Caramelised Barramundi with Vietnamese Salad

Serves 4

Time 40 minutes + marinating time

Ingredients

500g barramundi fillet, skin on, cut into large pieces

Juice of ½ lime

Marinade

1 tbsp ginger, minced 

2 garlic cloves, minced

½ bunch coriander, chopped

1 lemongrass, finely minced 

3 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp fish sauce

2 limes, juice

1 tbsp coconut sugar

2 tbsp coconut oil

Caramel

¼ cup raw sugar 

¼ cup water

Salad 

200g vermicelli rice noodles

¼ red cabbage, grated

1 large carrot, grated

½ daikon, grated

3 spring onions, sliced

1 bunch coriander, roughly chopped 

1 bunch Thai basil, leaves picked 

1 bunch Thai mint, leaves picked 

1 long red and green chilli, sliced 

¼ cup roasted, crushed peanuts 

2 tbsp deep fried shallots

Salad Dressing

1-inch knob ginger, finely grated

1 clove garlic, finely grated

1 lime, juice 

2 tbsp soy sauce 

1 tbsp honey  

1 tsp toasted sesame oil  

1 tsp Sriracha

Salt

Method

Coat the barramundi pieces in the marinade. Set aside for a minimum of 30 minutes, ideally marinate in the fridge overnight. 

Grate the red cabbage, carrot and daikon in your food processor. Combine all of the dressing ingredients, taste and adjust. Add the remaining salad ingredients, except for the noodles, and toss to combine. 

Prepare the rice noodles according to the packet instructions. Cool and place on your serving plate. 

Add coconut oil to a warm pan over medium heat. Add the barramundi to the pan and cook over a medium heat for 10 minutes, or until opaque and caramelised. Add sugar to a small frypan over medium-high heat. Allow to dissolve for a few minutes before carefully adding the water. Swirl the pan to dissolve the sugar. Once the caramel is rich in colour, spoon over the barramundi. 

Pour the barramundi and the caramel sauce over the noodles. Serve with the salad on the side or toss everything together.