Barramundi
Other Names
Barra, giant perch, giant sea perch, silver barramundi.
Family
Centropomidae (giant perches).
Description, Location, Habitat and Harvesting Information
Available both wild-caught and farmed, it is caught using gillnets in coastal and fresh waters in Australia’s tropical north, from the Ashburton River in WA to the Noosa River in Queensland. They live in rivers and creeks, but do move into estuaries and coastal shallows to breed. Darwin, Weipa, Cairns, Innisfail, Townsville, Bundaberg and Adelaide are all important Barramundi farming centres. Barramundi is an Aboriginal word meaning 'river fish with large scales'.
Season
Wild-caught Barramundis are available from February to October, with the main season being February to April.
Size and Weight
Barramundis mature as males after 3 years, measuring up to 60cm in length, then change into females after 5 years. They can reach up to 1.5m and 50kg, although most wild-caught fish weigh less than 6kg. Farmed Barramundis average 400-600g and 30-37cm and are commonly sold as ‘baby’, or ‘plate-sized’, Barramundi. Some Barramundi farmers are now producing larger fish weighing around 3kg, these are flakier and have firmer flesh than ‘baby’ Barramundi.
Price
Medium-high price. Farmed plate-sized (or baby) Barramundi are less expensive than the larger wild-caught.
Relations
Sand Bass.
To Buy
Wild-caught Barramundis are usually sold in fillets or cutlets. In fillets and cutlets, look for lustrous, firm, moist white-pinkish flesh without any brown markings or oozing water and with a pleasant fresh smell. Farmed baby Barramundis are mostly sold whole, look for firm flesh, which springs back when touched and a pleasant fresh smell.
To Store
Make sure whole fish is scaled, gutted and cleaned thoroughly. Wrap whole fish, fillets and cutlets in plastic wrap or place in an airtight container. Refrigerate for 2-3 days or freeze whole fish for up to 6 months, and fillets or cutlets for up to 3 months, below -18ºC.
To Cook
Yield is 45-50%. Barramundi flesh has large flakes, mild flavour, low-medium oiliness depending on the season, moist flesh and medium to firm texture depending on size. Wild-caught Barramundi has only a few large bones, which can easily be removed. Cut large fillets into serving size portions. The centre bone of cutlets can be removed and a filling placed in the cavity. Baby Barramundis are best served whole (scaled, gutted and cleaned) as they are an ideal plate-sized fish. Barramundi skin is fine and can be left on during cooking.
Cooking Methods
Steam, deep-fry, pan-fry, bake, grill, barbecue.
Goes Well With
Asian greens, chilli, fresh herbs, lemon, lime, soy sauce, white wine. Good barbecued or baked wrapped in paperbark or banana leaves.
Alternatives
Blue-Eye Trevalla, Lings, Gemfish, Mulloway, Threadfin Salmon.
Imports
Nile Perch is the marketing name of a closely related fish imported from Africa. In fillet form, the 2 species are virtually indistinguishable, but Nile Perch cannot legally be sold as Barramundi. Product (mainly fillets) is also imported from India, South East Asia and Papua New Guinea.
Recipes