Baked Branzino

Ingredients

A delicate baked branzino, gently steamed in its own juices and plated with slow-cooked zucchini confiture, braised mushrooms and potatoes, sweet Campari tomatoes, and bright Castelvetrano olives.

• 600 g whole branzino, cleaned and scaled
• 30 g lemon slices (for stuffing)
• 3 g fresh rosemary sprigs (for stuffing)
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 120 ml extra virgin olive oil, divided
• 250 g Campari tomatoes, cut into wedges
• 80 g Castelvetrano olives, pitted
• 200 g button mushrooms, sliced
• 300 g russet potato, peeled and diced
• 120 g small yellow onion, diced
• 20 g tomato paste
• 250 ml vegetable stock or water (as needed for braising)
• 400 g green zucchini, diced (for zucchini confiture)
• 6 g garlic, sliced
• 115 g baby spinach (optional garnish)
• 28 g Italian parsley, chopped

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 325°F (165°C). Clean and descale the branzino if needed. Pat dry. Season the cavity with salt and pepper and fill with lemon slices and rosemary sprigs.
2. Season the outside of the fish with salt and pepper and drizzle with a little olive oil. Wrap first in plastic (if your kitchen protocol allows) and then in foil, sealing well. Place on a baking tray and bake for about 20 minutes, then let rest, still wrapped, for 6 minutes.
3. Carefully unwrap the fish, remove the skin, and fillet the branzino, keeping the fillets warm.
4. For the zucchini confiture, gently sweat the diced zucchini in a pan with a little olive oil, salt, and pepper over low heat for about 30 minutes, until very soft and almost jam-like. Keep warm.
5. For the mushroom–potato braise, sauté the diced onion and sliced mushrooms in olive oil until the mushrooms release their water and it evaporates. Add the diced potato and cook a few minutes, stirring.
6. Stir in a spoonful of tomato paste, moisten with vegetable stock or water, and simmer until the potatoes are tender and the sauce coats them. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.
7. In another pan, warm the Campari tomato wedges and Castelvetrano olives in a drizzle of olive oil with a little sliced garlic, just until glazed and aromatic. Finish with chopped parsley.
8. If using spinach, quickly sauté the spinach leaves with a bit of olive oil and sliced garlic until just wilted. Season lightly.
9. To serve, place a spoonful of zucchini confiture on the plate, set the warm branzino fillet on top, and arrange the tomato–olive mixture around. Add a spoonful of the braised potatoes and mushrooms and, if using, a small nest of garlic-sautéed spinach. Finish with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and more chopped parsley.