the oven, test the fish with a fork to make sure it is opaque and it flakes, then transfer it to a serving platter. Arrange the potatoes around it and drizzle the fish with the ladolemono sauce, saving some to drizzle over the deboned fillets too. Enjoy!
Notes
How to debone a cooked fish:
At the restaurant, when one orders a whole fish, usually the waiter will fillet it table side. It is not really all that hard to do it on your own. Here is how:
1. First, with the help of a fork and a knife, pull out the back bone at the top, all the way to the head.
2. Next, remove and discard the lemon and dill. Open up the cavity and flip the fish open. Starting from the tail, lift the central bone all the way to the head – it will come off in one piece, including the head.
3. Remove the underbelly bones on both sides and the few bones near the head of the fish.
5. Use a spatula to transfer the two fish fillets to a serving platter. Drizzle with some ladolemono sauce and enjoy!
At the restaurant, when one orders a whole fish, usually the waiter will fillet it table side. It is not really all that hard to do it on your own. Here is how:
1. First, with the help of a fork and a knife, pull out the back bone at the top, all the way to the head.
2. Next, remove and discard the lemon and dill. Open up the cavity and flip the fish open. Starting from the tail, lift the central bone all the way to the head – it will come off in one piece, including the head.
3. Remove the underbelly bones on both sides and the few bones near the head of the fish.
5. Use a spatula to transfer the two fish fillets to a serving platter. Drizzle with some ladolemono sauce and enjoy!
Recipe by Marilena's Kitchen at https://marilenaskitchen.com/oven-roasted-branzino-with-greek-ladolemono-sauce/