Skip to content
FriendsPantry

Australian

Crispy-skin barramundi with lemon butter

Non-vegetarian

Barramundi fillets pan-fried skin-side down until shatteringly crisp, finished with a quick lemon, caper and parsley butter — a modern Australian weeknight favourite.

Crispy-skin barramundi with lemon butter is an Australian main course, ready in about 22 minutes and made with sea bass and butter. It serves 4 and is rated easy to cook.

Start cooking

No licensed photograph of this dish yet.

Prep
10 min
Cook
12 min
Total
22 min
Serves
4
Level
Easy
Calories
280

Ingredients

4 servings

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Pat the fillets very dry, score the skin lightly 2–3 times and season both sides with salt. Dust the skin with flour, if using.

    • 4 min

  2. Step 2

    Heat the oil in a frying pan until shimmering. Lay the fish skin-side down and press gently with a spatula for 30 seconds so it stays flat. Cook without moving for 4–5 minutes until the skin is golden and the flesh is opaque most of the way up.

  3. Step 3

    Turn and cook 1 minute more, until the flesh is opaque right through, then lift onto plates skin-side up.

    • 1 min
    • medium-high heat

    Food safety: Fish is cooked when it flakes easily and reaches 63 °C.

  4. Step 4

    Wipe the pan, add the butter (opens in a new tab) and cook until foaming and nutty. Off the heat add lemon juice (opens in a new tab), capers (opens in a new tab), parsley (opens in a new tab) and pepper (opens in a new tab), and spoon around (not over) the fish.

    • 2 min
    • medium heat

About this dish

Origin
Australia · Commonly attributedBarramundi is a prized native fish of northern Australia; this simple pan-fried treatment is a modern home and bistro style rather than a traditional dish.More food from Australia
Dish
Lunch · Dinner · Main courses
Cooking method
Pan-fried
Taste
buttery, citrusy, fresh, mild
Diet
Pescatarian · No nut ingredients · Low-carb · High-protein
All labelsPescatarian · Non-vegetarian · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Low-carb · High-protein · Calorie-conscious
Without the optional extras: No gluten ingredientsWith the listed swaps: Dairy-freeWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Everyday · One-pan
Cook more with
Sea bass · Butter · Lemon juice · Parsley
Techniques
Pan-frying

Allergens

  • Contains, can be adapted: Milkfrom butter
  • Contains: Fishfrom sea bass
  • Contains, can be adapted: Wheatfrom all-purpose flour
  • Contains, can be adapted: Glutenfrom all-purpose flour

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

280 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 178 g · recipe makes 4

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 40%
  • Carbohydrate 1%
  • Fat 59%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy280 kcal158 kcal
Protein27.8 g15.7 g
Carbohydrate0.7 g0.4 g
Net carbohydrate0.6 g0.4 g
Sugars0.2 g0.1 g
Added sugars0 g0 g
Fibre0.1 g0.1 g
Fat18 g10.1 g
Saturated fat6.4 g3.6 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol83 mg47 mg
Sodium604 mg340 mg
Salt equivalent1.5 g0.9 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
407 mg
Calcium
21 mg
Iron
0.6 mg
Magnesium
63 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
145 µg
Vitamin C
5 mg
Vitamin D
8.4 µg
Vitamin B12
0.5 µg
Folate (DFE)
12 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • Optional ingredients are not included: all-purpose flour, capers, lemon.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • Dry skin and a properly hot pan are the secret to crisp skin.

Common mistakes

  • Pouring sauce over the skin softens it — spoon it around the fillet.

Serve with

  • Serve with a green salad and new potatoes, or chips for a classic Aussie fish dinner.

Storage

  • Best eaten immediately.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Used in steps 1, 4

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

You might also like