Even Fish Haters Love This Recipe | Mediterranean Branzino With Crispy Potatoes | Easy Recipe

Branzino (European Sea Bass) al Forno with Crispy Potatoes. Sounds fancy, right? But really, it’s just one of those dishes that feels like a restaurant meal but so quick and easy! Crispy branzino filets are nestled into a garlicky, herbed pepper and bruschetta mixture, served alongside golden roasted baby potatoes that steal the show.

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Why I switched my family over to the Mediterranean diet: https://youtu.be/WUADS4ryEkU

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Chapters:

00:00 intro
00:28 crispy potatoes
1:37 crispy branzino
2:36 base (peppers & bruschetta)
4:04 bring it all together
4:58 taste

Today I’m making a crispy Mediterranean branzino with some sweet roasted peppers and a garlicky bruschetta sauce all served over some crispy potatoes. Now, if you think you don’t like fish, think again, you’re gonna love it after you try this recipe. And if you’re new here, I recently switched over to the Mediterranean diet to change my family’s life, to help us eat better, feel better, and reconnect with food. Now let’s get into it. (upbeat music) I’m gonna start off by roasting some thinly cut potatoes, which are gonna give us a crispy bite and serve as the base of our dish. I’m using a mandoline to thinly slice my potatoes, but be very careful of your fingers if you are using a mandoline. I normally have gloves, but I couldn’t find them. If you don’t have a mandoline, no worries. You can just use a knife, just make sure that all the pieces are the same size so they bake evenly. And I’m just gonna add in some olive oil. And for our seasonings, I’ve got some regular paprika, not smoked so it doesn’t overpower the fish. And then we’re adding in a little salt. And we’ve got some dried oregano. And just go ahead and just take your hands and mix that in. (upbeat music) I’m gonna go ahead and pop these in my preheated oven at 425 degrees Fahrenheit for about 20 to 25 minutes. And we’re gonna check on the midway point and get them a light toss. For the fish, I’m using a Mediterranean brand Zino. It’s also called European Sea Bass. And it’s commonly featured in Mediterranean cuisine, and it has so many notable health benefits. You can find the fillets in store. I find mine at Trader Joe’s, but many stores carry them. Season the fillets with a little salt and pepper, and then you’ll heat some olive oil on medium high heat until it’s barely smoking, and add your fish skin side down. You wanna make sure to just press a little bit so that the skin is fully in contact with the pan so that it’ll crisp up nicely. And hopefully you have a larger pan, so all four of your fillets will fit. And you’ll let this cook skin side down for about four to five minutes if you’re using a cast iron, you’ll know it’s ready when it’s not sticking to the pan and it’s nice and golden. It’s been four minutes and they’re nice and golden, so I’m gonna remove them onto a plate, and don’t worry if the top is not cooked. That’ll finish cooking in the sauce. For the base of the sauce, I’m using a store-bought bruschetta, which is such an amazing shortcut during the week. You’ve got tomatoes, it’s got garlic and herbs all ready to go with no chopping. And I’m also using little peppers, like sweet peppers. If you don’t have these, you can definitely just use a whole pepper. I would use a medium red, a medium orange, and a medium yellow pepper. And I’m just slicing them into rings, and I like using a mix of red, yellow, and orange peppers because they each bring something a little different. The red ones are super sweet and mellow. The orange ones add balance, and the yellow peppers have this light, almost citrusy note that just brightens up the dish. And I’ve got the same pan that I cooked the fish in, and I’m adding in my red peppers, and then I’m gonna add in the two cups of my bruschetta and let that saute for about a minute. And I’m also adding in some seasonings. I’ve got some red pepper flakes and just a pinch of salt. For the garlic, I’m using crushed garlic, but this is fresh. I just chopped it in my KitchenAid, and then I like to freeze it in these small little cubes. And the bruschetta has some garlic, so I’m just using one of these, which equals about a small clove of crushed garlic. (upbeat music) Once the garlic is fully absorbed, you’ll just let this simmer on medium-low covered for about five to seven minutes until the peppers have softened a bit. I like mine to have a little bit of a crunch left. (upbeat music) And I’m just gonna add the fish back in skin side up so that it stays nice and crispy. And we’ll let this cook for a few minutes, like, mm, just three minutes so that the top of the fish can finish cooking. And make sure not to cover the fish while the top is finishing cooking because the steam will make the skin get soggy and we wanna have that crispy bite. And the fish is ready, and the potatoes are ready just in time and super crispy. So add in a layer of potatoes and then a generous layer of your bruschetta and sweet pepper mix. And you wanna make sure to fully cover the potatoes and then a nice crispy filet of fish. And look at how tender and juicy that is. Let’s dig in. This is ready and it looks absolutely delicious. The skin is nice and crispy, the potatoes are crispy, and you’ve got the sweet peppers that are nice and tender. It’s like such a layer of textures. And I can’t wait to try it. (upbeat music) Mm, mm, mm, that is delicious. It’s heart healthy on your table in a little over 30 minutes and your family is going to love it. If you try this recipe, let me know in the comments. Bon appetit.