Name: Branzino in Tomato-Olive Sauce
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 2 tbsp olive oil; 4 branzino fillets, skin on; 2 cups grape tomatoes (halved); 3 tbsp capers; 1/2 cup olives; 1/3 cup sake (or white wine); 1/2 tsp table salt; 1 scallion (finely sliced); 1/2 cup low sodium chicken stock; 1 tbsp butter

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Crispy branzino fillets in a sweet-salty, sake infused, tomato-olive broth. Serve it with rice to get a delicious comfort food that warms you to the bones or pair it with a salad or steamed vegetables for a lighter meal.

The perfect weeknight meal..

I love this recipe because it works really well with my lifestyle. Usually, I have a most of the ingredients in my pantry so I just need to pick up the fish on my way home. My routine is to put the rice in the rice cooker and start cooking. Unlike Indian dishes, very little cooking time is necessary to develop the sauce. As a result, I am able to have the entire meal including the rice on the dinner table within thirty minutes!

What you need

Here are the ingredients:

Branzino with Tomato Olive Sauce Ingredients

Branzino fillets, also known as European Sea Bass is easily available in fish markets. While this recipe works with any type of fish, I specially like Branzino because it is very easy to cook. The skin crisps up easily and the flesh is flaky and sweet – a perfect flavor to go with the olives and capers.
Olive oil is used to fry the fillets.
Grape tomatoes are a vital part of the dish as it helps balance out the saltiness of the olives and capers and develops the broth.
Olives, capers and salt add a lovely lemony, briny flavor to the sauce.
I like using Sake because its adds umami and a naturally sweet flavor without overpowering the broth.
I use chicken stock because I always have some in my pantry however since this is a fish dish – fish stock would be even better.
Butter is added right at the end to give the sauce a delicious velvety texture.
Thinly sliced scallions serve the dual purpose of being a garnish as well as adding a bit of texture to the dish.

How do I cook Branzino in Tomato-Olive Sauce?

Step One: Fry the fillets in the olive oil in a saucepan, on medium heat, skin side down first. Note: Dry the fish with a paper towel – it’s the secret to super crispy skin and also reduces oil splatters. When frying, use a splatter guard just to be safe. The fish skin releases from the pan when its crisp and done – so give it a nudge before flipping – if it does not slide easily, wait a little longer., turning only when the skin releases. Set aside on a dish.

Step One - fry the branzino skin down first

Step Two: Add everything else except the scallion into the same saucepan. Simmer for about 5 minutes.

Step Three: Add the branzino, then simmer for another five minutes so that the fish can absorb the flavors of the sauce.

Step Four: Garnish with thinly sliced scallion.

How to serve Branzino in Tomato-Olive Sauce

Serve the Branzino with rice to get a delicious comfort food that warms you to the bones or pair it with a salad or steamed vegetables for a lighter meal. You could also pair it with Ultimate Chicken Fried Rice or Caesar Salad. Other pairings include a simple spinach salad with pine nuts, mashed potatoes, couscous and roasted potatoes.

Leftovers: Branzino in Tomato-Olive Sauce is awesome the next day. For optimal flavor, heat up the fish, on low to medium heat on the stovetop and reheat the rice in the microwave.

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Finally, if you make this recipe

I’d love to hear how it went – please leave a comment and rate this recipe. Above all, I love hearing from all of you and will do my best to answer each and every comment!

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5 from 6 votes