Barramundi
Barramundi
The barramundi is one of Australia’s most popular foodfishes. It is well known overseas and graces tables of top restaurants around the world.
Barramundi yield attractive, boned-out fillets that can be served whole or as cutlets. The large flakes provide good-sized portions and the firm texture makes it a versatile finfish to work with.
Edible parts include wings, frames, cheeks and rib offcuts. Wings are reasonably priced and are very flavoursome. The frames and heads can be used to flavour fish stock.
Barramundi can be fried, grilled, barbecued, baked, char-grilled or steamed. For excellent results, barbecue and then serve with a dressing of lemon and dill butter sauce, or add to an Asian-style stir-fry.
For a distinctly Australian experience, wrap whole barramundi stuffed with lemon aspen or muntharies in paperbark leaves, then bake. This can be served with lemon myrtle butter and roasted macadamias. The Aborigines traditionally wrap barra-mundi in the leaves of the wild ginger plant and bake it in hot ashes.
Drizzle a dressing of extra virgin olive oil and lemon myrtle leaves over crispy-skinned barramundi and serves this whole on salad greens garnished with bunya nuts
Common Forms
| Frozen | Chilled | Live | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Farmed Barramundi Whole Full | Yes | No | No |
| Whole Full | No | Yes | Yes |
| Whole G&g Full | Yes | Yes | No |
| Fillets Full | Yes | Yes | No |
| Wings | Yes | Yes | No |
| Wild Barramundi Whole G&g | Yes | No | No |
Flavour: Mild Small barramundi have a lighter flavour than larger fish.
Oiliness: Low to medium Varies with season
Moisture: Moist
Texture:Medium to firm Large flakes
Flesh Colour: White
Thickness: Medium fillets, but larger fish can be cut into thick steaks
Bones:Only a few large bones, which are easily removed
Price: Barramundi is a medium- to high-priced finfish. Wings and rib offcuts are available at a medium price.
Suggested Wines
This large-flaked finfish has a subtle flavour, particularly when small. Select medium-bodied, cool climate, crisp, dry white wines. Generally avoid warm climate rieslings and sauvignon blancs.
Cooking Ideas
| Bake | Deep Fry | |
| Grill/ | Poach | Raw |
| Shallow Fry | Smoke | Steam/microwave |
When Caught
Harvested year round from farms. Wild caught from February until November. Fisheries closures occur in Queensland from November through January and in the Northern Territory from October through January.
Important Features
Wild/Farmed Wild and farmed Barramundi are farmed commercially to a range of sizes.
Habitat Saltwater, estuarine and freshwater After spawning in saltwater, juvenile barramundi migrate into tidal creeks and then disperse over inundated floodplains. Farmed mainly in freshwater ponds.
Remarks
The word barramundi was used by the Aborigines and means river fish with large scales. Barramundi are much sought after by recreational fishers.
Imports India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Papua New Guinea, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam: mostly fillets
Common Size 30 to 90 cm
Overseas Names
GB, USA: barramundi; J: akame; RI: kakap; SGP: siakap; T: pla kapong khao; General: Asian seabass
Alternatives
Moreton Bay bug, Endeavour prawn, king prawn, tiger prawn, freshwater crayfish, school prawn
Coral trout weighing 0.6 1.0 kg are sometimes called plate size.
Nutrition Facts
per 100g of raw product
| Kilojoules | na |
| Cholesterol | 45mg |
| Sodium | na |
| Total fat (oil) | 0.9g |
| Saturated fat | 43% of total fat |
| Monounsaturated fat | 32% of total fat |
| Polyunsaturated fat | 26% of total fat |
| Omega-3, EPA | 11 mg |
| Omega-3, DHA | 50 mg |
| Omega-6, AA | 57mg |