Pan-seared Branzino
Crisp-skin Mediterranean sea bass, lemon, capers and olive oil.
Maui's an app that plans a whole week of dinners like this one. See how it works ↓
Don't move the fish for those first 4 minutes. The skin releases when it's ready - if you try to flip and it sticks, give it 30 more seconds and try again.
Ingredients
Everything below makes 4 servings.
- 4branzino filletsskin-on, ~5 oz each, scaled, patted very dry
- 4 tbspolive oil
- 1 mediumshallotfinely minced
- 2garlic clovesminced
- 2 tbspcapersdrained
- 4 sprigsfresh thyme
- ¼ cupfresh parsleychopped
- 2lemon1 juiced, 1 cut into wedges
- 1 tspkosher salt
- ½ tspblack pepper
In the app these rescale to however many people you're feeding.
Nutrition
Per serving, as written.
- 380calories
- 34gprotein
- 4gcarbs
- 24gfat
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 branzino fillets very, very dry - both sides. Wet skin will never crisp. Season skin and flesh with salt and pepper.
- Mince shallot and garlic; drain capers; chop parsley; juice 1 lemon; wedge the rest.
Heat pan
Heat olive oil in the skillet over medium-high until shimmering but not smoking. Test with a flick of water - it should sizzle aggressively.
2 min · hands onSear skin
Place fillets skin-side down. Press gently with the spatula for the first 15 seconds to prevent curling. Cook 4 minutes undisturbed - the skin needs that time to crisp.
4 min · hands onFlip and finish
Flip carefully. Cook flesh-side 1-2 minutes until just opaque. Transfer to plates, skin-side up.
2 min · hands onPan sauce
Reduce heat to medium. Add remaining olive oil, shallot, garlic, thyme. Sizzle 30 seconds until fragrant. Add capers, lemon juice. Swirl 15 seconds.
1 min · hands onServe
Spoon pan sauce around (not over) the fish so the skin stays crisp. Scatter parsley. Serve with lemon wedges.
1 min · hands onMake it yours
Every swap here is one Maui already knows how to make, including what it does to the timing.
Thicker; sear 4 min skin-side, 2 min flesh-side.
Similar to branzino; same timing.
Thinner; 2-3 min skin-side, 1 min flesh-side. Saves about 2 minutes.
Boil 1 lb baby potatoes 15 min, smash, roast 10 min at 425°F with olive oil. Adds about 25 minutes.
What keeps
Eat fresh - pan-seared fish loses skin crisp instantly on reheat. Sides (potatoes, greens) can be prepped ahead.
Meet Maui,
the three-legged cat
who plans your dinner.
Think of her as a sous chef for your whole table. She plans dinner everyone will look forward to - built around your schedule and working in everyone's taste and dietary restrictions. That's the mental load of dinner, off your plate.
Join The WaitlistCurrently in closed beta on iPhone.
