Grilled Barramundi

Ingredients

Fish

• 4barramundi fillets, skin on, about 180 g each, pin-boned
• 2 tspfine salt
• 2 tbspolive oil or a neutral high-smoke-point oil
• black pepper

Lemon and herb butter

• 80 gbutter, softened
• zest and juice of 1 lemon
• 2 tbspflat-leaf parsley, chopped
• 1 tbspdill, chopped
• 1garlic clove, crushed
• ½ tspcracked black pepper

To serve

• 1lemon, halved and grilled cut side down
• a rocket and fennel salad dressed with olive oil
• flaky sea salt

Directions

1. Take the fillets out of the fridge 20 minutes ahead so they cook evenly, then pat the skin bone dry with paper towel; any surface moisture steams the skin instead of crisping it.
2. Salt the skin side 10 minutes before cooking and pat it dry again. The salt draws out the last of the moisture and firms the surface.
3. Score the skin with three shallow diagonal cuts through the skin only, not into the flesh, which stops the fillet curling up the moment it meets the heat.
4. Heat a barbecue flat plate or a heavy cast-iron pan until a drop of water skitters and vanishes, then oil the fish rather than the plate so the oil does not burn off before the fish goes down.
5. Lay the fillets skin side down and press each one flat with a spatula for 10 seconds to keep the whole skin in contact with the metal, then leave them completely alone for 4 to 5 minutes.
6. Watch the side of the fillet: cook it about 70 per cent of the way through on the skin, until the opaque line has climbed most of the way up and the skin releases from the plate without sticking.
7. Flip once and cook the flesh side for only 1 to 2 minutes. Barramundi is done at 52 to 55°C (130°F) internally, when the flakes just separate under gentle pressure and the centre is barely translucent.
8. Rest the fillets skin side up for 3 minutes, put a spoon of the lemon herb butter on each so it melts down the side, and serve with a grilled lemon half and the salad.

Technique

• Barramundi, Lates calcarifer, takes its name from a Queensland Aboriginal language and means large-scaled river fish; it lives in both fresh and salt water across northern Australia and is one of the country’s few genuinely native food fish in wide commercial use.
• It is easy to overcook because it is lean and the flakes are large. Pull it at 52 to 55°C (130°F), since it carries on cooking on the plate, and a fillet taken to 60°C (140°F) turns dry and cottony.
• Skin on, always. Barramundi skin crisps better than almost any other fish and protects the delicate flesh from the direct heat of the plate.
• Wild-caught northern barramundi has a firmer texture and a cleaner flavour than most farmed fish; farmed fish from warm ponds can taste muddy, in which case a 20 minute soak in milk helps.

Substitutions

• No barramundi: any firm white fillet works, with snapper, murray cod, mulloway or sea bass all behaving similarly on the plate.
• Butter can be replaced with a dressing of olive oil, lemon and finely chopped preserved lemon for a lighter finish.
• Lemon myrtle, ½ tsp of the ground leaf rubbed into the flesh before cooking, is the native Australian seasoning of choice.

Variations

• Whole barramundi baked in paperbark with lemon myrtle and river mint is the Northern Territory version and is closest to the Aboriginal method.
• Barramundi wrapped in banana leaf and steamed is common in Darwin’s Asian-Australian kitchens.
• Crisp-skinned barramundi over a green mango salad is the standard modern restaurant plate.

History

The name comes from an Aboriginal language of the Rockhampton region, meaning large-scaled river fish, adopted by the fishing industry.

Frequently asked questions

What is Grilled Barramundi?

Grilled Barramundi is a main from Australia: native barramundi fish grilled with lemon, barbecue and restaurant favorite. The name comes from an Aboriginal language of the Rockhampton region, meaning large-scaled river fish, adopted by the fishing industry.

How long does Grilled Barramundi take to make?

Grilled Barramundi takes 15 min of preparation and 15 min of cooking. The recipe makes 4 servings. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Grilled Barramundi?

Yes, within limits. No barramundi: any firm white fillet works, with snapper, murray cod, mulloway or sea bass all behaving similarly on the plate. Butter can be replaced with a dressing of olive oil, lemon and finely chopped preserved lemon for a lighter finish. Lemon myrtle, ½ tsp of the ground leaf rubbed into the flesh before cooking, is the native Australian seasoning of choice.

What is the most important thing to get right in Grilled Barramundi?

Take the fillets out of the fridge 20 minutes ahead so they cook evenly, then pat the skin bone dry with paper towel; any surface moisture steams the skin instead of crisping it.