Barramundi with tucupi sauce

Cassava is the ingredient that represents Brazilian food culture, used for cassava flour, tapioca, and tucupi – a yellow sauce extracted from wild cassava root harvested from the Amazon. Tucupi is prepared by peeling, grating and juicing the root.

Credit: Kitti Gould

• serves

  4

• prep

  15 minutes

• cook

  10 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 2 – 3 tbsp duck fat
• 4 barramundi fillets, about 200 g each
• salt and black pepper, to taste
• 2 garlic cloves, finely grated
• 1 shallot, finely chopped
• 1 long green chilli, finely chopped
• 1 small bunch chicory greens (see note), green leaves picked and coarsely chopped
• 250 ml (1 cup) tucupi sauce (see note)
• 150 g unsalted roasted cashews
• 1 bunch watercress, picked
• 1 bunch chives, finely chopped
• extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling
• ½ lemon, juiced

Instructions

1. Heat a large cast iron pan over high heat and add a little duck fat. Fry the fish on both sides until just golden, then remove from the pan and set aside.
2. Add a little more duck fat to the pan, then add the garlic and shallot and cook until just until golden. Add the chilli and the chicory and let it cook for 1 minute.
3. Place the fish into the pan and add the tucupi sauce and 200 ml water. Cook over medium heat for 3 minutes or just until the barramundi is nearly cooked through, and the sauce has reduced and thickened a little.
4. Meanwhile, place the cashews in a mini food processor and pulse to crush a little bit (or use mortar and pestle).
5. To serve, place the watercress and chives in a bowl with a drizzle of olive oil, the lemon juice and a pinch of salt. Add the crushed nuts and mix until combined. Spoon some of the sauce on a plate, place the fish on the sauce and top with the watercress salad.

Notes

• I like using chicory spadona for this dish. Sword chicory has long rounded leaves with very thin stems and is an excellent salad green with an assertive chicory taste.

• Tucupi sauce is available from specialist Brazilian grocers or online in many different varieties.

Photography by Kitti Gould.

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Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.