Pan Fried Barramundi with Pea Puree and Charred Cos
Serves: 2
Time: 20 minutes
Having deliciously fresh fish is what makes this meal so fabulous, so when you're looking at fish, a good indicator to whether or not its fresh is the lustre or sheen on the flesh of the fish. If it has a nice shine to it then it is super fresh but if the fish looks dull or even appears a bit sticky then it is getting a bit too old. Monday isn’t the best day to buy fresh fish because the boats don’t generally go out on a Monday I only put the fish on Monday because it is the protein that needs to be eaten first, personally I think Thursday-Saturday are the best days to buy fish but if Sunday is your most likely day to shop, which I find often ends up being mine, then its best to eat fish as soon as possible.
Leftovers
There isn’t much in the way of leftovers but if you have some cos left then a simple tuna salad works great. Ingredients are in this weeks lunch list.
Feeding Four
I have added double of everything, except the baby coz to your feeding four shopping list which should be ample for big eaters.
What you'll need
500g frozen baby peas
2 portions of fresh barramundi with skin on
2 baby cos or baby gem lettuces
1 bunch of baby asparagus
1 avocado
1 lemon
From the Pantry
1 tablespoon of butter (optional)
olive oil
salt and pepper
Optional Lunch Xtra’s
tinned tuna in chilli oil
Prep and Cook
Cook Peas
Empty your peas into a pot of water and bring up to the boil with a pinch of salt. Cook for 7 minutes until soft.
Cook Veg
Heat a griddle pan to high. Cut the baby cos in half and spray the cut side with some olive oil spray, sprinkle with salt and pepper then lay flat side down on the griddle pan and cook for 30 seconds until nice charred lines are made. Remove from the pan and place on a plate with the charred lines facing up.
Lightly spray the baby asparagus spears with oil, then place in the griddle pan to cook for a couple of minutes till lightly charred.
Cook Fish
Heat a medium sized fry pan with 1 teaspoon of olive oil on a high heat.
Pat the skin side dry with some paper towel then sprinkle with salt, lay the fish in the pan skin side down and hold the fish down flat with either your hands or fish slice so that the fish stays nice and flat against the pan, this is how you get perfectly crispy skin. Cook for three minutes skin side then turn over and cook for thirty seconds, now add your butter and the juice of half a lemon and swill the pan so that the liquids all combine.
Tilt the pan and baste those juices over the crispy skin continuously for approx another 30 seconds then remove from the heat and allow to rest for 1 minute.
Plate it Pretty
Drain the water off your peas and use a stick blender to smash the peas to a smooth consistency.
Spread the peas over half your plate, place two halves of cos across the other half of your plate and scatter over the asparagus. Top with wedges of avocado and a couple of fresh basil leaves (not in the shopping but you will have enough for the veggie platter).
Top with the barramundi skin side facing up and a wedge of lemon.
Enjoy!
Lunch tomorrow
If running with lunch then a very simple salad with tuna will work for today.