This recipe was inspired by a whole grilled branzino at La Case at Cheval Blanc St-Barth. The fish arrives at the table whole, lightly glazed, and is then filleted in a rather ingenious way that leaves the bones behind and the flesh beautifully intact.
The fish itself couldn't be simpler — lemon, garlic and herbs over charcoal. What makes it special is the cucumber-shallot vinaigrette: a little of the seasoned oil is brushed over the hot fish, while the finely diced cucumber, shallot and tomato are spooned alongside. Simple, fresh and very, very good.
Ingredients
For the Branzino
- 1 whole branzino, about 1–1½ lb, cleaned and scaled
- 1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
- ½ lemon, thinly sliced
- 2 sprigs thyme
- 1 small sprig rosemary
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- Sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
For the Sauce
- 2 tbsp peeled, seeded cucumber, 2–3 mm dice
- 1 tbsp shallot, extremely finely minced
- 1 tbsp peeled and seeded ripe tomato, 2–3 mm dice
- 1 tsp finely snipped chives
- 4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp Champagne vinegar
- ½ tsp fresh lemon juice
- sea salt
- tiny amount of white pepper
Method
Prepare the Sauce
Mix the shallot with the vinegar and a pinch of salt first and leave it 10 minutes. That takes the raw edge off the shallot. Add cucumber, tomato and herbs, then olive oil. Don't whisk it into an emulsion — just stir. Let it sit another 10–15 minutes.
Prepare the Branzino
Pat the fish really dry, inside and out. Salt and pepper the cavity, then put in the garlic, lemon, thyme and rosemary. Don't pack it tightly—you want some hot air circulating in there.
Rub the outside lightly with olive oil and season generously with salt.
For charcoal, set up a medium-high direct zone, but not raging-hot coals. You want roughly 400–450°F at the grate. Clean and oil the grate extremely well because branzino skin loves attaching itself to a BBQ.
For a fish around 1–1½ lb, roughly 5–7 minutes on the first side, then carefully turn it once and give it another 4–6 minutes. A larger 2 lb fish may need more like 7–9 minutes per side. You're looking for crisp skin and flesh that releases easily from the backbone.
Dip a brush into the sauce and avoid any shallots or chives or tomatoes getting on it. Gently brush the branzino to create a glaze.
To Serve
Bring the glossy whole branzino to the table.
Remove head and spoon out the cheeks. Set aside.
Remove the tail.
Using a very sharp knife, cut down the centre of the upper side and fold the two pieces away from the skeleton. You are createing two fillets and exposing the skeleton.
Gently remove the exposed skeleton/bones with a knife and fork being careful not to leave any bones.
Divide the remaining side to create two more fillets and stack the pieces into the two portions, bottom skin side down and top skin side up.
Spoon the vegetable solids from the vinaigrette around each serving, leaving the rest in the bowl if someone wants more.
Arrange the cheeks on each plate and serve.
Kitchen Notes
To serve: This branzino is excellent on its own with the Cucumber-Shallot Vinaigrette. For a larger meal, serve with my Green Garden Salad. But make sure you serve the salad in seperate bowls.