Barramundi express

This barramundi express recipe is ready in just 30 minutes and takes inspiration from the classic Filipino dish Bicol Express – a dish made with pork, garlic, chillies, bagoong and coconut cream and the African curry, kuku paka, cooked with a tomato base, coconut and spices. Serve with plenty of steamed rice to soak up the saucy goodness.

• serves

  4

• prep

  10 minutes

• cook

  20 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 brown onion, thinly sliced
• 3 large red chillies, thinly sliced
• 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 1 cm x 2 cm piece ginger, thinly sliced
• salt and black pepper
• 2 tsp ground turmeric
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tbsp ground coriander
• 400 g canned cherry tomatoes
• 400 ml coconut cream
• 2 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 tsp white sugar
• 4 x 150 g skinless barramundi fillets
• 1 cup loosely packed basil leaves, to serve
• lime wedges, to serve

Instructions

1. Heat a large frying pan over medium heat, then add the oil, onion, chilli, garlic and ginger. Cook, stirring, for 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, then stir through the ground spices. Add the cherry tomatoes and coconut cream, then season with the fish sauce and sugar. Bring to a simmer.
   
2. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Slide in the barramundi fillets and cook, covered for a further 5 minutes, or until the fish is tender and cooked through. Stir through the basil leaves to serve. Serve the barramundi express with lime wedges.

Photography by Jiwon Kim.

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Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.