Roasted Branzino with Sweet Potatoes We had this dish as the main course for our Christmas dinner following an appetizer of clams. It was wonderful, and we enjoyed ourselves immensely. Branzino is a very delicate white fish with a very subtle flavor. The rosemary and lemon in this recipe will simply infuse the fish with a light flavor. You could also add some fresh garlic to this recipe if you wish. I recommend serving it with fresh lemon wedges. Roasting a whole fish is easier than you would think, and it results in fish that is moist and flaky. Whole Branzino is relatively easy to find at your local super market. If you have a local fish monger, consider me jealous. We had a favorite fish monger in Maryland, but in Colorado, they are much harder to come by. I picked up this Branzino at Whole Foods where they cleaned it, which means that they gutted it and removed the scales. If you buy your fish from a fish monger, have them clean it for you to save a lot of time and effort at home. In fact, this recipe does not cover the process of cleaning a fish, because I am assuming that you will do the sensible thing by having the fish market clean it for you at no extra cost. If you caught your own fish, I am assuming you know how to clean it and I bid you much joy and a stiff scale brush for your labor. When picking your fish, look for one with a firm body, head firmly attached, and clear eyes. Fish with cloudy eyes and a head that easily falls off is a clear indication that it is less than fresh. Ingredients: (2 servings) 1 - large sweet potato - thinly sliced 1 - 1.5 pounds whole Branzino 1 - medium size lemon - cut into medium slices - not wedges 1 - sprig of fresh rosemary coarse sea salt freshly ground black pepper butter Instructions: 1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit 2. Place the sweet potato slices in a microwave safe dish and microwave on high for 3 minutes - they should soften but will not be mushy. This step reduces the roasting time for the sweet potato so that the potatoes and the fish finish roasting at the same time. 3. Place Branzino in a baking dish that is long enough to hold the whole fish. 4. Salt and pepper both sides of the fish and the cavity of the fish. 5. Stuff the cavity of the fish with lemon slices and the rosemary sprig. Place any remaining lemon slices on top of the fish. 6. Place the sweet potato slices around the fish in the baking dish with salt and pepper. 7. Add slices of butter to the top of the fish and the sweet potato slices. 8. Roast this fish and sweet potato slices uncovered for 25-30 minutes. The inside cavity of the fish should appear white, and the sweet potato slices should be soft and be slightly caramelized.
Posted on: Wed, 31 Dec 2014 19:55:00 +0000
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