- by Miriam Thom
Brown Butter Sage Branzino with Butternut Puree and Celery Salad
- by Miriam Thom
From the Seatopia kitchen In-house
Recipe by Miriam Thom
Culinary Education at Seatopia — she develops the recipes that ship with the boxes and teaches the member cooking classes
Serves 4 · about 1 hour 40 minutes · crisp skin, silky puree
Crisp-skinned branzino, seared in ghee with lemon zest and finished in the oven, served over a silky swoosh of roasted butternut puree with a bright celery salad. Roast the squash first. The fish takes under 10 minutes, so cook it last.
“Celery leaves are one of the most underrated greens out there. Most people toss them, but they bring a bright, complex flavor that’s equal parts herbal, peppery and fresh. Every time I let them take center stage, they somehow still feel unexpected, and that’s exactly why I love making them the star of the show.” — Miriam
At a glance
About 1 hour 40 minutes
20 minutes of prep. Most of the cooking is the squash in the oven; the fish takes under 10 minutes.
Serves 4
One skin-on branzino fillet per person, over butternut puree with a celery salad.
One skillet for the fish
An oven-safe skillet takes the fish from the stove to the oven. A small pan makes the sage brown butter.
Dry skin, hot pan
Pat the fillets very dry and press each one for 10 seconds, so the skin stays flat and turns crisp.
How it comes together
Squash first, fish last.
The squash takes the longest, so it goes in first. Everything else is ready by the time the fish hits the pan.
Roast the squash About 30 minutes
Step 1Cut sides rubbed with olive oil and salt, roasted cut-side down at 400°F until a knife slides into the thickest part.
Make the puree 5 minutes
Step 2Flesh scooped out and mashed or blended, with olive oil added a spoonful at a time until silky and spreadable.
Prep the fish and salad 10 minutes
Step 3Oven down to 380°F. Fillets patted very dry, salted and zested. Celery sliced thin, dressing whisked.
Sear the branzino 2–3 minutes
Step 4Skin-side down in shimmering ghee, each fillet pressed for 10 seconds, then left alone until the skin is golden and releases.
Finish and brown the butter 5 minutes
Step 5The skillet goes into the oven while the sage crisps and the butter turns nutty and golden-brown.
Don’t crowd the pan. If all four fillets don’t fit with space between them, sear in two batches.
Brown Butter Sage Branzino with Butternut Puree and Celery Salad
Miriam Thom
20 minutes
60 minutes
Crisp-skinned branzino seared in ghee with lemon zest, finished in the oven, and served over a silky roasted butternut puree with a bright celery salad and sage brown butter. Serves 4.
Ingredients
Branzino
- 4 Seatopia branzino fillets, skin on (2 two-packs)
- Salt
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 2 tbsp ghee
Butternut Puree
- 4 small butternut squash, halved lengthwise and seeded (smaller squash are sweeter and more flavorful)
- About 2 tbsp olive oil for roasting, plus more to finish
- Salt
Sage Brown Butter
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter
- 8–12 fresh sage leaves
Celery Salad
- 4 celery stalks, plus any pale inner leaves
- 2 tbsp raisins, roughly chopped
- 2 tbsp flat-leaf parsley, chopped
- 2 tbsp pine nuts, toasted and roughly crushed
Goat Cheese Dressing
- Juice of ½ lemon
- 2 tbsp soft goat cheese
- 2 garlic cloves, finely grated
- About 2–3 tbsp olive oil, enough to thin the cheese
- Salt and black pepper
Directions
- Roast the squash. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Rub the cut sides of the squash with olive oil and salt. Place cut-side down on a lined sheet pan and roast for about 30 minutes, until a knife slides into the thickest part with no resistance. Larger squash may need an additional 5–10 minutes.
- Make the puree. Let the squash cool until you can handle it. Scoop the flesh into a bowl or food processor. Mash or blend, adding olive oil a spoonful at a time until silky and spreadable. Season with salt and keep warm.
- Prep the fish. Lower the oven temperature to 380°F. Pat the branzino fillets very dry on both sides. Dry skin is the secret to a beautifully crisp finish. Season both sides with salt and sprinkle the lemon zest over the flesh side.
- Make the dressing. Whisk together the lemon juice, goat cheese, and grated garlic. Slowly add olive oil until the dressing is smooth and pourable. Season with salt and black pepper.
- Build the salad. Slice the celery very thinly on an angle, or use a mandoline. Toss with the raisins, parsley, and celery leaves. Keep the pine nuts and dressing separate until serving to preserve the salad's crunch.
- Sear the branzino. Heat the ghee in a large oven-safe skillet over high heat until shimmering. Place the fillets skin-side down, pressing each gently with a spatula for about 10 seconds to prevent curling. Sear without moving for 2–3 minutes, until the skin is golden and releases easily.
