Simply grilled branzino, also known as Mediterranean sea bass is a delicate and flavorful Mediterranean seafood recipe. Whole branzino is stuffed with bright lemon slices and lots of fresh herbs and perfectly grilled, resulting in a light, flaky and succulent fish. Serve alongside a bright citrus oil to pour over the branzino filets and bring all those light and fresh flavors together.
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About This Recipe
Simply grilled branzino is one of our favorite Mediterranean summer dinners! Whole branzino are infused with fresh herbs and bright citrus and perfectly grilled until the fish is tender and flaky.
The beautiful thing about whole grilled branzino, is that there is little prep. Have the fishmonger scale and gut the fish and once you're ready, stuff the whole fish with lemon slices and fresh herbs and you're ready to grill!
If you can't find a whole Branzino look for a Salmon Fillet and make my Grilled Sockeye Salmon with Mediterranean Glaze. If Halibut is your go to fish try my panko crusted halibut.
I like to keep the grilled branzino simple a light and once the fish is done cooking, pour over a fresh herb and lemon vinaigrette to enhance the fresh Mediterranean flavors. And while the grill is going, serve the grilled sea bass with grilled potato and asparagus salad or garnish the fish with grilled pineapple pico de gallo for a sweet finish.
🐟 What is Branzino?
Branzino is also known as European sea bass and can be found all throughout the Mediterranean sea. Branzino is a light and mild fish that weighs anywhere from 1 ½ to 2 pounds, making it a fantastic fish for stuffing aromatics and for at home cooking.
🌿 Recipe Highlights
- Step by step instructions with photos on how to grill and serve a whole branzino!
- Light, fresh and citrusy, this grilled branzino recipe only has a handful of ingredients and is full of Mediterranean flavor!
- Grilled branzino is a light and flaky white fish with a mild flavor that holds up to high heat cooking such as grilling or roasting.
- Whole branzino pairs well with a variety of sides, such as lemon orzo salad with feta and Italian grilled panzanella salad.
📋 Ingredients
- Branzino: Also called Mediterranean sea bass, look for branzino that is firm, fresh with clear eyes.
- Lemon: Slice half the lemon into thin slices and save the other half to grill. You can also do the same with orange, grapefruit or lime.
- Fresh Herbs: Use your favorite fresh tender herbs such as parsley, cilantro, basil, thyme and green onions. Stuff a few sprigs into the cavity of the whole sea bass and save some for the lemon vinaigrette.
- Olive Oil: use a good quality olive oil that is full of flavor for the lemon vinaigrette.
- Flaky Salt: Fleur de sel have thick and light salt flakes with a nice crunch. I like to use this both in seasoning and as a finishing salt once the branzino is cooked.
See recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
🍋 Substitutions and Variations
- Grill other whole fish such as red snapper or whole striped bass.
- Use any tender fresh herbs that are available or a mixture of herbs, such as fresh basil, thyme, oregano, tarragon, cilantro and parsley.
- Instead of lemon, stuff the branzino with other citrus such as orange, grapefruit or lime slices.
- Chopped or sliced preserved lemons would be fantastic stuffed inside the fish and used in the herb oil.
⏲️ How to Grill a Whole Branzino
Step 1. Season the inside of the branzino with salt and pepper and stuff a few springs of fresh herbs and lemon slices into the cavity.
Step 2. Liberally brush the outside of the whole fish with oil and place the whole branzino onto a hot grill and grill for 5-7 minutes on the first side.
Step 3. Use a flexible fish spatula and carefully flit th branzino to the other side and continue cooking for another 5 minutes until charred on the outside and fish is just cooked through.
Step 4. Remove the whole branzino to a platter and let cool slightly When ready to serve, remove the herbs and lemon and stand the fish upright on its back.
Step 5. Use a fork and gently open up the branzino, skin side down.
Step 6. At this point, the spine will be easily to remove and you can also use small paring knife to cut off the tail and head for presentation.
Step 7. Spoon the lemon herb oil onto the cooked branzino.
Step 8. Optional but highly recommended, grill a halved lemon and squeeze the grilled lemon juice onto the branzino.
📍 Recipe Tips
- When buying whole fish, the fish should smell fresh without any "fishy" odor and the eyes should be clear and not cloudy.
- If the herbs and citrus is poking out, you can secure the fish with toothpicks to keep the aromatics inside.
- Liberally brush oil onto the outside of the fish to ensure the fish doesn't stick to the grill.
- Heat the grill to high, which also helps the fish not stick to the grill. But if some of the fish skin sticks, that's perfectly fine.
- Thicker whole fish may need an extra 2-3 minutes of cooking, so keep an eye on the fish.
