Baked branzino, the whole sea bass that Greeks know as lavraki, takes about 40 minutes with Christala’s Allrecipes method, which home cooks rate 4.8 out of 5.
Baked branzino is the sea bass Greeks call lavraki
Branzino is one of the Italian names for the European sea bass, a mild white fish found across the Mediterranean. Wikipedia’s species entry lists lavraki (λαβράκι) among its other names. It also notes that Greece is one of the main countries farming the fish.
Across North America, the fish is widely sold as branzino. As a result, Greek restaurants in the United States often use that name too. In New York, Greek City Times reported that a whole flame-grilled branzino became the signature dish at Selene, a new Greek restaurant in SoHo.
Back in Greece, the Greek City Times guide to seafood restaurants in Athens lists whole grilled fish at Vasilenas in Piraeus. Still, baked branzino is easy to make at home, because the oven does most of the work.
Christala, the Allrecipes member behind the recipe, cooks the fish whole. She fills each one with lemon, rosemary and onion, then bakes it with white wine, lemon juice and fresh oregano. Each of the four serves comes to about 380 calories and 53 g of protein, according to the Allrecipes nutrition panel.
Ingredients for lemon and herb lavraki
This baked branzino serves four and needs only ten ingredients. In addition, most of them are probably in the kitchen already, apart from the fish itself.
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1 red onion, chopped
- Salt and ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 whole branzino (sea bass), cleaned
- 4 lemon wedges, divided
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 1/2 cup white wine
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon fresh oregano leaves
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Fresh oregano gives baked branzino its Greek character. In Greece, the herb usually goes into the lemon and olive oil sauce served with grilled fish. Greek City Times has also described Greek oregano as one of the healthiest and tastiest herbs in the world.
Christala adds that celery, capsicum or tomatoes can go into the pan and the cavity as well. Similarly, a pinch of chilli flakes over the fish before baking adds some heat. For cooks who cannot eat onion, one community answer on the page suggested leeks, chives, celery, capsicum or fennel instead.
How to stuff and roast the whole fish
Allrecipes lists 15 minutes of preparation and 25 minutes in the oven for this baked branzino. Buy the fish already cleaned, since that leaves only the stuffing and seasoning to do.
- Heat the oven to 165°C (325°F).
- Pour 1 tablespoon of the olive oil into a large baking dish, add the onion and season with salt and pepper.
- Lay both fish in the dish, then fill each cavity with a lemon wedge, a rosemary sprig and some of the onion.
- Pour the wine and lemon juice over the fish, scatter over the oregano and drizzle with the rest of the oil.
- Bake for about 25 minutes, until the flesh turns opaque and flakes easily with a fork.
- Slide a spatula along the bones to lift the flesh away, and remove all the bones.
- Finally, arrange the fish on a platter and finish with the parsley and the remaining lemon wedges.
Christala also says lavraki can be grilled instead, turned over once during cooking. In that case, the same lemon, herb and wine seasoning still applies.
Tips from home cooks
More than 100 home cooks say they have made this baked branzino on Allrecipes. Of its 49 ratings, 41 are five stars. Allrecipes member Ray wrote: “This is a wonderful dish for an easy elegant weeknight dinner.”
However, oven temperature drew the most comments. One reviewer found the fish still raw after 25 minutes at 165°C. As a result, several others baked the fish at 400°F (about 200°C) for 30 to 50 minutes instead.
Fish size also changes how long baked branzino needs. One cook used fish of about 450 g (1 lb) each and needed about 50 minutes on a fan-forced setting. Before serving, check the thickest part and keep baking until the flesh flakes away from the bone.
Reviewers shared ways to flavour baked branzino too. In particular, several added tomatoes, garlic and celery, while another mixed lemon zest through the onion stuffing. One cook left the fish to marinate in all its ingredients in the fridge for about an hour. That reviewer said it tasted much better that way.
Overall, baked branzino suits a weeknight as well as a Sunday dinner, given that it needs one dish and little hands-on time. The original recipe on Allrecipes also includes step-by-step photos.
Source: Allrecipes
The post Baked Branzino: How to Cook Whole Sea Bass the Greek Way appeared first on Greek City Times.