Steamed whole barramundi with shitake mushrooms, spring onions and ginger

February 8, 2021

STEAMED WHOLE BARRAMUNDI WITH SHITAKE MUSHROOMS, SPRING ONIONS AND GINGER

Lunar New Year is a great reason to have family and friends bring a plate around to share a sumptuous meal to welcome a prosperous new year. Traditionally, cultures celebrating the Lunar New Year will eat foods that symbolise luck and prosperity in a large pot-luck spread as a sign of abundance. Whole fish, which is said to represent surplus, is a great addition to these dinners as the Mandarin word for fish (yú) is a homophone for “surplus”.


Wow your guests with this deliciously simple, yet impressive steamed whole Infinity Blue Barramundi recipe. Infinity Blue Barramundi is perfectly complimented by the delicate aroma of the spring onion and ginger sauce. Your friends will be singing your praises as loud as a firecracker as they dig in to this auspicious dish!

Ingredients:

  • 800 – 1000g whole Infinity Blue Barramundi, scaled, gutted and cleaned
  • 3 spring onions, thinly sliced on the diagonal
  • 3 thumb-sized pieces of ginger, julienned
  • 2 dried shitake mushroom, reconstituted and sliced, reserving the liquid
  • 2 tbsp Chinese rice wine
  • 4 tbsp light soy sauce
  • 3 tsp sesame oil
  • 4 tbsp neutral flavoured oil (vegetable, canola or peanut oil)
  • 1 medium chilli, julienned
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • Steamed rice to serve

Method:

  1. Fill a wok or large pan with two litres of water and place a large bamboo steamer (and lid) on top. Bring the water to a simmer over medium heat. While the water is coming to a simmer, cut your vegetables.
  2. In a small saucepan, add soy sauce, sesame oil, shitake mushroom and 2 tbsp of the mushroom liquid and bring to a simmer. Remove from heat and allow to infuse for 10 minutes.
  3. Make three diagonal cuts into each side of barramundi, and drizzle Chinese rice wine over both sides. Then place fish on a large plate and put into the bamboo steamer. Turn heat up to medium high and allow fish to steam for 12-15 minutes over a gentle boil.
  4. Remove fish from the steamer and transfer onto a large serving plate.
  5. Generously scatter the spring onion and ginger over the fish, then pour over the soy sauce and shitake mushroom infusion.
  6. Heat the neutral flavoured oil in a saucepan over medium high heat until hot.
  7. Take the large serving plate, now containing steamed fish dressed with sauce and vegetables, and place in the centre of the dining area. Using a ladle, carefully pour hot oil over the steamed fish.
  8. Sprinkle with julienned red chilli and serve immediately with hot steamed rice.