Crispy Skinned Barramundi on Bacon and Herb Griddle Cakes with Lemon Aspen Butter Sauce
Barramundi is such an iconic Australian fish it deserves it's own real Australian sauce to accompany it. Lemon Aspen is a delight in a traditional butter sauce, providing a lovely marriage of two great Australian flavours
Serves 4
4 x 200g fillet pieces barramundi, skin on
Tasmanian Pepper Salt to season
Olive oil
Lemon Aspen Butter Sauce
Makes 3 cups (750ml)
1 cup (250ml) white wine
2 lemon myrtle leaves, if available (if not use lime. Kaffir lime or lemon leaves)
2 ½ cups (625ml) cream
4 teaspoons (8-10g) lemon aspen superfruit powder
2/3 cup (150g) unsalted butter (at room temperature) cut into small pieces
2/3 teaspoon of Tasmanian Pepper Salt
Place the wine and lemon myrtle leaves in a saucepan and cook over a medium heat until about a quarter of the liquid remains. If you don’t have the lemon myrtle leaves omit them or use a suggested substitute and simmer over a medium heat to reduce until about a quarter of the liquid remains
Once the wine has reduced remove the lemon myrtle leaves.
Add the cream and lemon aspen. Lower the heat to a simmer and quickly whisk in the pieces of butter one at a time until they are completely incorporated. Season with salt and pepper. Try to complete this stage as quickly as possible to avoid losing the wonderful lemon aspen flavour, which can dissipate with long exposure to heat.
Strain the sauce and serve immediately.
Griddle Cakes
Makes 4 pancakes, 1 per serving
2 middle rashers of bacon, rind off and diced
½ cup tepid mash potato
½ cup self raising plain flour, sifted
½ teaspoon sugar
1 ½ teaspoons fresh herbs or 1 ½ teaspoons dried herbs (e.g. lemon myrtle, anisata, native mint, mountain pepper)
½ teaspoon salt
1 large egg, lightly beaten
¾ cup milk
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
First make the pancakes by frying the bacon in a non-stick pan until it is crispy. Remove the bacon from the frying pan, reserving the fat in the pan.
Stir the mashed potato, flour, sugar, herbs and salt together in a bowl. Whisk together the egg, milk and melted butter in a medium sized bowl and then stir in the seasoned flour until a smooth batter is formed. Fold in the cooked bacon and let the mix rest for about 20 minutes.
Heat the frying pan that still has the bacon fat over a medium heat. Spoon the batter in to make individual pancakes and cook until small bubbles appear at the edges. Turn the pancakes over to cook the other side until golden.
Keep warm while you cook all the batter, spraying the pan lightly with oil if required between batches.
Using a clean frying pan or a cast iron grill pan, heat a little olive oil.
Season both sides of the barramundi with the Tasmanian Pepper Salt and cook skin side down for about 6-7 minutes to crisp and cook the barramundi skin. Turn over and cook the other side for 4-36minutes. The fish, when cooked should flake well with a fork and most of the flesh will be cooked to an even white.
Place a pancake in the centre of each serving plate and carefully place the barramundi fillet on top. Spoon the warm lemon aspen butter sauce over the fish and serve immediately. Garnish with a couple of freshly cooked asparagus spears.
copyright Juleigh Robins Wild Food 2010 Penguin