Fresh barramundi makes for a delish classic Australian seafood dish. And when Connie Cao puts her exotic touch on it, it doesn’t get any better. Connie’s new book, Your Asian Veggie Patch (Murdoch Books), features a selection of her favourite dishes prepared with fresh vegetables, herbs and fruits from the garden. It’s also a guide to how to grow them. What a treat! Give this Barra recipe from the book a shot!
I love making steamed barramundi when coriander (cilantro) is in season. This recipe is simple but packed full of flavour. It’s based on a 300 gram (10½ ounce) barramundi fillet, which is best steamed for 8 minutes. If you have a larger fillet – perhaps 400–500 grams (14–18 ounces) – then steam it for 12 minutes. To give the barramundi some oomph, you can drizzle 1 teaspoon light soy sauce on top of the fillet before serving. This dish goes well with rice and pickled veggies (see page 72).
SERVES 2
Ingredients
5–10 sprigs of coriander (cilantro)
½ teaspoon cooking salt
1 pinch of ground white pepper
1 teaspoon Chinese cooking wine
300 g (10½ oz) barramundi fillet
1 teaspoon finely sliced ginger
Method
Remove the coriander leaves from the stems; you can chop the leaves or leave them whole. Rub the cooking salt, ground white pepper and Chinese cooking wine onto both sides of the barramundi fillet. Place the ginger on top of the fillet. Set the fillet aside in a shallow, heatproof bowl (I use a ceramic one) for 10 minutes to marinate. Bring water to a boil in a steamer. Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium. Transfer the fillet (still in its shallow bowl) into the steamer, and steam for 8 minutes. Turn off the heat, and let the fillet sit in the steamer for a further 3 minutes. Remove the fillet from the steamer, top with coriander leaves, and serve hot.
Coriander, tofu and sprout salad
When you’ve harvested a whole heap of coriander (cilantro), make this salad as a side dish. Its light and refreshing flavour is always a welcome addition to our winter meals.
SERVES 4
Ingredients
50 g (1¾ oz) coriander (cilantro)
100 g (3½ oz) five spice tofu
2 large garlic cloves
250 g (9 oz) mung bean sprouts
3 teaspoons light soy sauce
3 teaspoons white vinegar
2 teaspoons sesame oil
1 teaspoon sugar
½ teaspoon sea salt
Method
Chop the coriander into 5 centimetre (2 inch) lengths. Thinly slice the five spice tofu, and finely chop the garlic cloves. Bring a saucepan of water to a boil. Add the mung bean sprouts and cook for 30–60 seconds, then remove. Place the sprouts into a strainer, and set aside to strain and cool for a few minutes. Place all of the ingredients into a large bowl, and mix to combine. Transfer to a plate, and serve cold.
Photographs: Connie Cao and Alicia Taylor
