Chef's Recipes

Wild barramundi, cavolo nero and spanner crab

While crab and fish sounds like a rich combination, there's plenty of fresh flavour going on here to balance things out.

By Guy Grossi & Mario Di Natale
  • 20 mins preparation
  • 15 mins cooking
  • Serves 6
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"This dish is simple but full of flavour. It's lovely and fragrant," says Guy Grossi. "I've used barramundi, but it will work just as well with other kinds of white fish, too."

Ingredients

  • 50 ml olive oil
  • 6 (about 170gm each) wild barramundi fillets, bones removed
Braised cavolo nero & crab
  • 50 ml olive oil
  • 1 garlic clove, chopped
  • 150 gm cavolo nero, leaves separated
  • 2 celery stalks, cut into julienne
  • 1 long red chilli, thinly sliced
  • 15 gm (3cm piece) ginger, grated
  • 1 cup (loosely packed) coriander leaves
  • 200 gm picked, cooked spanner crab meat
  • Juice of 1⁄2 lemon
  • 200 ml verjuice
  • 100 gm unsalted butter, diced, at room temperature

Method

  • 1
    Preheat oven to 200°C. For braised cavolo nero and crab, heat olive oil in a large frying pan over high heat, sauté garlic (1 minute), then add cavolo nero, celery, chilli, ginger and coriander, and sauté until leaves wilt (2-3 minutes). Add crab, gently fold through, then add lemon juice and season to taste. Stir in verjuice and butter, creating a sauce, then remove from heat.
  • 2
    Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a separate large non-stick, ovenproof frying pan over medium heat. Season fish with sea salt and add to pan skin-side down, pressing fillets gently so the skin browns evenly, until golden and crisp (2-3 minutes). Turn fillets over, then transfer pan to oven until fish is just cooked through (3-5 minutes). Remove from oven and spoon oil from pan over skin to help it crisp up.
  • 3
    Serve barramundi with braised cavolo nero and crab, drizzled with cooking juices.

Notes

Drink suggestion: A dry white, such as Mario Macciocca "Civitella" Passerina del Frusinate from Lazio. Drink suggestion by Carlo Grossi.

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  • undefined: Guy Grossi & Mario Di Natale