Sayadieh: Baked Barramundi with Turmeric Rice Pilau, Orange & Almond

🇱🇧 Lebanon · ⏱ 25 mins + prep · Difficulty: easy · 🐟 Eat this dish first — fresh seafood has a shorter shelf life than red meat.

Ingredients

• 2 barramundi fillets
• 1 basmati rice sachet
• 1 slivered almond sachet
• 1 ground turmeric sachet
• 1 broccolini bunch
• 1 orange
• 1 brown onion
• 1 parsley bunch

Method

1. Prepare the ingredients

Read the recipe in full before you begin. Preheat the oven to 180°C and put a saucepan of water on to boil for the rice. Roughly chop 1 teaspoon per person of parsley leaves. Zest and segment the orange (or simply slice the flesh). Thinly slice the onion.

2. Caramelise the onions

Heat a splash of oil in a pan over low-medium heat and gently sweat the onions, stirring now and then, until caramelised and brown — 15–20 minutes. Season with salt. Optional: after about 12 minutes, add 1 teaspoon each of white wine vinegar and brown sugar per onion and stir to dissolve.

3. Cook the rice

Meanwhile, wash the rice in cold water until it runs clear. Add to the boiling water with a good pinch of turmeric and cook for 8 minutes, stirring often, until cooked through. Strain, stir through the citrus zest and spread on a lined baking tray.

4. Bake the fish

Top the rice with the broccolini and fish. Drizzle with olive oil and bake for 8–12 minutes or until the fish is just cooked through.

To serve

Divide the rice pilau between serving plates. Top with a fillet of barramundi and the broccolini. Finish with the orange segments, caramelised onions, almonds and chopped parsley.

Chef’s tips

• Our barramundi comes from Infinity Blue in the Daintree — clean, sweet saltwater barra.
• Toast the almonds in a dry frying pan for a nuttier flavour.
• Pimp your pilau any way you like — try cardamom, bay leaves or cinnamon.
• You could blanch the broccolini in the rice water instead of baking it.

Good to know

Pantry staples: olive oil, salt, white wine vinegar (optional), brown sugar (optional)
Utensils: lined baking tray, frying pan, saucepan, zester
Allergens: fish, nuts (almond), onion