Expat Cookbook: Pan Seared Barramundi with Light New Asian Jus

While pan seared fish fillets are indisputably delicious with just lashings of tangy juice from freshly harvested lemons or with scrumptiously sumptuous wine cream sauces, the sun-kissed months of summer insist their lengthy warmer days are celebrated with servings of ocean harvest every so generously drizzled with a refreshingly light jus decadently layered with simple distinct flavours…

…the perfect accompaniment to the naturally subtly sweet Barramundi flawlessly caramelized ever so gently by searing heat!

Ingredients:

2 fillets Barramundi* with skins on

Olive oil

Salt

Crack black pepper

40g fresh coriander, retaining only the leaves

25g fresh koo chye**, julienned

1 tangerine, peeled and thinly segmented

¼ red capsicum, deseeded and julienned

For the New Asian Jus:

2 tbsp sesame oil

2 tbsp light soya sauce

2 tbsp lemon juice

1 tbsp sugar

2 pinches ground chilli

Notes:

* Native to the Indo-West Pacific region from South East Asia to Papua New Guinea and Northern Australia, Barramundi can be substituted with another fresh white fish with a similarly light sweet flesh.

** If unavailable in Asian grocers, switch the South East Asian koo chye to a mixture of chives and red onions or shallots.

Instructions:

1. Toss together the coriander, koo chye, tangerine and capsicum, and set aside the salad.
2. For the warm New Asian jus, stir the sesame oil, soya sauce, lemon juice, sugar and chilli in a small saucepan over a gentle fire until the sugar has completely dissolved.
3. Generously coat both sides of the fish fillets with olive oil, seasoning with salt and pepper.
4. Heat a large frying pan over a high flame.
5. Sear the fillets skin side down for 4 to 5 minutes until the skins are crisp. Then sear the other side for 3 to 4 minutes until the flesh turns completely white and opaque.
6. To plate, place 1 fillet skin side up on a dinner plate and drizzle the New Asian jus over the fish. Then heap salad over and lightly drizzle more jus onto the fresh greens.
7. Serve the fillets with the remaining jus in a small sauceboat.

Serves 2