Pan Seared Branzino Recipe with Blistered Tomatoes

Branzino, or European Bass is a hot culinary item. Featured on many restaurant menus around the country, around the world as it is a wonderfully flaky white fish that’s easy to cook and delicious to eat while being full of lean protein and vitamin D. Its flavor is similar to sea bass or halibut and either one makes a fantastic substitution in this dish. Perfect for a healthy midweek stunner of a meal, this dish has few ingredients but packed with bold flavors. Blistered tomatoes are a fun preparation, the browner the better, and more like a side dish than a sauce. But spooned over the fish fillets they are a perfect visual and culinary accompaniment.

Ingredients for Pan Seared Branzino with Blistered Tomatoes:

Ingredients for this Branzino Recipe

• 2 branzino fillets (available frozen in many stores; you can substitute any white fish fillets that you can find such as a sea bass fillet)

• Salt and pepper

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• 1 C cherry or grape tomatoes

• 1/4 C white wine

• Freshly squeezed lemon juice (to your taste)

• 1 tbsp butter

• Fresh chopped parsley, chives, cilantro, your choice, to garnish and finish flavoring the dish

Cooking Instructions for Pan Seared Branzino with Blistered Tomatoes:

1. Pat the fish dry. Sprinkle with salt and pepper on each side to season.

2. Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in your sauté pan over medium heat. Add the fillets and sauté till opaque, about 15 minutes. Remove from the pan, season with a sprinkle of lemon juice and cover to keep warm.

   

   Sear branzino fillets in pan over medium heat.

3. Turn the heat up to medium high and add the remaining olive oil. Once the pan is hot, add the tomatoes. Let cook for at least two minutes, please don’t stir, so that the tomatoes start to brown and caramelize. Shake the pan every couple of minutes to let the tomatoes get cooked on each side.

   

   Add cherry tomatoes to the same pan.

4. Once the tomatoes are nicely browned, pour the white wine into the pan. Simmer for 3 minutes so that the alcohol cooks out of the wine and begins to thicken.

   

   Add some cooking wine.

5. Add the butter and stir or swirl to combine.

   

   Add the butter and stir to combine.

6. Uncover the filets and spoon the tomatoes and sauce over them. Finish your presentation with a lemon wedge and a generous sprinkling of fresh chopped herbs for additional color and flavor.

7. Serve with a side dish of your choice such as a mixed greens side salad, a side of cauliflower rice or brown rice, or baked potatoes.

Types of Tomatoes for this Blistered Branzino Recipe

This branzino recipe uses cherry tomatoes, which are smaller versions of round tomatoes. This type of tomato have some membrane around the seed and extra moisture. A Roma tomato is a pear shaped tomato that will be more and could have better yield since there is less water that will evaporate. Regardless of the type of tomato store them at 55°F before cooking.