You will feel as if there is a soft breeze from the palm trees swaying as you eat this Grilled Branzino with Caribbean Fruit Salsa. Jerk rubbed fish, fresh off of the grill that is piled high with a fruit salsa. This one will become a family favorite as it’s a taste of vacation in each bite.
🍽️ Why This Recipe Works
Fish Grills Fast | This fish grills up in just a couple minutes so dinner is on the table in less time than it takes to set the table.
Meal Prep Friendly | The Caribbean Salsa is not quick because of all of the cutting (think about 20 minutes) so it is a great one to meal prep the day before. Then the meal is really just under 10 minutes. Mix up the rub weeks earlier and have it on hand for fish and chicken. The batch makes almost a full cup.
Entertainment Ready | This is a gorgeous dish that is prime for entertainment when you have friends coming over to enjoy a cookout. You can prep everything early and just grill up the fish right before you are ready to eat.
🐟 Ingredients
Branzino |Branzino is a white, mild and slightly sweet fish that also goes by the name of European/Mediterranean sea bass. Oftentimes, it is seen to be cooked whole rather than the filets we grilled.
Caribbean Jerk Rub | This jerk seasoning leans a little on the sweeter side as it pulls from sweet paprika and brown sugar as the base. Unlike a traditional jerk seasoning rub, it doesn’t have cloves, nutmeg or hot peppers like we used in the Grilled Jamaican Jerk Swordfish.
Caribbean Salsa | This salsa pulls together all of our favorite flavors into one bite. Fresh mango, pineapple and papaya meets a little red onion, peppers and lime juice to create delicious flavor to complement the spicy rub. We used the salsa on the Grilled Jamaican Jerk Swordfish and it turned out fabulous. Mix up this salsa for the nice charred Blackened fish like the Dover Sole to create a play on the spicy/sweet combination.
📝 Instructions
Step One: Make the Caribbean Salsa by cutting up all of the ingredients and put in a bowl. Add the lime juice and olive oil and mix together.
Step Two: If you haven’t already, mix up the rub together in a bowl. Stir and store it in a sealed container.
Step Three: Set grill up for direct heat 375-400 degrees.
Step Four: While grill is heating up, rub both sides of the Branzino. Place the fish on the grill and cook for 2-3 minutes each side. This goes so fast because the fish is thin. You know it is fully cooked when it turns opaque.
Step Five: Remove from grill and top with Caribbean Salsa.
❗ Expert Tips
Grill with the skin side down first. It is easy to peel off after it cooks.
Don’t overcook fish as it gets to be too tough. If you are grilling a whole fish, increase the time.
Don’t worry about over-seasoning the fish. The rub is mild and not salty or spicy, so you won’t have n unpleasant aftertaste. The fruit salsa serves as an excellent palate cleanser.
Recipe FAQ
Any mild white fish will work. Reach for halibut, cod, grouper, or tilapia.
1-2 years if it is kept in a sealed container.
Up to four days in a sealed container if all of the fruit and vegetables were fresh when you made it.
Consider using a cast iron skillet or using a Copper Grilling Mat as nothing ever sticks to it. If you want to cook it on your grill grates but are worried about it sticking, make sure to oil the grates really well before using. If you are worried about the fish falling apart when grilling, you can use a fish basket.
Absolutely! One pound is only 300 calories! Sign me up! It is also packed with omega-3 fatty acids and fish oil.
You can. It is one of the few fish that is is 100% fine to eat.
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Grilled Jerk Branzino with Caribbean Fruit Salsa
Equipment
- Grill
Ingredients
Caribbean Fruit Salsa
- 1 Mango
- 1 Papaya
- 1 Red Bell Pepper
- 1 Green Bell Pepper
- 1 cup Pineapple diced
- 1 Red Onion diced
- 3 tbsp Cilantro chopped
- 2 tbsp Lime Juice freshly squeezed
- 1 tbsp Olive Oil
Grilled Branzino
- 1 Branzino
Caribbean Jerk Seasoning
- 3 tbsp Paprika sweet
- 3 tbsp Garlic Powder
- 1 tbsp Allspice
- 2 tbsp Onion Powder
- 1 tbsp Brown Sugar
- 1 tsp Cinnamon
- 1 tbsp Sea Salt
- 1 tbsp Dried Onion Flakes
- 1 tsp Ground Ginger
- 1 tbsp Pepper
Instructions
Caribbean Salsa
- Make the Caribbean Salsa by cutting up all of the fruit and vegetables and put in a bowl. Mix in the lime juice and olive oil to mix together.
Caribbean Jerk Rub
- Mix up the rub together in a bowl. Stir and store in a sealed container.
Branzino
- Set grill up for direct heat 375-400 degrees.
- While the grill is heating up, rub both sides of the Branzino with the jerk seasoning. Place the fish on the grill and cook for 2-3 minutes each side. This goes so fast because the fish is thin. You know it is fully cooked when it turns opaque.
- Remove from grill and top with Caribbean Salsa.
Notes
Nutrition