- Finish in the oven. Transfer the skillet to the 380°F oven, keeping the fillets skin-side down. Roast for approximately 5 minutes, until the flesh is opaque and flakes easily with a fork.
- Make the sage brown butter. While the fish finishes cooking, melt the butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the sage leaves and cook until crisp and fragrant. Continue cooking the butter until it smells nutty and develops golden-brown flecks, about 1–2 minutes more. Remove from the heat immediately to prevent burning.
- Plate and serve. Swoosh a generous spoonful of butternut puree onto each plate. Place a branzino fillet on top, skin-side up. Drizzle with sage brown butter and garnish with the crispy sage leaves. Toss the celery salad with the goat cheese dressing, scatter the toasted pine nuts over the top, and serve alongside the fish.
Everything on this plate
Four fillets of our Branzino are the only thing from the freezer. Sea Bream is the swap. The rest is small butternut squash, celery, raisins, parsley, pine nuts, soft goat cheese, lemons, garlic, fresh sage, butter, ghee and olive oil.
$24.75
/serving
Pristine and flaky with a subtle ocean sweetness — the quintessential Mediterranean whitefish
$23.88
/serving
Delicate and mild with a silky flake — ideal for whole roasting, grilling, or refined whitefish recipes.
$18.25
/serving
Expressive flavors from the clean, flavorful fish. Contains a selection of bream, branzino, and barramundi.
The celery salad
Celery leaves, front and center.
Thin-sliced celery and its pale inner leaves, with raisins, parsley and toasted pine nuts, under a goat cheese dressing.
1
Slice it thin
4 celery stalks sliced very thinly on an angle, or on a mandoline, tossed with 2 tbsp chopped raisins, 2 tbsp parsley and the celery leaves.
2
Whisk the dressing
Juice of ½ lemon, 2 tbsp soft goat cheese and 2 grated garlic cloves, thinned with 2–3 tbsp olive oil until pourable. Salt and pepper.
3
Dress it at the end
Keep the pine nuts and dressing separate until you plate, so everything stays crisp. Dress, scatter the pine nuts, and pile it beside the fish.
Swaps that work
Miriam’s swaps, for whatever you have on hand.
| As written | Easy swap | What changes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| The fish | Branzino | Sea Bream | Another mild, skin-on white fish; cook it the same way |
| The puree | Butternut squash | Kabocha squash or sweet potato | Roast and blend it the same way |
| The sweetness | Raisins | Golden raisins or chopped dates | Same sweet contrast in the salad |
| The crunch | Pine nuts | Walnuts | Toast them the same way |
| The dressing | Soft goat cheese | Feta | Saltier; taste before you season |
Puree and dressing, the day before
Make the puree and the dressing up to 1 day ahead and refrigerate them. Rewarm the puree with a splash of olive oil. Slice the celery up to 2 hours ahead and keep it in ice water for extra crunch, then drain and pat it dry.
Thaw the branzino in the fridge overnight, and pat it very dry before it goes into the pan.
Branzino, tested and published
Our Branzino comes from Esteros Lubimar in Cádiz, Spain, in skin-on 6 oz portions.
Our Branzino tested at 460 mg EPA and 900 mg DHA, about 1,360 mg of marine omega-3s, plus 27 mcg selenium, per 6 oz skin-on portion. Values vary by sample and season.
Low mercury, tested to a tenth of the FDA action level. Every supplier is third-party tested for nutrition, mercury and microplastics, then randomly audited to ensure consistent compliance with the Seatopia Standard. Farms named, panels published.
Crispy-skin branzino, answered
How do I thaw the branzino?
Move it to the fridge the night before. For a quick thaw, seal it in a bag and submerge it in cold water for 20–30 minutes. Pat it very dry before it goes into the pan.
How do I know the fish is done?
After about 5 minutes in the oven, the flesh turns opaque and flakes easily. The FDA suggests cooking fish to an internal temperature of 145°F.
Why isn’t my skin crisp?
Usually moisture or a crowded pan. Pat the fillets very dry, heat the ghee until it shimmers, and sear in two batches if they don’t fit with space between them. Leave them alone until the skin releases easily.
What can I make ahead?
The puree and dressing, up to 1 day ahead. Rewarm the puree with a splash of olive oil. Slice the celery up to 2 hours ahead and keep it in ice water.
Why small squash?
Smaller butternut squash are sweeter and more flavorful. Larger ones work too; give them 5–10 minutes more in the oven.
How do I toast pine nuts?
In a dry pan over medium-low heat for 3–4 minutes, shaking often. They burn quickly, so stay close.
More seafood to cook this week
Recipes from our kitchen and from the people who cook with us.
