Posted November 13, 2022
(As I did for New Zealand, I’d like to do some posts about wonderful things unique to Australia that we’ve discovered during our three trips there. This will be the first of regularly-appearing Discovery posts.)
I try to make a point of knowing special foods to try from various cultures/countries, but there’s always more to learn. For instance, I’d already been to Australia four times, yet never (that I can remember) tried the fish called Barramundi. I knew it was popular here, but with so many tempting items on any given menu, it was never my top choice.
During our time in New Zealand, I’d come across a book called 1000 Foods to Eat Before You Die. This book has inspired me to try many new things and has never led me astray. Recently, I was reading about Australian foods I’d previously overlooked, and barramundi was at the top of the list.
I read that barramundi is a large fish that tends to dwell in the brackish waters of estuaries. They eat crustaceans and small fish which adds a wonderful flavor to their buttery texture. This sounded pretty good to me; so I suggested to Rich that we order the crispy-skinned barramundi and chips as our first meal in Gladstone, splitting it along with a seafood pasta.
Rich started with the fish and was quite impressed. Since he’s had so much fresh fish in his life, it takes a lot to impress him. Naturally, I was intrigued. When I tried it, the flavor was fabulous, the crispy skin tasty along with the fish fillet. I’d describe the fish itself as dense and meaty, yet tender and succulent at the same time. Mostly, it made me want to put my paw on it and growl.
So the question: Was it this good because we’d just finished a passage, or was this fish simply really good? Having had barramundi several times since, we can say it’s really just that good! Below, a few photos of our barramundi meals (click any photo to enlarge).
Interestingly, my book suggested not ordering barramundi breaded and fried (saying the flavor is too subtle for that), but at one restaurant Rich ordered beer-battered barramundi fish and chips. I will mention here that up until this point, our peak fish-and-chips experience had been a “catch of the day” at Phil’s Place Restaurant (alas now departed) in Tauranga, New Zealand. The fish and chips there were always good, but this particular day the filets seemed extra thick, tender and full of flavor (I don’t remember what kind of fish it was).
Today this barramundi lived up to that experience. In fact it really brought up that “put a paw on it and growl” feeling again. We split it with a wonderful homemade ravioli, but if I could go back and do it again we would both have gotten the fish. Sadly the restaurant was closed the following day, our final day in town; so I’m not sure we’ll have barramundi again prepared as fish and chips. But we will definitely enjoy lots more barramundi as we travel north through Australia! –Cyndi
