Ah, barramundi at last! Imagine Jack’s surprise to find out that fresh ‘barra‘ is coming into San Antonio twice weekly from Oz itself. This is a major event for an expat living here. First the name: it is pronounced ‘barramundee’. Rhymes with Dundee – Remember Mick? This iconic table fish is found throughout the Indo-West region from the Persian Gulf through Southeast Asia to Papua New Guinea and Northern Australia. It is very popular in Thai cuisine, where it is known as Pla Krapong.
The name comes from an Australian Aboriginal language around Rockhampton on the north east coast of Australia. Its aboriginal meaning is “large-scaled river fish”. Its also known as giant perch, giant seaperch, Australian seabass, and a variety of names in other local languages, such as Ikan Siakap or Ikan Kakap Putih in Malay.
They are highly prized by fishermen for their good fighting ability. Barramundi are reputed to be good at avoiding fixed nets and best caught on lines and with fishing lures. In Australia, they are used to stock freshwater reservoirs for recreational fishing. They are found in fresh and salt water. Barramundi have white, flaky flesh, though the larger freshwater ones can carry a lot of body fat. Saltwater barramundi, however, have a general reputation for being the best eating. There are many who say the saltwater barramundi caught in rivers around Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia, has a fresher taste because of the cleaner water conditions.
Clip courtesy of AussieBarraCharters
Anyway, enough of this history, let’s go to the fish. This is a delicate, white flaky fish, with lots of moisture and flavor. It doesn’t need a lot of preparation and certainly doesn’t need a lot of cooking time. Jack isn’t real fond of sauces on fish and has a preference for the simplest treatments. For this discovery, Jack decided to go with pan fry in a little butter, a savory crumb on the filets and a fresh lettuce and tomato salad.
Let’s get the swimmer in the pan!
Pan Fried Barramundi
This is a really simple and quick recipe. There are any number of variations you can use with the crumb or even omit it completely.
Ingredients
Fresh barramundi filets (8-12 oz is a good size per person)
2 tbsp butter
¼ cup panko breadcrumbs (Iron Chef Authentic Panko Japanese Style Breadcrumbs)
2 tbsp shredded coconut
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp lemon pepper
1 egg
STEP 1
Whisk egg in bowl large enough to dredge filets and cover them.
STEP 2
• Mix the panko, coconut, paprika and pepper in a glass pie dish.
• Mix up thoroughly.
STEP 3
• Dredge filets one at a time through egg, then place in panko mixture.
• Cover both sides, pat down.
• Carefully put each crumbed filet aside.
STEP 4
• Melt butter in a heavy skillet on medium heat. Watch and take care not to burn.
• Place filets in skillet (skin side down if skin still on)
• Cook for 3-4 minutes and turn (Crumb should be a nice golden color).
• Cook second side for 3-4 minutes
(Time will vary depending on thickness of filets)
STEP 5
Carefully transfer to plate with broad sapatula (Remember, this is a moist, flaky fish)
STEP 6
Serve with salad or roast asparagus
ENJOY!
