Roasting a whole fish is a little bit underrated if you ask me. It is a very simple technique that doesn’t take too much time. Plus, it is almost impossible to mess up because the skin and bones protect the meat from overcooking keeping it moist all the way through.
I am using branzino for this recipe, which is a Mediterranean Sea Bass that is very common in Italy’s seas, but you can use Atlantic Sea Bass or even Red Snapper would work great for this recipe. Since it’s small, branzino is an ideal fish to serve whole because the bones are easy to remove, and its skin is tender enough to eat.
When buying whole fish, first check the eyes; they should be bright and shiny. The flesh and skin should also be shiny. If the flesh has a slimy coat on it, stay away.
I am making a sundried tomato pesto to put over the fish. It’s a take on the more classic basil pesto but instead uses sundried tomatoes with garlic, pine nuts, and hints of lemon. I am not going to add Parmigiano Reggiano like the classic recipe would ask for because the intense flavor of the cheese may overpower the delicate fish.
This is a very simple and easy-to-make dish, but it surely has a wow factor when presented at the table.
Buon appetito!
Branzino with sundried tomato pesto
Ingredients
- 2 whole branzino
- 1 jar 280 g sundried tomatoes
- 1 cup radicchio
- 1 cup olives
- 1 cup artichokes
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes
- ½ cup tomato juice
- 5 garlic cloves
- ½ cup seasoned breadcrumbs
- ½ cup pine nuts
- 1 shallot
- 2 rosemary sprigs
- 1 lemon
- A few leaves of fresh basil
- Extra Virgin olive oil Umbria
- Salt
- Black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 F.
- Place the fish in a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Season the fish with salt and pepper on both sides.
- For each fish, insert into the cavity one garlic clove, two lemon wedges, and one sprig of rosemary.
- Prepare the pesto. Drain the sundried tomatoes from the oil and move them to a food processor along with one garlic clove, the zest of a lemon, and pine nuts. Blend until smooth. Cover both fish sides facing up with the pesto and top with breadcrumbs for a crunchy finish. Place the fish in the oven and cook for 25 minutes.
- In the meantime, prepare the side dish. Strain the artichokes, olives, and radicchio from the oil. Strain the cherry tomatoes from the tomato juice, but reserve ½ cup of the juice for the sauce.
- Finely chop the shallot and two garlic cloves. Warm up a large sauté pan on medium heat. Drizzle a couple of tablespoons of olive oil and add the shallot and garlic. Cook for 5 minutes. Add the artichokes, radicchio, and olives. Cook for five minutes. Add the cherry tomatoes and the juice. Cook for five minutes more. Turn off the heat and add a few leaves of basil. Set aside.
- Remove the fish from the oven. For plating, you could use two large platters. Divide the vegetables onto each plate and put the whole fish on top. Garnish with some fresh basil.
