A whole roasted fish is one of the easiest ways to cook fish! Ask your fish monger (or just the guy behind the counter) to butterfly the branzino for you, which will remove about 90% or all of the bones. The sauce for this was inspired by a pad thai sauce, using tamarind, peanuts, fish sauce, and palm sugar.
Even if the fish monger butterflies the fish, always look out for bones and eat very carefully!
Whole Roasted Branzino with Tamarind, Cilantro, & Lime
Ingredients
- 1 whole Branzino butterflied
- 2 tbsp Neutral oil
- 3 tbsp Tamarind paste
- ½ cup Palm sugar (100g) or dark brown sugar
- 2 tbsp Water
- 2 tbsp Fish sauce
- 1 bunch Scallions dark green parts only
- 2 inch piece Ginger peeled and julienned
- 1 tbsp Cilantro chopped
- 2 Limes 1 lime sliced thick, 1 lime quartered
- Kosher salt
- 1-2 tbsp Peanuts chopped for garnish
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 400ºF.
- In a small pot, melt the palm sugar with 2 tbsp water until smooth. Add the tamarind paste and the fish sauce and bring to a simmer for about 2-3 minutes, then remove from the heat. Transfer to a different container and cool to at least room temperature.
- Examine the branzino and see if you need to remove any fins or bones. Use a sharp knife to carefully cut 3 shallow slits in the skin at an angle. Repeat on the other skin side. Rub the skin of the branzino with neutral oil, then place on a parchment paper lined sheet pan. Season the skin and the inside of the fish with a pinch of kosher salt.
- Rub the inside flesh of the fish with about 1 tbsp of the sauce per side, then repeat on both sides of the skin. You should use around 4 tbsp total (2 inside, 2 on skin).
- Spread the ginger pieces and the scallion pieces along the flesh, and top with about 4 slices of lime. Fold the other side of the branzino over the limes, ensuring everything stays (mostly) inside the fish.
- Roast the stuffed branzino in the 400ºF oven for 10-15 minutes, or until the skin is slightly crisp, the flesh is white and opaque, and/or the internal temperature reaches 145ºF. You may optionally put it under the broiler for 1-2 minutes to get a crispier skin.
- Transfer the whole branzino to a serving plate or platter, then garnish with chopped cilantro and chopped peanuts. Set the quartered lime pieces on the side to squeeze as desired.
