Crisp Branzino with Lemon Salt, Fried Capers & Heritage Olive Oil

At the Lello table

There are dishes that depend on technique, and others that depend on having the right things in the pantry. This is the latter. The fish is cooked simply until the skin is crisp; the potatoes underneath catch the browned butter, capers and olive oil; and the lemon salt is added at the very end so its citrus aroma stays vivid.

Method

1. Boil the potatoes in well-salted water until just tender, 15 to 18 minutes. Drain, arrange on a sheet pan and gently crush each potato with the bottom of a glass.
2. Drizzle the potatoes with about 2 tablespoons / 30 mL of the Heritage olive oil. Roast until deeply golden and crisp at the edges, about 25 minutes.
3. Season the flesh side of the branzino lightly with black pepper and only a restrained pinch of the lemon salt. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat with the remaining tablespoon / 15 mL olive oil.
4. Lay the fish skin-side down and press gently for the first 20 seconds so the skin stays flat. Cook 3 to 4 minutes, until the skin is crisp and the flesh is mostly opaque. Turn and cook the flesh side for 1 to 2 minutes, just until done. Transfer to a warm plate.
5. Lower the heat and add the butter to the same skillet. When it foams and begins to turn pale golden, add the capers. Fry until slightly crisp, then add the zest of half the lemon and the juice of half the lemon. Swirl for about 20 seconds and remove from the heat. Stir in the parsley.
6. Arrange the crushed potatoes on a warm platter and set the branzino over them, skin-side up. Spoon the warm caper-butter sauce across the fish and potatoes.
7. Finish at the table with a generous thread of Heritage Extra Virgin Olive Oil and the remaining Sicilian Lemon Sea Salt to taste. Serve immediately with the remaining lemon alongside.

Cook’s notes

• The lemon salt belongs at the finish. Cooking it aggressively flattens the citrus aroma that makes it distinctive.
• Capers already bring salinity, so season the fish lightly before cooking and correct the dish only after the sauce is added.
• If the skin sticks when you try to turn the fish, give it another 20 to 30 seconds; properly crisp skin usually releases more easily.

Substitutions

• Sea bass, snapper or trout can replace branzino, but cooking time changes with thickness and skin structure.
• Ordinary sea salt can season the fish, but it will not provide the aromatic citrus finish of the Sicilian lemon salt.
• Ghee can replace butter for a cleaner, nuttier sauce, but you lose some of the milk-solid browning that gives classic brown butter its depth.

To serve

Bring the platter directly to the table with a green salad and cold white wine. The potatoes should sit beneath the fish so they catch the caper butter and olive oil.

Storage & make-ahead

The potatoes can be boiled and crushed several hours ahead. Roast shortly before serving. Cook the fish and caper butter à la minute; neither improves by holding.