Cedar Plank Roasted Branzino is a simple and fast recipe for when you want to add a hint of that cedar flavor to your fish without having to turn on the grill. Just make sure you have a good 100% natural cedar plank with no chemical additives. In this recipe I suggest roasting your branzino plank on a sheet pan to make clean up easier but you can definitely roast your plank straight on the oven grills if you prefer.
Branzino is a great fish to roast whole! It’s delicate white flesh has a mild, slightly sweet flavor. The cedar imparts a fresh wood flavor to the dish without overpowering it. Keeping the other ingredients simple allows for the fish to really shine. However feel free to change up the aromatics to suit your tastes. You can really make this Cedar Plank Roasted Branzino recipe your own with a little creativity!
Tips for Cooking
- Make sure to soak your cedar planks! This is probably the most crucial step. Without soaking, the plank won’t impart as much, or any, flavor to your fish. When the cedar plank has been thoroughly soaked in water, it will create steam that flavors the fish as it roasts!
- Coating the board with a layer of butter not only ensures the fish won’t stick but it will also impart a bit more flavor to the outside of your branzino.
- Using the right oven temp. For this recipe I suggest an oven temp of 425 F. Like I said before, the flavor comes from the steam. In order for you to get a good amount of steam from the soaked plank, the oven must be somewhere between 400 and 450 F. Any higher than 450 and you’ll just end up cooking out the moisture in the cedar plank too fast.
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Other Recipes to Try
Simple Cedar Plank Roasted Branzino
Ingredients
- 1 whole branzino, cleaned with head and tail intact
- 1 tbsp room temp butter
- 1 lemon, sliced
- 3 cloves garlic, diced
- 2 sprigs thyme
- olive oil, for coating and to finish
- kosher salt, to taste
- fresh ground black pepper, to taste
- flaky sea salt garnish
Instructions
- Soak the cedar plank in warm water for 15 minutes. Preheat oven to 425°F. After the cedar plank has soaked, remove it from the water and pat the exterior dry. To make things cleaner I usually roast everything on a sheet pan. Place the plank on the sheet pan and coat the top surface with an even layer of butter.
- Pat your fish dry and place it on the cedar plank on a sheet pan. Rub olive oil on the outsides and inside of the fish and season with salt and pepper.
- Stuff fish with 2-3 lemon slices depending on how big the fish is. Add the thyme sprigs to the inside of the fish and spread the garlic evenly inside and outside.
- Roast the branzino in the oven for 7 minutes. Flip fish over and cook for another 7 minutes. Switch the oven to the broiler setting and cook the fish until the skin starts to blister, about 3-5 minutes.
- Remove fish from oven. Drizzle with a little olive oil and sprinkle with some flaky sea salt for garnish. Serve with fresh lemon wedges.
Somehow I missed this. I really like cooking with whole fish. I too, for some reason have stayed away from the cedar plank but I think I am changing my mind. The picture is great too.