Oven-Baked Whole Branzini with Veggies

Step 1

Preparing the fish and veggies: Prepare the vegetables by washing and peeling them. Cut them into large dice cut.

Step 2

Boil the water in a large pan, add the veggies, and boil them for about 10 minutes. The idea here is to soften the veggies a little before baking them since the veggies and fish will be baked at the same. And fish needs less time baking than veggies, especially potatoes. So, this technique is handy if you don't want to risk overbaking the fish.

Step 3

Clean the fish under running water. They typically clean it well at Whole Foods, but to be safe, I ran it under clean water one more time.

Step 4

Oil the baking dish with 2 tbsp olive oil, and place the fish.

Step 5

On the insides of the fish, sprinkle with olive oil (about 1 tbsp per branzino), add salt and pepper per your liking, and add some Italian seasoning. Cut the lemons into thick rounds, cut the rounds in half, and add them to the insides too.

Step 6

Take the veggies out of the boiling water into a dry dish, and coat them with 2 tbsp olive oil and salt and pepper per your linking. Add some Italian seasoning here as well.

Step 7

Place the coated veggies around the fish.

Step 8

Add 1/2 cup of water around the fish and veggies.

Step 9

Drizzle 1/2 cup white wine over branzini.

Step 10

Bake at 375F (190C) uncovered until the veggies are baked and the skin of the whole branzini becomes golden.

Step 11

Take the branzini out on a cutting board, and open the fish lengthwise in the middle. Remove the main bone in the middle first, then remove the smaller bones on the sides. Transfer the fish to the individual plates.

Step 12

Preparing the fish topping: Mix chopped garlic, two tbsp olive oil, 1/2 freshly squeesed lemon, chopped parsley and salt and pepper.