Pan-Seared Branzino

Seafood makes for a quick and easy weeknight meal! With just a handful of ingredients, this pan-seared branzino is a flaky, delicious fish that tastes gourmet! Add a simple salad and whole grain, and dinner is served!

Growing up, seafood was not my favorite; even today, it’s iffy whether I will love a seafood dish. Animal protein, in general, has always been a texture issue, whether I like it or not. However, when I trained for my marathon a few years back, I gradually started adding in seafood here and there to increase my protein intake with all the training I was doing. I’ve continued eating seafood to help obtain my protein a little more readily. Branzino has been a fish I’ve enjoyed out to dinner a few times recently, and I decided I needed to try to make it at home because it’s SO expensive at these restaurants. Enter this Pan-Seared Branzino recipe that will make you a fan too!

Branzino, also known as European Sea Bass or Mediterranean bass, is a mild-flavored white fish. Native to both the western and southern coasts of Europe and even the northern coasts of Africa, this fish is lean and mild in flavor—so much so that I don’t think it tastes fishy at all, which is why I love it! In many restaurants, you will see the fish served whole; however, you can also have just the fillets served to you! I purchased the first Branzino from Whole Foods, which was sustainably sourced. The Branzino from Trader Joe’s was sourced from Turkey, and the seafood watch recommends avoiding this as it poses a risk to the environment. You can read more about sustainability here.

Seafood for Heart Health

You often hear that including fatty fish can help to support heart health. So why is that, and what is it in the fatty fish that improves one’s heart health? High levels of omega-3 fatty acids are linked to help protect against heart attacks and strokes. There are three types of omega-3 fatty acids. EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) are found in seafood. ALA (alpha-linolenic acid) is found mainly in nuts and seeds. While all can benefit the heart, EPA and DHA in fatty fish have a more direct effect.

Enter the recommendation from the American Heart Association to have two 3-ounce servings of fatty fish weekly (there doesn’t appear to be any extra benefit from eating more than this amount). While Branzino doesn’t have as much omega-3 as salmon, it does contain omega-3 fatty acids, which is one more reason to get in the habit of including seafood twice weekly!

Ingredients: Pan-Seared Branzino

• Branzino: Branzino is a mild-flavored fish. If you can’t find branzino, substitutes could include trout, tilapia, or red snapper. And again, if sustainability is important to you, read about which selections are the best to choose from here.
• Spices: paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, pinch of red pepper flakes. I usually scale up the ratios of the spices to have extra on hand, and truthfully, I may use more or less; it really depends on how large the fish fillets are. I recommend using that feature below and ‘scale up’ the recipe for the spices. If you like Cajun, that could be used instead of paprika; however, I’m not a huge fan of spice, so I used paprika.
• Extra-Virgin Olive Oil: Some recipes call for butter and state that it will brown better; however, I used olive oil at a medium-high temperature, and the fish browned/seared just perfectly. Remember, we’re including fish for heart health. As a dietitian, I wouldn’t recommend adding butter here.
• Lemon juice: adding just a spritz at the end helps brighten the fish and make all the flavors pop and come together. Trust me, you’re going to want to add just a tad!

How To Make Pan-Seared Branzino

1. Pat the branzino with a paper towel to ensure it’s dry. You’ll dry rub the spices on the fish fillets, which will stick better if the fish is dry.
2. Combine the spices: salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, and red pepper flakes. Rub the mixture over the fish (try evenly distributing the spices over each fillet).
3. Heat a skillet on medium heat. Add the olive oil. Once the olive oil is heated, add the branzino, skin side down. Depending on the size of your pan and the fish fillets, you might have to cook two fillets at a time.
4. Cook the fish on medium heat for about 3 minutes. Flip the fish over and cook for an additional 3-4 minutes (again, this will depend on the fillet size and how you like the fish cooked).
5. Spritz the fish fillets with the lemon juice. Garnish with chopped parsley.

Other Seafood Recipes

• Sauteed Tilapia with Peppers and Olives
• Honey-Dijon Roasted Salmon
• Blackened Fish Tacos with Pineapple Salsa
• Easy Shrimp and Veggie Pasta

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