What to Serve Grilled Branzino With
Recipe FAQs
Branzino is a delicious mild while fish that is flaky when cooked. The flaky fish is a great fish for those wanting to get into seafood as branzino is not fishy at all.
Yes, branzino does have bones. Once the fish is grilled, you and open it up and remove the spine easily, though there may be some small bones so be careful when eating.
yes, you can eat branzino skin. Make sure the fish is scaled well and season the outside of the fish with salt and pepper and olive oil. Once grilled or roasted, the sea bass skin will be charred and slightly crispy.
More Fish Recipes to Try
Love this recipe? Please leave a 5-star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟rating in the recipe card below & a review in the comments section further down the page.
Grilled Branzino with Lemon and Fresh Herbs
LittleFerraroKitchen.com
Ingredients
- 2 whole branzino about 1 ½ pounds each
- 1 lemon cut in half, other half saved for grilling
- Few sprigs of fresh herbs parsley, cilantro, thyme or basil
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon Ground black pepper
- 2-3 tablespoons Olive oil
Herb Olive Oil
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ½ lemon zested and juiced
- ¼ cup fresh parsley, basil or cilantro thick stems removed and finely chopped
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Ask your fish monger to clean the branzino well, to de-scale it and de-gut.
- Preheat an outdoor or indoor grill to high and pat the outside of the fish dry well with paper towels.
- Season the inside of the fish cavity with salt and pepper and stuff with 2-3 lemon slices and a few sprigs of herbs. You can cut the lemon slices in half if they are large.
- Liberally brush olive oil all over the outside of the whole fish and place the stuffed sea bass onto the hot grill. Cook the fish for 5-7 minutes on the first side until skin is charred, then carefully flip over and continue cooking for another 5 minutes until fish looks opaque.
- Once done, transfer the whole fish to a platter. While the fish rests, grill the other lemon half until lightly charred.
- To make herb olive oil, add the finely chop fresh herbs to a bowl along with the olive oil, lemon zest and juice and season with salt and pepper. Whisk to combine and taste for seasoning.
- To serve, lay the fish on it's back and remove the aromatics from the cavity. Use a fork to gently open the fish, exposing the fillets and remove the spine, which should come off easily. Use a pairing knife to remove the head and tail as well.
- Drizzle the citrus oil over fish filets and finish with a squeeze of grilled lemon juice on top.
Video
Notes
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- When buying whole fish, the fish should smell fresh without any "fishy" odor and the eyes should be clear and not cloudy.
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- If the herbs and citrus is pocking out, you can secure the fish with toothpicks to keep the aromatics inside.
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- Liberally brush oil onto the outside of the fish to ensure the fish doesn't stick to the grill.
-
- Heat the grill to high, which also helps the gish not stick to the grill. But it some of the fish skil sticks, that's perfectly fine.
-
- Thicker whole fish may need an extra 2-3 minutes of cooking, so keep an eye on the fish.
- For another Seafood recipe with an Italian Spin, try my Halibut Piccata.
Luv2cook says
This dish looked a bit intimidating and since I am pressing myself I made this recipe. I had the fishmonger make sure the fish was clean and scaled. I have scaled fish at home and WOW what a mess not to mention the drain clogging issue. I followed the video exactly and it was the best fish ever. I had a whole fish on the beach in mexico one and the Branzino was way better.
New2Cooking says
We saw these whole fish at the Grocery store and also had whole fish when we were in Mexico. We had to try it and this recipe made it so easy. We checked the produce drawer and found lemons and lomes that needed to be used. Also make sure to wipe down the grill with an oily rag first so the fish does not stick. We saw this video, https://www.instagram.com/stories/highlights/17982889775473005/ and followed the directions, WOW what a fun impressive recipe.
Nadine says
1st time making Bronzino! Easy awesome recipe. I will definitely make this again
Samantha says
Thank you so much Nadine!! So glad it came out well!
Peachy Monson says
Excellent and super easy. I used fresh herbs from the garden such as parsley, dill & oregano and broiled in the oven instead of grilling. Thank you for sharing and will definitely make it again.
Samantha says
Thank you for commenting! So glad you enjoyed!
Virginia says
My spouse is our grill chef and has created numerous delicious meals, but this is definitely one of the best! Never had a whole grilled fish and can't wait to do this again. Followed the recipe to the letter, except did remove the head before grilling. Fresh herbs from our own garden were perfect in this. Thanks for leading us to a truly wonderful meal!
Samantha says
Hi Virginia..so glad you ventured into whole fish! I love it so much. A bit more work to eat through but well worth it I think! I am thinking of trying a while fish on a soaked cedar plank this summer as well. 🙂