And today we conclude with the third service of barramundi. What is really tasty in this dish is the kaffir lime salt which we use to season the inside of the fish skin. The kaffir lime infused balsamic vinegar is another tasty condiment which will keep for alternate uses.
Roasted Barramundi Loins
Two loins of Barramundi
Skin from two filets of barramundi
Butchers Twine
3 tablespoons of olive oil
3 tablespoons of butter
Two pints of grape tomatoes
Fleur de Sel
Black pepper (Lampong)
1 cup of Balsamic vinegar
1/4 cups of soy sauce
2 tablespoons of agave nectar
10 kaffir lime leaves
4 tablespoons of sugar
8 ounces of foie gras cut into a large dice
1 cup of fresh basil finely sliced
To make Kaffir lime salt, puree 5 lime leaves with 4 tablespoons of sugar to make a fine sandy mixture. Pass the mixture through a medium sized sieve and then add an additional 1/2-cup of fleur de sel. Mix together and set aside.
Remove the fish skin and loins from the refrigerator. Season the loins with the lime salt. Lay each loin in the center of one of the skins. Wrap the skin around the loin so that it covers it completely. Trim the fish skin if there are loose flaps or an excessive amount of overlap. Use butchers twine to tie the fish loins so that the skin stays in place. About six ties at one-inch intervals should be sufficient. Ones the loins are tied, dry them with paper towels and place on a cookie rack over a sheet pan in the refrigerator so that the skin can dry some more by being exposed to the air.
Place the balsamic vinegar, soy sauce, remaining lime leaves and agave nectar into a small pot and reduce by two thirds. Strain the mixture and set aside in a small ramekin.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Season the water with salt. Blanch the grape tomatoes in small batches for five seconds and then place in a bowl of ice water. When the tomatoes are blanched, remove them from the ice water and peel the skins. Place the tomatoes in a bowl and season with fleur de sel and fresh cracked pepper. Set the tomatoes aside at room temperature.
Heat the olive oil in a sauté pan. Cut each loin of fish in half so that you have four portions. Season the fish and then place in the sauté pan. The fish will need to be cooked on all sides to crisp and brown the skin. Sear the top of the fish, then each side and then the bottom seam side. When you flip the fish on its final side, add the butter. It will foam and froth. Use the butter to baste the fish. When the fish is cooked, remove it to a warm plate. Meanwhile heat another sauté pan on high heat. Season the cubed foie gras with salt and add it to the pan. Make sure the foie gras lays flat in the pan to get a good sear. Flip the cubes over and then remove them from the pan and keep in a warm place. The residual heat will finish cooking the foie gras. When the foie gras is removed from the pan add the tomatoes to deglaze the pan and just warm the tomatoes. Add two spoonfuls of the balsamic infusion, and then fold in the foie gras and the julienned basil.
Cut the strings off of the fish. For each plate, place a spoonful of the tomato and foie gras salad on the plate. Set the roasted loin of fish next to the salad. Drizzle another spoonful of the kaffir lime infused balsamic over the fish and tomatoes.
