International Chefs Day 2016 / Crisp–skinned Barramundi on Saffron Risotto with Asparagus and Lemon and Capers Butter

😊 Today (20 October) is International Chefs Day! This special day for all chefs worldwide has been started by the World Association for Chefs Societies. More information about this event can be found on their website.

So, to all of our great cooks and chefs out there, we salute you on this special occasion! Happy International Chefs Day!




I just got home after our biweekly restaurant service training at Pavilion Restaurant tonight. We had about 20 people booked and I was assigned to cook one of the main courses: Crisp–skinned Barramundi on Saffron Risotto with Asparagus and Lemon and Capers Butter. It was my first time to prepare it, since we recently changed to a new menu for this school term (October – November). Some of the elements of this dish has already been precooked by one of the previous student teams, so that was less work for me.

Barramundi is a type of fish which is popular here in Australia. In fact, the name of this fish was borrowed from an Aboriginal word which means "fish with big scales". To know more about this fish, you may visit these pages:

          Australian Barramundi Farmers Association:
          → http://www.abfa.org.au/barramundi_name.html
          
          Australia's Sustainable Seafood Guide
          → http://www.sustainableseafood.org.au/fish.php/1/16/barramundi
          
          FishBase – the world's most comprehensive electronic encyclopedia on fish
          → http://fishbase.org/summary/346
          
          Government of Western Australia – Department of Fisheries:
→ http://www.fish.wa.gov.au/Documents/recreational_fishing/fact_sheets/fact_sheet_barramundi.pdf

          → http://www.fish.wa.gov.au/species/barramundi/Pages/default.aspx



(top) Postage stamp picture source: http://australianstrampcatalogue.com/images/1754-1-1.jpeg
(bottom) Barramundi illustration source: http://fishbase.org/images/species/Lacal_u1.gif


Here's the recipe for this delicious fish dish:

🐟 Crisp–skinned Barramundi on Saffron Risotto with Asparagus and Lemon and Capers Butter 🍋

(Makes 10 portions)

For the barramundi:
2 kg barramundi fillet (skin on)
≈ 100 mL olive oil
≈ 80 g butter
salt and pepper

– Portion barramundi into about 150 g portions with the skin on. Season with a little bit of salt and pepper.
– Put some olive oil into frying pan. When hot, add some butter and then place the barramundi skin side down. Cook until the skin is crisp.
– Turn over fish and cook until fish meat becomes opaque.
– Rest well before plating/serving.

* The fish can also be cooked in a preheated 180°C oven, but the skin should be seared on a pan first.

For the saffron risotto:
≈ 30 mL olive oil
≈ 120 g onion (finely chopped)
≈ 400 g Arborio rice
≈ 50 mL white wine
10 pieces saffron strands
≈ 1.1 L chicken stock
≈ 40 g butter
≈ 50 g Parmesan cheese (grated)

– Heat up the olive oil, sauté finely chopped onion, and add the rice. Sauté until rice becomes translucent.
– Add the white wine and saffron. Let the wine evaporate.
– Add a bit of chicken stock at a time and stir. Cook risotto until all of the stock is used and until it becomes al dente.
– Finish with butter and Parmesan cheese.

For the lemon and capers butter sauce:
5 pieces lemons
≈ 200 g capers (remove them from the brine solution)
≈ 100 g butter

– Segment lemons and extract juice from the trimmings. Combine them together and reserve for later use.
– Heat butter and toss capers, lemon segments, and juice together. Cook until butter becomes golden brown.

For the asparagus (≈ 3 spears per plate):
– Blanch the asparagus in boiling water then refresh in cold water.
– When serving, heat in butter on a frying pan.

To serve:
– Arrange on a plate with risotto, fish, asparagus, and topped with the lemon and capers butter sauce.

At Pavilion tonight, we served it up like this:



😊 Bon appétit! 🍽