Barramundi in fragrant coconut sauce
The mild flavour of barramundi lends itself to many dishes. Try this version, featuring aromatic coconut milk, sweet potato noodles and Asian greens.
Serves 2
300g barramundi fillet (2 x 150g portions)
Squeeze of lemon
10ml olive oil
10g Roma tomato, deseeded and very finely diced
6g salmon roe
0.5g wakame seaweed
200g coconut sauce
30g sweet potato noodles
10ml vegetable oil
4 leaves Asian broccoli
Salt to taste
Coconut sauce
dash of vegetable oil
2 shallots
1 long red chilli, deseeded
1 clove garlic
1 cm piece of fresh ginger
¼ tsp ground cumin
¼ tsp ground coriander
½ tsp garam masala
¼ tsp ground ginger
2 tsp tamarind paste
1 tsp brown sugar
200ml coconut milk
salt, to taste
small bunch of fresh coriander
For the coconut sauce
Peel the shallots, garlic clove and ginger and roughly chop. Place in a food processor along with the deseeded chilli. Blitz until you have a paste/pulp.
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Combine the cumin, coriander, garam masala and ground ginger in a small bowl and set aside. Add a dash of vegetable oil to a pan large enough to take the fish fillets once the sauce is made. Add the paste and fry over a medium heat until softened and aromatic.
Now add the spices and stir through the paste until well combined. Allow to fry for a few minutes to cook off the spices. Stir through the tamarind paste and brown sugar.
Slowly add the coconut milk, blending it well as you go to create a sauce. Bring to heat and simmer until it has thickened. You want this to be the consistency of a sauce as opposed to a wet curry. Add salt to season.
For the barramundi
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Dry the barramundi fillets with paper towel and score the skin. Season the fillet and seal skin side down until the skin is crisp. Flip the fillet and seal the flesh side, Place on a tray, squeeze lemon over it and finish in oven for 12 minutes at 180C.
Trim the Asian broccoli (remove any woody stems) and blanch when ready to serve in salted water.
Cook sweet potato noodles in seasoned water for 5 minutes, refresh with chilled water and toss in vegetable oil.
Ensure the coconut sauce is above 65C.
To serve
Place the noodles at the bottom and centre of the bowl. Place the broccoli next to the noodles on one side. Ladle the coconut sauce over the noodles and broccoli in the bowl. Sprinkle the wakame seaweed over the sauce.
Place the barramundi on top of the noodles and broccoli. Sprinkle the diced tomato in the sauce around the fish fillet. Place the salmon roe on top of the fish in the centre of the fillet.
This article first appeared in the September 2025 issue of SALIFE magazine.
