Whole Branzino

A close-up of two whole baked fish garnished with lemon slices and fresh dill, served on a decorative floral plate. A leafy green salad is visible in the background.

This whole branzino is roasted Greek-style with lemon, garlic, dill, and oregano for crispy skin and tender, flaky flesh. It's so easy to make this Mediterranean-inspired dinner and it's perfect for sharing.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Greek-Inspired

Keyword branzino, whole fish

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 20

Total Time 50

Servings

Calories 574kcal

Author Maria Koutsogiannis

Ingredients

For the thyme & oregano infused salt

2 tbsp flaky sea salt
1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
1 tbsp fresh minced oregano leaves
Zest from 1 lemon

For the branzino

2 - 1 ½ lb whole Branzino or seabass, cleaned and scaled (ask your fishmonger to scale and gut it for you if not done already)
extra-virgin olive oil
6 garlic cloves smashed
8-12 sprigs of fresh dill
8-12 sprigs of fresh oregano
3 lemons, thinly sliced into rounds

For the grape, arugula & lemon salad

3 tbsp olive oil
¼ tsp chili flakes
1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
peel from 1/2 a lemon, cut into thin strips
¼ cup white mediterranean wine
2 tsp dijon mustard
3 tsp honey
4 tbsp slivered almonds
1 tsp kosher salt
½ tsp ground pepper
5 oz (about 5-6 packed cups) fresh arugula
1 cup red or black grapes, halved

For serving

Instructions

For the thyme & oregano infused salt -

To make the salt, add the sea salt, fresh thyme leaves, fresh minced oregano and lemon zest to a food processor. Pulse a few times to combine and ensure the herbs and salt are broken down / combined. Set aside.
Alternatively, you can add all of the ingredients to a bowl and use your fingers to rub the salt, lemon and herbs together until fragrant. Set aside.

For the salad dressing -

To a frying pan add 3 tbsp olive oil over medium heat. Once the oil is warm, add the sliced garlic, chili flakes, thin strips of lemon peel and cook for just a few minutes until it’s fragrant and the garlic starts to just turn golden brown. Add the wine to deglaze the pan and cook it down a few minutes until about half of the wine is cooked off. Remove from the heat.
Add the ingredients from the pan to a blender along with dijon mustard, honey, slivered almonds, kosher salt and ground pepper. Blend until smooth and combined. Taste and adjust with salt and pepper if desired. Set the dressing aside.

For the branzino -

Preheat the oven to 425F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Use a sharp knife to score the fish, making 3 slits in the branzino on each side, about 1 inch slits through the skin and almost to the bone.
Pat the fish dry on both sides. Drizzle generously with olive oil and rub into the fish. Then season inside and outside with the thyme-oregano salt.
Divide the ingredients between the two branzino - stuff the cavity of each fish with smashed garlic cloves, fresh dill and fresh oregano sprigs and lemon slices from 2 lemons (folding or cutting the slices in half to fit if necessary).
Bake for 15-18 minutes or until the fish is cooked through (internal temperature 135-145F), opaque and flakes easily with a fork.
Once the fish is cooked, lay lemon rounds all over the top of each fish and then drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle a little more of the thyme-oregano salt on top. Broil the fish for 2-3 minutes or until the lemons start to caramelize.

Assemble the family-style platter -

Toast the pita in a frying pan over medium heat with a drizzle of olive oil until golden on both sides. Cut into pieces.
Toss the arugula with the grapes and dressing and set aside.
On a platter, arrange cooked branzino, dips (hummus, tzatziki), toasted pita and salad.
Finish by drizzling the cooked branzino with lemon juice (if desired), more herb salt and a drizzle of olive oil.

Notes

This whole branzino is perfect to serve for dinner when celebrating!
If you love this recipe, you'll love our Steelhead Trout Recipe

Nutrition