Grilled Barramundi with Lemon & Herbs

🥘 Introduction
🥘 Snapshot
🥘 Introduction
🥘 Ingredients
🥘 Method
🥘 Notes & Tips
🥘 Variations
🥘 Make-Ahead & Storage
🥘 Footer blurb

Introduction

Snapshot

  • Serves: 4
  • Time: 10 min prep • 30 min marinate • 8–10 min cook • 50–55 min total
  • Good for: weeknight dinners, barbecue, light summer meal

Introduction

Barramundi holds a special place in Australian cooking. Long before European settlement, Aboriginal communities cooked it over coals or wrapped in leaves, yielding moist flesh and clean, elemental flavour. Through the 20th century, Australian kitchens folded in Mediterranean herbs and citrus, and later Asian accents like ginger, soy and sesame — proof that barramundi is a generous canvas. This version keeps things classic: lemon, garlic and fresh herbs that lift without overpowering, letting the sweet flesh shine. Choose responsibly sourced fish when you can; good stewardship keeps a national favourite on future tables.

Ingredients

  • 4 barramundi fillets, skin-on (about 200 g each)
  • 2 lemons, zested and juiced (about 60 ml juice)
  • 2 tbsp olive oil, plus a little for the grill
  • 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
  • 1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
  • 1 tbsp fresh thyme, chopped
  • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • Lemon wedges, to serve

Method

  1. Make the marinade: In a small bowl combine lemon zest and juice, olive oil, garlic, parsley and thyme. Whisk until lightly emulsified.
  2. Marinate: Pat fillets dry. Place in a shallow dish or bag, coat with marinade, and refrigerate 30 minutes (no longer than 2 hours — the acid will start to “cook” the fish).
  3. Preheat: Heat the barbecue or grill to medium–high. Oil the bars lightly.
  4. Grill: Remove excess marinade. Season fillets with salt and pepper. Place skin-side down and grill 4–5 minutes; turn and cook 3–4 minutes more, until opaque and flaking easily.
  5. Serve: Rest 2 minutes. Plate with lemon wedges and a scatter of herbs.

Notes & Tips

  • For crisp skin, start with dry fillets and don’t move them for the first few minutes.
  • If the fillets are very thick, finish on the cool side of the barbecue with the lid down for an extra minute or two.
  • Sustainable choice: look for responsibly farmed Australian barramundi or clearly labelled, traceable wild catch.

Variations

  • Ginger–Soy–Sesame: Swap parsley/thyme for 1 tsp grated ginger, 1 tsp soy sauce and ½ tsp toasted sesame oil. Finish with spring onion.
  • Mediterranean: Add 1 tbsp capers and 6–8 halved cherry tomatoes to the grill pan for the last few minutes; finish with olives.
  • Baked option: Heat oven to 200 °C (fan 180 °C). Bake on a lined tray 8–12 minutes depending on thickness; grill for 1 minute at the end to crisp the skin.

Make-Ahead & Storage

  • Marinate: Up to 2 hours max.
  • Leftovers: Cool quickly, refrigerate up to 1 day. Flake through salads or make fish tacos.
  • Freezer: Best not to freeze once cooked; texture suffers.

Footer blurb

“Cooking is like love; it should be entered into with abandon or not at all.” — Harriet Van Horne

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