[Photograph: Blake Royer]

When I started learning to cook, I was terrified of cooking fish, mostly because I always feared it would dry it out. Probably because it usually did. The length of that moment when fish is done—it just begins to flake apart but isn't yet tough—is slim, especially for a delicate fish like branzino with its soft white meat.

But just as roasting a chicken produces juicier results than a chicken breast, roasting a whole fish helps tremendously, almost guaranteeing succulence. The presence of bones and cartilage adds flavor and moisture, helping to keep the temperature more regular as the fish cooks.

This recipe is incredibly simple, just a stove-to-oven technique with basic herbs. But with a great fish, that's all you need.

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Pan-Roasted Whole Branzino »

About the author: Blake Royer is a food writer, photographer, and filmmaker based in Chicago; he has been writing for Serious Eats since 2007. You can follow him on Twitter @blakeroyer.