Recipe:

1 whole branzino

1/4 cup olive oil

2 tsps. grey sea salt

2 tsps. fresh ground black pepper

2 tsps. all purpose seasoning

3 stems of fresh sweet basil

1/2 yellow onion, sliced

3 garlic gloves, pressed

4 sprigs fresh thyme

2 sprigs fresh thyme, finely chopped

Method:

Preheat oven at 350 degrees. Clean and wash branzino.  Pat dry with a paper towel.  Score fish crosswise with a sharp knife … 2 or 3 scores on each side. Scoring your fish allows the herbs and seasoning to permeate throughout it. Season fish inside and out with salt, black pepper and all purpose seasoning. Stuff with basil, garlic and 4 sprigs of thyme and some of the onion slices. Place fish on a lightly greased baking sheet or shallow pan. Top with remaining onion slices and chopped thyme. Drizzle olive oil all over the fish. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and baste with oil from pan. Return to oven and continue baking for an additional 15 minutes.

After removing fish from oven, discard of all herbs used for seasoning. Serve fish immediately with your favorite side dish.

Note: The red snapper is a popular fish in Jamaica. It is often served stuffed with callaloo and roasted. That recipe can be found in the cookbook Gone Nuts about Herbs, a Collection of Chef Neville’s Favorite Recipes. The book is currently being sold on Amazon.