Branzino in Brodo
Delicate branzino, lemon-herb broth and good olive oil.
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Bare shimmer, not a simmer. The Italian word for what you want is 'sobbollire' - under-boiling. If you see active bubbles, it's too hot, and the fillets will tear apart and overcook in 90 seconds. Drop the heat, lid on, let the residual do the work.
Ingredients
Everything below makes 4 servings.
- 1¼ lbbranzino fillets (skin-on)4 fillets, patted dry
- ¼ cupextra-virgin olive oildivided
- 1 smallfennel bulbthinly sliced, fronds reserved
- 1 mediumleekwhite and light green parts only, sliced and well-rinsed
- 1 mediumshallotthinly sliced
- 3garlic clovessmashed
- 1 cupcherry tomatoeshalved
- 3 cupsvegetable or seafood stock
- 2 tbspfresh lemon juice
- 1lemonsliced into thin rounds
- 2bay leaf
- ¼ cupfresh parsleychopped
- 2 tbspfresh dillchopped
- 1¼ tspkosher salt
- ½ tspfreshly ground black pepper
In the app these rescale to however many people you're feeding.
Nutrition
Per serving, as written.
- 340calories
- 34gprotein
- 8gcarbs
- 18gfat
Swaps move these numbers. A different protein or base changes them.
Instructions
Knife work first, then the stove. Nothing below asks you to chop while something burns.
- Pat the fillets very dry, season with 0.5 tsp salt and pepper, set aside.
- Thinly slice fennel (save the fronds). Slice leek and rinse VERY well - grit hides in the layers.
- Slice the shallot. Smash the garlic. Halve cherry tomatoes.
- Slice 1 lemon into thin rounds; juice another half for 2 tbsp juice.
Soften the soffritto
Heat olive oil in skillet over medium. Add fennel, leek, and shallot, cook 6-8 min stirring occasionally until soft and sweet - don't brown. Add garlic, cook 1 min until fragrant.
8 min · hands onBuild the brodo
Add cherry tomatoes, stock, bay leaves, and salt. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook 8 min - the tomatoes should start to slump and the broth should taste rounded, not raw.
8 min · hands offSlip the fish in
Reduce heat to LOW - you want a bare shimmer, not a bubbling simmer (boiling will tear the fillets). Tuck the fillets skin-side up into the brodo, nestling them so they're mostly submerged. Lay lemon rounds across the top.
1 min · hands onPoach
Cover and poach 6-8 min until the flesh flakes when pressed gently - branzino is delicate, check at 6 min. Don't let it boil. The fish should look just opaque and feel like a soft custard when prodded.
7 min · hands offFinish and serve
Off heat, squeeze in lemon juice. Fish out bay leaves. Ladle into shallow bowls - broth, vegetables, then fish on top so the skin stays visible. Shower with parsley, dill, and the reserved fennel fronds. Drizzle the remaining olive oil generously over each bowl - that's how you finish brodo dishes in Italy, not a tiny drizzle.
3 min · hands onMake it yours
Every swap here is one Maui already knows how to make, including what it does to the timing.
Use 2 whole fish, scaled and gutted. Simmer 12-14 min until flesh pulls easily from the bone. Adds about 5 minutes.
Thicker white fish - simmer 8-10 min depending on thickness. Adds about 2 minutes.
Warm a baguette - brodo wants something to mop.
Toast thick slices, drizzle olive oil, ladle brodo and fish on top. Adds about 5 minutes.
What keeps
Branzino is delicate - it overcooks the moment you reheat it. Cook to order.
The brodo (broth) base can be made ahead and refrigerated up to 2 days; bring it to a simmer fresh and slip in the fish at serving time.
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