Branzino-Sea Bass Recipe

Branzini, which are also known as spigole in Italy, are among the most popular Mediterranean fish, and always have been -- Alan Davidson notes that the Romans preferred them from brackish waters, but there are fewer now to be found in river mouths, and thus we eat those from the sea. Sea bass is a very tasty fish, with relatively few, easy-to-remove bones and firm flesh that holds its shape when cooked.

Try this recipe:

Filetti Di Branzino in Crosta di Patate - Sea Bass Filets in a Mashed Potato Crust

To serve 4:
4 sea bass weighing 3/4 pound (300 g) each, cleaned and scaled
A small bunch of parsley
2 organically grown lemons
1/2 pound (200 g) creamy mashed potatoes
Extravirgin Olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Set you oven to 400 F (200 C), and while it's heating fillet the fish (how to fillet a fish).

Lightly oil an oven dish and lay the fillets in it. Grate the zest of the lemons, sprinkle it over the fillets, salt lightly, and spread the mashed potatoes over them. Roast in the oven for about 20 minutes.

When the fillets are done, transfer them to heated plates, garnish them with sprigs of parsley, and serve at once.

Branzino Fish Recipe

Ingredients

* Nonstick vegetable oil spray
* 1 1/4 pounds russet potatoes, peeled, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick rounds
* 2 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
* 1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
* 2 13- to 14-ounce branzino (loup de mer) or striped bass, scaled, gutted
* 6 fresh marjoram sprigs
*
* 4 thin lemon slices, halved
* 1/4 cup dry white wine
* 1/4 cup water
* 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
* 12 whole Kalamata olives
* 12 cherry tomatoes, halved
* 2 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted
* Fleur de sel

Preparation

*
Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray rimmed baking sheet with nonstick spray. Toss potatoes and 1 tablespoon oil on sheet; sprinkle with thyme, salt, and pepper. Bake until almost tender, about 12 minutes; set aside.
*
Maintain oven temperature. Sprinkle fish inside and out with salt and pepper. Stuff each with marjoram sprigs and lemon slices. Arrange fish in 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish. Pour in wine, 1/4 cup water, and lemon juice. Drizzle with 1 1/2 tablespoons oil.
*
Roast fish 15 minutes. Scatter olives and tomatoes around. Tuck in reserved potatoes and sprinkle with nuts. Continue to roast until fish is just opaque in center, about 20 minutes longer. Sprinkle with fleur de sel.

Branzino Fish is Popular Menu Item

Branzino has become the fish of the moment, across the country. The name sounds vaguely exotic and clearly Mediterranean. The fish comes in a convenient size, around two to three pounds, so it can be served roasted whole on the bone, boned and stuffed, or in fillets.
But what exactly is a branzino? Fish nomenclature can be quite confusing--as with Alaskan black cod, or sablefish, and hamachi, or yellowtail--and branzino is no exception.
Branzino is another name for European sea bass, which may also be called loup de mer, bar or spigola. In Turkey it's known as levrek, and in Greece it is called lavraki. To further add to the confusion, loup de mer is French for wolf of the sea, and is also a name used for wolffish, a Northern Atlantic Ocean fish that bears no relation to bass or branzino. Since there are many kinds of bass, perhaps the term branzino for the European fish, which is much more appealing than anything with wolf in the name, is a felicitous choice.
The branzino that reach our markets have been farm-raised. Overfishing has made the fish nearly nonexistent in the Mediterranean, its native habitat. Today branzino cultivation flourishes, especially in Grecian waters and off Cyprus.
On the plate, branzino has mild, fairly firm white flesh. It's a much tastier fish when cooked on the bone, as it is at the Fig & Olive restaurants in New York, where it comes whole and seasoned with herbes de Provence and lemon. A cooked branzino is one of the simplest fishes to bone out, but fussy customers can always have the waiter do the filleting.
The majority of chefs look to the Mediterranean for inspiration when they prepare branzino, and it rarely shows up at the sushi bar. But at Il Grano in Los Angeles there is a branzino tartare on the list of crudo, with an anchovy condiment, chives and an herb salad.