Dinner Tonight: Pan-Roasted Whole Fish with Olives Recipe

Updated August 30, 2018

For me, the best part of a fish is its skin. Much like the treasured outside of a roast chicken, the skin is crisp, salty, and deeply flavorful—that is, when it's cooked properly. I never understand the virtue of a fillet of fish without the skin and always try to buy a whole fish with it still on whenever possible. Not only is it cheaper, but you get all kinds of textures and anything cooked whole and on the bone with cartilage and connective tissue will be moister and more delicious.

I turned to Mario Batali for this recipe from his book Molto Mario. He calls for a whole large snapper to feed four, which is the recipe I'm repeating here, but I cooked mine with a small branino for two. Either way, the sauce is marvelous: black olives, capers, white, and lemon zest are spooned into the skillet after the fish gets a thorough searing over high heat. In the oven, it practically melts with the pan juices. Parsley, flaky salt, and a drizzle of olive oil on top and it's ready.

Recipe Details

Dinner Tonight: Pan-Roasted Whole Fish with Olives Recipe

Active 25 mins

Total 35 mins

Serves 4 servings

Cook Mode (Keep screen awake)

Ingredients

1 (3-to 4-pound) whole fish, such as snapper, scored with a sharp knife 3 times on each side
Flour for dredging
6 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for drizzling
1 cup black olives (preferably Gaeta), pitted and coarsely chopped
3 tablespoons capers, preferably salt-packed and rinsed if so
5 lemons, 3 of them zested and segmented
1 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup minced flat-leaf parsley
Flaky sea salt to taste

Directions

Preheat oven to 450 degreed Fahrenheit. Dredge fish in flour on both sides and shake off excess. Heat olive oil in a heavy, oven-proof skillet large enough to hold the fish over medium-high heat until just smoking. Lay fish carefully in the pan and cook without touching until golden brown.
Turn fish over carefully and add olives, capers, lemon zest and segments, juice from remaining lemons, and wine.
Transfer skillet to oven. Roast fish until fish is just cooked through, 10-15 minutes depending on thickness. Remove from oven and allow to rest at least 5 minutes.
Serve whole fish tableside or fillet onto plates. Top with parsley, flaky salt, and a drizzle of olive oil. Serve immediately.

Seafood Mains

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
648	Calories
31g	Fat
48g	Carbs
47g	Protein

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories	648
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 31g	40%
Saturated Fat 5g	23%
Cholesterol 76mg	25%
Sodium 651mg	28%
Total Carbohydrate 48g	18%
Dietary Fiber 10g	35%
Total Sugars 21g
Protein 47g
Vitamin C 178mg	889%
Calcium 184mg	14%
Iron 4mg	24%
Potassium 1527mg	32%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.