Crispy Skin Sea Farmed Barramundi Fillet With Coconut and Lemon Myrtle Rice

Taste of the islands merge with traditional Australian bushtucker

Serves

Four

Ingredients

4 x 200g Barramundi fillets (Skin on but scaled. Skin requires scoring in lattice pattern about 1' apart). 100g cornflour 150g Jasmin rice 2 fresh lemon myrtle leaves 50ml coconut milk 80ml vegetable oil

Sauce Ingredients

1 large fresh beetroot (boil until cooked for 1.5 hours. Use plenty of water and do not allow to boil dry) 50g sliced peeled ginger 80g castor sugar (in a small pot or fry pan simmer so sugar melts. Do not burn or reduce to toffee, just allow to become golden. It takes about 10 minutes. Strain into the ingredients below when it has cooled slightly). 50ml tomato sauce 50ml sweet chilli sauce 40ml rice wine vinegar 10ml light soya sauce 50ml beetroot cooking water 10g fine julienne fresh ginger cooked beetroot cut into batons

(Mix all ingredients for sauce at room temperature and set aside).

Method

1. Cook rice with coconut milk, lemon myrtle, a little salt and sugar and suitable amount of water.   
2. Pre heat oven to 180 degrees c.   
3. Place oil in fry pan, place on low flame, dust barra fillets with flour, place flesh side up in pan for 1 minute to cook slightly, turn over to skin side, place in oven for 5 minutes.   
4. Put pan back onto moderate flame and allow skin to crisp up - takes about 3 minutes.   
5. Place fish onto paper towel to absorb oil.   
6. Warm sauce to simmer.   

Serving Suggestion

Place rice on plate. Place fish skin side up on rice. Spoon sauce around plate; arranging beetroot neatly. Garnish with fresh coriander.

Chef

Craig Squire Craig is a chef at the Red Ochre Grill restaurant in Cairns. This recipe featured by Sharon Molloy ABC Far North Qld