Barramundi, or simply barra, is a prized sport and table fish across the Top End of Australia. They are feracious feeders and can grow to over a meter in length. The Barramundi (lates calcarifer) is a catadromous fish, meaning it can live happily in both salt and fresh water, but needs saltwater to spawn.
The colour and flavour difference between a salt water barra and fresh water impoundment barra can be stark. Saltwater fish a silver skinned and pearly white fleshed, meanwhile a fish that has spent many years in fresh water turns dark skinned and the flesh can be grey. If you aren’t in a position to catch your own barra, or buy fresh wild saltwater barra, then the farmed fish from Humpty Doo Barra is the closest I’ve ever found to the quality of saltwater fish.
Barramundi in three flavour sauce with mango salad
Ingredients
- 800 grams barramundi fillet fresh wild caugth saltwater fish is best, but Humpty Doo Barra farms fish is almost as good.
- 1/4 cup corn flour for dusting the fish
- salt
- Peanut or rice bran oil for frying
Sauce
- 6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 2 red chillies add 2-3 birdseye or Thai chillies if you want a spicier sauce
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 tbsp tamarind puree
- 3 tbsp water add the tamarind puree to this and mix well
- 60 grams palm sugar or light brown sugar
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp lemongrass paste
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 6 cherry tomatoes
Garnish
- 1 small bunch basil
- 1 small bunch flat leaf parsley
Mango salad
- 2 spring onions (scallions)
- 2 mangoes
- 1/2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1/2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
- 1/2 tsp sesame oil
- small handful cashews unsalted or raw
Instructions
Mango Salad
- Prepare the mango salad by peeling, slicing the mangoes. Finely slice the spring onions, and 4-6 basil leaves, and toss through the mango. Dress with combined soy sauce, rice wine vinegar and sesame oil.
- Set aside, not adding the cashews until ready to serve.
Three flavour sauce
- Finely chop the garlic, slice the chillies and tomatoes, and crush or slice the palm sugar
- Add all of the cause ingredients to a small saucepan and bring to a slow simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally
Barra
- Heat peanut or rice bran oil in a large pot or wok. Ensuring there is enough oil to cover the fish
- Cross-hatch the flesh side of the barramundi fillet every 2cm or so, to a depth of approximately half the thickness of the fish and dust in cornflour
- Once the oil is 185-190℃ add the fish to the oil skin side down and cook until the skin is crispy and submerged fish golden (approximately 5 minutes) before carefully turning over
- Once cooked, place the fillet on large plate, pour over the warm sauce and garnish with herbs and sliced chillies, and place in centre of table allowing people to cut and serve their own portions.
- Plate up individual portions of coconut rice and mango salad.
