A classic roast has always been a great way to feed a lot of people, but why not try Roasted Barramundi instead the usual lamb or beef.
We had our regular gang of ten for a birthday dinner recently and the idea, rather than sweating over a hot stove, was to let the oven do the work. (Okay, confession time, minimal last-minute fuss was the real agenda.)
The oven was ramped up to high in the mid-afternoon and the roasting began with the accompaniments: in order, a mix of red vegetables, followed by a cauliflower to make a salad, then a pan of potatoes, which after a couple of hours were crisped to the max.
Just when we were ready to eat, the barramundi took a turn, after marinating for some hours in a mix of spices and crème fraiche.
The whole lot was given a big thumbs up around the table and, since the process was quite relaxed and went without a hitch, I was pretty happy too.
Jan
ROASTED BARRAMUNDI WITH RED VEGETABLES
Serves 10
Roasted Red Vegetables
4 red onions, peeled, roughly chopped into 2-3cm pieces
2 large red capsicums, seeded and chopped into 2-3cm pieces
2 red chillies, sliced
1 bulb of garlic, halved horizontally
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
1½ teaspoons sea salt
100 ml olive oil
10 Roma tomatoes, cored, skinned and roughly chopped
230 gm cherry tomatoes on the vine
Heat oven to 200°C fan-forced.
Add onions, capsicum, chilli, garlic, coriander seeds and seasoning and mix well with 4 tablespoons of the olive oil. Spread in a baking dish and roast for 30 minutes, stirring once or twice, until vegetables are soft and beginning to char.
Pick the garlic cloves from the skins with a small knife and stir back into the vegetables. Discard skins.
Add the chopped tomatoes into the mix and combine well. Return to the oven for another 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes have broken down and the mixture is thick and unctuous.
Scatter with the cherry tomatoes, top with remaining olive oil and return to the oven for another 10-15 minutes or until the cherry tomatoes are cooked. Keep warm while you roast the fish, or gently reheat to serve.
Roasted Barramundi Fillets
10 pieces of barramundi or other firm white fish, skinless fillets cut to even thickness, around
150gm each or 11cm x 7cm, offcuts reserved for another use
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 teaspoon dried chilli flakes
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
1 teaspoon sea salt
250 ml crème fraiche
Lightly toast the cumin, coriander and fennel seeds in a dry frypan then cool a little before grinding, along with the chilli flakes, ground cardamom and salt. Mix the spices into the crème fraiche.
Around 5 hours before you want to eat, slather the spiced crème fraiche all over each of the barramundi fillets. Lay them in a dish, cover closely, and refrigerate until half an hour before cooking to allow fish to come to room temperature.
Remove the crème fraiche with a spatula or kitchen paper, no need to be too obsessive, and place the fillets on a large oven tray lined with baking paper.
Maintain the oven at 200°C fan-forced.
Roast fish for 8 minutes, then grill for an extra 2 minutes to lightly brown. Check that the fish is just cooked through and serve immediately with red vegetables.