Roasted branzino with potatoes and salsa verde

I find whole fish to be pretty intimidating but I was mind-blown by how approachable and delicious this recipe was, while also being relatively low level of effort. This is one of those dishes that looks like more work than it is. The potatoes roast first and turn soft and golden, the fish goes right on top, and everything gets finished with a bright salsa verde.

i used

• 1 whole branzino (~1 lb), cleaned and scaled
• 1 1/4 lb yukon gold potatoes, thinly sliced (~¼ inch)
• 4 cloves garlic, smashed
• 2 sprigs thyme
• 1 lemon, sliced
• filippo berio extra virgin olive oil
• salt
• black pepper
• garnish: parsley

salsa verde

• 1 tbsp capers
• 1 anchovy fillet
• 1 garlic clove
• ½ cup flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
• 5 pitted castelvetrano olives, chopped
• 1 tsp red wine vinegar
• ½ tsp dijon
• zest of ½ lemon
• ¼ cup olive oil
• black pepper

to make

• toss the sliced potatoes with 2 tbsp olive oil, the smashed garlic, salt, and pepper. spread them out on a sheet pan and roast at 425F until they start to soften ~15 minutes
• while the potatoes roast, make the salsa verde. in a mortar and pestle, pound the anchovy, capers, and garlic into a paste. stir in the parsley, olive oil, olives, lemon zest, red wine vinegar, dijon, and black pepper. adjust seasoning to taste
• rinse the branzino and pat it very dry. score 3–4 shallow slashes on each side and salt generously, inside and out
• stuff the cavity with lemon slices, thyme, and a little lemon zest. drizzle the inside and outside of the fish with olive oil. lay any extra lemon slices and thyme on top
• pull the potatoes from the oven and nestle the fish directly on top. return the pan to the oven and roast for until the fish flakes easily and the thickest part reaches 145F, another ~25 minutes
• to serve, spread about half of the salsa verde on a large platter. layer the potatoes on top, then carefully transfer the fish. remove the thyme sprigs, spoon the remaining salsa verde over everything, and finish with extra parsley