Chef's Recipes

Pistou-crusted barramundi with pommes de terre à la Sarladaise

Australian Gourmet Traveller fare exchange recipe for pistou-crusted barramundi with pommes de terre a la Sarladaise by Libertine restaurant in Melbourne.

  • 35 mins preparation
  • 40 mins cooking plus cooling
  • Serves 4
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Pistou-crusted barramundi with pommes de terre à la Sarladaise
"While dining at Melbourne's Libertine I enjoyed the barramundi with pistou crust. Would you publish the recipe so I can make it at home?"
James Eliott, Healesville, Vic
Request a recipe
To request a recipe, write to Fare Exchange, Australian Gourmet Traveller, GPO Box 4088, Sydney, NSW 2001, or email us. All requests should include the restaurant's name and address or business card, as well as your name and address.
You’ll need to begin this recipe a day ahead.

Ingredients

  • 120 ml dry white wine
  • 45 gm butter, coarsely chopped
  • 500 gm vongole, soaked overnight in water, drained
  • 1 garlic clove, crushed
  • 1 bunch silverbeet leaves, coarsely chopped
Pommes de terre à la Sarladaise
  • 800 gm kipfler potatoes, scrubbed
  • 220 gm duck fat
Dill sauce
  • 60 ml Pernod
  • 3 golden shallots, thinly sliced
  • 150 ml dry white wine
  • 200 ml pouring cream
  • 1½ cups (loosely packed) dill sprigs, coarsely chopped
Pistou-crusted barramundi
  • 1½ cups each (firmly packed) flat-leaf parsley and basil leaves
  • 220 gm walnut halves
  • 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 100 ml extra-virgin olive oil
  • 4 barramundi fillets (180gm each), skin on and bones removed

Method

Main
  • 1
    For pommes Sarladaise, place potatoes in a large saucepan of cold salted water, bring to the boil over medium-high heat, cook until just tender (10-15 minutes). Drain, cool, cut into 5mm-thick rounds. Heat duck fat in a separate large deep-sided frying pan over high heat until shimmering, cook potatoes in batches, turning often until golden (3-5 minutes), drain on absorbent paper, season, keep warm.
  • 2
    Preheat oven to 200C. For dill sauce, cook Pernod, shallots and wine in a small saucepan over medium-high heat until reduced to 60ml (5-7 minutes). Add cream, reduce by half (5-7 minutes), add dill, process in a blender until smooth, season, keep warm.
  • 3
    For pistou-crusted barramundi, process herbs, walnuts and garlic in a food processor to a coarse paste. With motor running, add olive oil in a thin steady stream until emulsified. Season to taste, thickly spread on skin-side of barramundi (you may have a little remaining), then roast on a baking-paper-lined oven tray until just cooked through (6-8 minutes).
  • 4
    Meanwhile, heat wine and 20gm butter in a saucepan over medium heat, add vongole, stir until open (3-5 minutes), keep warm.
  • 5
    Heat remaining butter in a frying pan over medium-high heat until foaming, add garlic, stir for 1 minute, then add silverbeet, stir until just wilted (1-2 minutes). Season, divide among plates, top with potato, vongole and barramundi, spoon over dill sauce and serve.

Notes

This recipe is from the July 2009 issue of Australian Gourmet Traveller.

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