Salt Baked Branzino Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Generously grease a large rimmed baking sheet with olive oil.
• Arrange the fillets on the baking sheet in one layer. Drizzle the 2 tablespoons of olive oil over the fish and season with salt and black pepper. Bake until the fish is flaky and just fully cooked through, about 12 minutes.
• Meanwhile, finely grate the zest of 1 lemon and 1 orange into a small bowl and add the parsley, good olive oil, red pepper flakes, a pinch of salt, a few grinds of black pepper, juice of half the lemon and juice of half the orange. Stir gently to combine.
• Slice the remaining lemon and orange. Serve the fish topped with the gremolata and citrus slices.

Steps:

• Serving suggestions: Steamed vegetables and plain mashed potatoes
• To make the vinaigrette sauce: In a small bowl, mix together salt and lemon juice, and then add the olive oil. When it comes time to serve, mix the aromatic herb mixture into the sauce, see Cook's note*.
• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
• Clean and dry the branzino. In a bowl, mix egg whites, flour, sea salt, and the aromatic herbs, creating a smooth mixture. Line the bottom of a baking pan with the parchment paper. Place the branzino onto the parchment paper. Cover the entire branzino (top and all sides but not the bottom) with the sea salt mixture.
• Bake for 20 minutes, and then remove from oven. While the fish is still in the baking pan, crack open the sea salt case, push it to the side, then fillet. Place the branzino fillets onto a plate. Serve with vinaigrette sauce on the side, steamed vegetables and plain mashed potatoes.
• Combine all herbs.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°F.
• Place salt in a bowl and add egg whites 1 at a time, stirring, until mixture looks like wet sand (the number will vary).
• Rinse fish and pat dry. Place fish on a parchment-lined large baking sheet and divide remaining ingredients between cavities of fish.
• Firmly pat half of salt evenly over each fish to cover fish completely.
• Bake fish in middle of oven until salt is just starting to turn golden at edges, 15 to 18 minutes (see cooks' note, below).
• Crack salt away from fish and discard, then carefully lift fish from bones.

Steps:

• For fish:
• Preheat oven to 400°F. Stir salt and 5 egg whites in large bowl, adding more egg whites as needed to form grainy paste. Press 1/4-inch layer of salt mixture (large enough to hold both fish) onto large rimmed baking sheet. Stuff cavity of each whole fish with half of herb sprigs and lemon slices. Place fish atop salt mixture on baking sheet. Pack remaining salt mixture over fish to enclose completely. Roast until thermometer inserted into thickest part of fish registers 135°F, about 20 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, prepare salsa verde:
• Using small sharp knife, remove peel and white pith from lemon. Working over bowl, cut between membranes to release segments. Cut each segment into 3 pieces. Add lemon pieces and next 6 ingredients to bowl.
• Using back of large spoon, gently crack open salt crust on fish. Lift and discard salt layer. Pull skin from top of 1 fish. Carefully lift top fillet from bones and transfer to plate. Lift and discard bones. Gently lift second fillet from skin and transfer to second plate. Repeat with second fish for a total of 4 plates.
• Spoon salsa verde over fish, leaving juices in bowl. Add arugula to bowl; toss to coat. Divide among plates.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
• Combine the sea salt and egg whites until the mixture looks like wet sand.
• Stuff the branzino with the rosemary, parsley, garlic and lemon slices, then pack the outside tightly with the salt mixture. Put the branzino on a baking sheet.
• Bake until the salt turns golden brown, about 15 minutes. Place on a serving dish.
• Bring the branzino to the table for a few oohs and aahs, crack open the salt with a knife handle, brush away the salt, fillet the fish and serve.