Lemon Garden Herb Stuffed Branzino

Entertaining is an art. Being a chef, a lot of people ask me if when I am off do I still like to cook at home. My answer is always yes.  Cooking at home for my friends and family is one of my favorite things to do.  I can cook for a group of 20 people and still have time to mingle with my guests and enjoy myself.  There are a few things you can do for your next gathering to prepare yourself so you too can enjoy the party.

  First plan a simple menu.  The larger the guest list, the simpler it should be.  There are plenty of great simplistic recipes and ideas out there, anything that requires multiple pots and pans to finish preparing should not be part of your menu.

   Second and most important is preparation.  Chose menu items that can be partially to fully prepared hours to a day ahead of time. If you are having people over for a summertime BBQ you might want to make some sort of potato salad, coleslaw or a pasta salad.  All of these can be made the day before.  You can even put in decorative bowls and store in the fridge until you are ready to serve. For the entrée portion of the meal, try a grilled branzino.  This delicate fish can be stuffed with aromatic herbs picked strait from your garden, tied up and kept cold until you are ready to grill.

  Don't overdo it.  You want to give your guests a variety but having appetizers, 6 sides, 3 entrees and 4 desserts will do nothing but give you a headache and leave you with a lot of uneaten food.

   Keep your liquor selection to a minimum.  You might want to avoid putting out any liquor all together and just make a pre-determined cocktail such as a sangria.  Chose something that you can make the base for ahead of time, then when your guests arrive, just finish it with ice or a splash of soda and serve in a glass pitcher.  No need to take out the whole liquor cabinet.  Just serve your specialty cocktail, beer and wine.

Lemon Garden Herb Stuffed Branzino

Yields 4 portions

4 small Branzino, head and tail on, skin on

1 lemon

1 sprigs Sage, from the garden

6 sprigs thyme, from the garden

4 sprigs parsley, from the garden

2 sprigs rosemary, from the garden

1 Garlic Clove, Thin Sliced

1 Small Shallot, Thin sliced

Kosher salt and ground black pepper

Vegetable Oil

Lay all 4 branzino open skin side down on a tray.  Cut 4 slices of lemon and those slices into half moons.  Season the inside of the branzino with salt and pepper and lay 2 half moons of lemon in each fish.  Pick all leaves from herbs and combine in a small bowl with shallots and garlic.  Divide the herb mixture evenly over the four fish and fold over to close.  With a few pieces of butchers twine gently tie the branzino in 3 spots to keep it from opening on the grill.  Brush with oil and season with salt and pepp

 Preheat your grill to med-high heat and oil the cooking surface.  Grill the branzino for 5-7 minutes per side being careful not to rip the skin when flipping.  Remove from the grill and cover with foil for a few minutes to finish cooking before serving.