Branzino alla
Griglia
Grilled sea bass with lemon & herbs
Whole sea bass cooks on a hot grill with olive oil and herbs, served with lemon and parsley to finish.
Whole grilled sea bass & lemonSea bass over the grill,
lemon on the side.
Branzino alla griglia is sea bass cooked on a grill, often whole with the head and tail left on. Olive oil, herbs and lemon accompany the mild flesh and browned skin. Branzino is also called spigola on Italian menus.
Grilled sea bass appears along many Italian coasts; the name does not identify a single regional recipe. Whole fish may be brought to the table before being filleted, while other kitchens serve a prepared fillet. The home recipe uses two small whole fish in an oiled grilling basket.
Explore by food: Fish & seafood
Let’s make branzino alla griglia.
Two mains, each with one small whole sea bass. Ask the fishmonger to scale, gut and remove the gills; a fish grilling basket is helpful.
Two whole fish, 450–500 g each before cleaning; one per person, with bones and heads excluded when eating.
What you’ll need
- 2whole sea bass, 450–500 g each before cleaning, scaled and gutted
- 30 mlextra-virgin olive oil, divided
- 1 tspneutral oil, for the basket
- 2small rosemary sprigs
- 1lemon, half sliced and half cut into wedges
- 1 tbspchopped parsley
- to tastefine salt and black pepper
Cooking includes roughly 10 minutes of gas-grill heating and 14–18 minutes of grilling. Charcoal lighting takes additional time. The fishmonger preparation is a starting condition.
How to make it
- 01
Prepare fish and grill
Heat a gas grill to medium-high, about 200–230°C/390–450°F, leaving one area over low heat. Pat the cleaned fish dry, including the cavities. Make two shallow diagonal cuts through the skin on each side. Brush all over with 20 ml olive oil and season lightly, including inside.
- 02
Fill and secure
Put one rosemary sprig and a few lemon slices in each cavity. Oil a clean grilling basket with the neutral oil and enclose the fish without crushing them. Keep raw-fish utensils separate from the serving plate.
- 03
Grill both sides
Place the basket over the heated section and close the lid. Cook for about 7–9 minutes on the first side, then turn and cook for another 7–9 minutes. Move to the cooler area if the skin is darkening too quickly. The thickest flesh near the backbone should reach 63°C/145°F and separate easily; larger fish need longer.
- 04
Plate and finish
Open the basket carefully and transfer to a clean platter. Drizzle with the remaining 10 ml olive oil and scatter with parsley. Serve with lemon wedges. Lift the top fillet from the backbone, remove the skeleton and check both fillets for remaining bones before eating.
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