An Easy Barramundi Recipe: The Perfect Weeknight Dinner
Looking for a quick and delicious weeknight dinner? Try this recipe for barramundi fillets, oven-fried to perfection! With this no-fuss cooking method, you’ll have time to add an extra layer of flavor by making our tangy lemon-basil butter while the fish is in the oven.
Key Ingredients and Substitutions
- Barramundi (or other thin white fish fillets): When making oven-fried fish, you’ll want to choose fillets that are 1/2-inch thick at most. This allows the fish to cook through without the coating becoming over-browned. Barramundi (more info below) is our favorite fish for this recipe, but tilapia, catfish, and snapper are all good substitutes.
- Dry breadcrumbs: Plain dry breadcrumbs are the best choice for this recipe, as the pre-seasoned type could overwhelm the flavor of the lemon-basil butter. Avoid panko crumbs because they don’t adhere well when oven-frying and tend to crumble off when you turn the fish.
- Lemon: Fresh lemon (the juice and zest) is essential to this dish. We always keep bottled lemon juice in the house for a squeeze here and there, but when lemon is a featured flavor in a recipe like this one, there’s no replacing the tangy citrus flavor of fresh lemon.
- Basil: Lemon and basil have a natural flavor affinity, and just like with the lemon, fresh basil is essential to this dish. It’s added to the lemon butter just before removing it from the heat to preserve its fresh, aromatic qualities.
Barramundi FAQs
Here’s some info on barramundi for those of you who aren’t familiar with this tasty and nutritious fish.
What Is Barramundi?
Barramundi (sometimes called Asian sea bass) is a white-fleshed fish with silver scales native to Northern Australian and Southeast Asian waters. Its name comes from an Aboriginal Australian word meaning “large-scale river fish.” Interestingly, barramundi can thrive in fresh, brackish, and saltwater, and this versatility makes it especially well-suited for sustainable farming practices.
What Does Barramundi Taste Like?
Barramundi has a mild, buttery flavor and a delicate yet firm texture that allows for various cooking methods, including grilling, frying, baking, or broiling. In addition, its subtle flavor pairs well with all sorts of seasonings and ingredients, making it a good choice for many different fish recipes. Our Fish Puttanesca is another favorite where we use barramundi.
Is Barramundi A Healthy Choice?
Barramundi is a naturally disease-resistant fish that can be sustainably farmed without antibiotics and harmful chemicals, thus protecting wild fish populations. Farmed barramundi thrive on a primarily plant-based diet, which minimizes contaminants like mercury and PCBs. In addition, barramundi is low in calories, high in protein, and has higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids than any other white-fleshed fish.
Where Can I Buy Barramundi?
Australis Aquaculture is the world’s largest producer of barramundi. Their sustainably farmed fish is flash-frozen immediately after harvesting to preserve flavor and texture, and you can find it in the frozen seafood sections of Whole Foods, Costco, BJ’s, Sprouts, and Stop & Shop.
Australis is an ASC-certified (Aquaculture Stewardship Council) American company that farms barramundi using environmentally and socially responsible aquaculture practices.
How To Make This Oven-Fried Barramundi Recipe
- Preheat the oven to 400°F and thoroughly coat a rimmed baking sheet with olive oil spray (or regular nonstick spray).
- Whisk the egg and milk together in a shallow dish (a pie plate works well for this).
- Combine the breadcrumbs, salt, garlic powder, and a few grinds of black pepper in a second shallow dish or on a sheet of wax paper.
- If necessary, cut the fish into similarly sized portions.
- Dip each piece of fish in the egg mixture, let the excess drip off, then coat in the seasoned breadcrumbs and arrange on the prepared baking sheet.
- Lightly coat the top of the fillets with olive oil spray and bake until the fish is cooked through and flakes easily, 7 to 9 minutes, depending on thickness. For best results, turn the fillets midway through the cooking time.
- While the fish is in the oven, prepare the lemon-basil butter. Melt the butter in a small frying pan over medium heat, add the garlic, and cook until fragrant and softened, about 1-1/2 minutes (do not brown).
- Stir in the lemon juice and zest and cook until the liquid has reduced and the sauce has thickened slightly, about 2 minutes longer.
- Stir in the basil and remove from the heat.
- When the fish is done, plate individual servings and spread lemon-basil butter over each fillet.
Make It A Meal
Need some side dish inspiration to go with your oven-fried barramundi? Consider serving it with Roasted Asparagus with Lemon Butter, made easy by the tools you’re already using for the fish. You can prepare it first, transfer it to a serving dish, and give it a quick reheat in the microwave when you’re ready to serve. You could also consider doubling the quantity of lemon-basil butter sauce and toss the extra with cooked orzo or rice. If you’re trying to keep your meal low-carb, just add in a fresh green salad and whisk a little fresh basil into your dressing.
Oven-Fried Barramundi with Lemon Basil Butter
Ingredients
- 3/4 lb barramundi fillets, (see notes for substitutions)
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon milk
- 3/4 cup dry breadcrumbs
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- Freshly ground black pepper
For the lemon-basil butter:
- 2-1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- Juice and zest of 1 lemon
- 2 tablespoons chiffonade of fresh basil
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F and thoroughly coat a rimmed baking sheet with olive oil spray (or regular nonstick spray).
- Whisk the egg and milk together in a shallow dish (a pie plate works well for this).
- Combine the breadcrumbs, salt, garlic powder, and a few grinds of black pepper in a second shallow dish or on a sheet of wax paper.
- If necessary, cut the fish into similarly sized portions.
- Dip each piece of fish in the egg mixture, let the excess drip off, then coat in the seasoned breadcrumbs and arrange on the prepared baking sheet.
- Lightly coat the top of the fillets with olive oil spray and bake until the fish is cooked through and flakes easily, 7 to 9 minutes, depending on thickness. For best results, turn the fillets midway through the cooking time.
- While the fish is in the oven, prepare the lemon-basil butter. Melt the butter in a small frying pan over medium heat, add the garlic, and cook until fragrant and softened, about 1-1/2 minutes (do not brown).
- Stir in the lemon juice and zest and cook until the liquid has reduced and the sauce has thickened a bit, about 2 minutes longer.
- Stir in the basil and remove from the heat.
- When the fish is done, plate individual servings and spread lemon-basil butter over each fillet.
Recipe Notes
- Use thin white fish fillets: When making oven-fried fish, you’ll want to choose fillets that are 1/2-inch thick at most. This allows the fish to cook through without the coating becoming over-browned. Barramundi is our favorite fish for this recipe, but tilapia, catfish, and snapper are all good substitutes.
- Use dry breadcrumbs: Plain dry breadcrumbs are the best choice for this recipe, as the pre-seasoned type could overwhelm the flavor of the lemon-basil butter. Avoid panko crumbs because they don’t adhere well when oven-frying and tend to crumble off when you turn the fish.
- Use fresh lemon: Fresh lemon (the juice and zest) is essential to this dish. We always keep bottled lemon juice in the house for a squeeze here and there, but when lemon is a featured flavor in a recipe like this one, there’s no replacing the tangy citrus flavor of fresh lemon.
- Use fresh basil: Lemon and basil have a natural flavor affinity, and just like with the lemon, fresh basil is essential to this dish. It’s added to the lemon butter just before removing it from the heat to preserve its fresh, aromatic qualities.
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