Broiled Branzini with lemon and Rosemary

Who knew elegant could be so gosh-darn easy .... with a capital E!    A few slices of lemon and a sprig of rosemary really dresses up a dish, while flavorizing it like no one's biz.

Improve Cooking Challenge, hosted by Nicole from Cookaholic Wife, is where members are given a pair of ingredients and challenged to post a recipe around them.  This month's challenge is to use lemon and rosemary.  To me this really was no challenge, since this easy recipe is a family fave, and very lucky since I never got around to posting.

Until now.


For this recipe I prefer branzini (also spelled branzino), since rosemary enhances its mild flavor without overpowering it. In case you have no idea what a Branzini is, check out this post about branzini, made with "crab" stuffing. Then come back and try this recipe. If you can't get your hands on branzini, use another thin, mild fish such as rainbow trout or tilapia.  Serve with cole slaw and/or veggie of choice.

Broiled Branzini with Lemon and Rosemary
Yield: 4 servings

2 Tbl. olive oil, divided
2 sprigs rosemary
1 medium to large lemon
4 branzini fillets, skin on
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1/8 tsp. coarsely ground black pepper


Preheat oven to broil. Lightly grease a rimmed baking sheet with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil.

Thinly slice lemon. Coarsely chop rosemary, discarding woody stems.

Lay branzini filets, skin side down, on prepared baking sheet, skin side down. Sprinkle evenly with the salt and pepper. Divide rosemary over the fillets, then top with the lemon slices. Brush remaining oil over the fish and lemon slices.

Broil on center rack for 8-10 minutes, or until lemon slices begin to brown along their edges and fish is cooked through.

Plate fish and serve immediately.

Important note!  Because this blog is participating in a recipe linkup, some of the following recipes might not be kosher. 

An InLinkz Link-up