Words and Images by: MARK HOLLAND and ANTHONY WARRY

INGREDIENTS

THE BARRA

• 2 150g pieces of barramundi – de-boned, filleted, skinned and cut into strips
• 200g of plain flour
• 2 eggs
• Beer as required – we used Coopers Pale Ale
• A pinch of dried tarragon
• A ¼ teaspoon of dried lemon myrtle
• A pinch of sea salt
• A pinch of freshly ground black pepper

THE CHIPS

• 2 large potatoes – peeled, cut into thick chips
• 1.5 litres of peanut, sunflower or vegetable oil

THE TARTARE SLAW

• 1 cup of raw white cabbage – thinly sliced
• Half a red onion, peeled – thinly sliced
• 1 small raw carrot – peeled, thinly grated
• Half a cup of fresh flat-leaf parsley – picked and roughly chopped
• 1 tablespoon of fresh dill – picked, chopped
• 1 tablespoon of capers – chopped fine
• 1 tablespoon of gherkins – chopped fine
• A pinch of sea salt
• A pinch of freshly ground black pepper
• 3 large tablespoons of mayonnaise
• 1 lemon – cut into wedges to serve

METHOD

To make the batter, place the flour, cracked eggs, salt, pepper, tarragon and lemon myrtle into a large bowl and mix to form a thick paste. Slowly add the beer while whisking to remove all the lumps. The batter should be the ribbony consistency of thick cream.

To make the slaw, combine all ingredients in a bowl and set it aside.

To make the chips, wash the raw cut potatoes in cold running water, place in a tea towel and dry thoroughly. Heat the oil to 130°C and gently add the chips to cook for around 4-5 minutes. This may be done in batches depending on the size of your pan. Remove and place onto kitchen paper to absorb any excess fat.

Heat the oil to 180°C. Dredge barramundi in plain flour, shake off any excess, and then drop into the batter. When the oil is up to temperature carefully remove the barramundi pieces one by one, and place gently into the hot oil. Don’t overload the pan – this may need to be done in batches. Once the barramundi is golden, remove it and keep warm. Return the chips to the 180°C oil. Cook until golden and place them on kitchen paper again to drain the excess oil.

Season with salt and serve with the barramundi and slaw, either individually or on a serving platter to share.

Category: Cooking
Written: Tue 11 Nov 2014
Printed: November, 2014
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