Barramundi steamed with Thai spices

This fragrant seafood dish pairs barramundi with pok choy, an excellent probiotic that promotes a healthy microbiome.

Barramundi steamed with Thai spices Credit: The Fast 800

• serves

  1

• prep

  35 minutes

• cook

  35 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

This recipe is part of a meal plan for an 800-calorie day (see below) from The Fast 800 by Dr Michael Mosley (Simon & Schuster, $29.99). You can read our interview with Dr Mosley and view his other meal plans here.

• Spiced mango smoothie, 190 cals
• Minced pork and snow pea stir-fry with noodles, 320 cals
• Barramundi steamed with Thai spices, 285 cals

Ingredients

• 2 bok choy, chopped
• ½ red capsicum, deseeded and chopped
• 2 spring onions, trimmed
• 1 lemongrass stalk, halved and bruised (optional)
• 1 cm root ginger, peeled and sliced
• 1 garlic clove, sliced
• 150 g barramundi fillet (or other white fish)
• 2–3 sprigs of fresh coriander
• 2 tsp rice wine (or mirin or sherry)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp soy sauce

NON-FAST DAY: double the portion and serve it with some wholemeal or soba noodles.

Instructions

1. Place the bok choy, capsicum and spring onions in a steamer.
2. Lay the lemongrass (if using), ginger and garlic on a large square of baking paper and place the barramundi on top. Scatter the coriander, rice wine and some seasoning over the surface.
3. Loosely fold the paper to encase the fish and herbs and lay it on top of the vegetables in the steamer.
4. Steam it for 5–6 minutes, or until the fish is cooked through.
5. Serve the fish on top of the vegetables, with the juices from the cooking paper, and the olive oil and soy sauce drizzled over.

Note

• If you don’t have a pan with a steamer tray, place the wrapped fish and veg in a baking dish. Pour 2–3 tbsp water in the base of the dish, cover it with a lid or foil, then steam it in a preheated oven at 180°C for 8–10 minutes or until the vegetables are tender and the fish cooked through.

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.

This recipe is part of a meal plan for an 800-calorie day (see below) from The Fast 800 by Dr Michael Mosley (Simon & Schuster, $29.99). You can read our interview with Dr Mosley and view his other meal plans here.

• Spiced mango smoothie, 190 cals
• Minced pork and snow pea stir-fry with noodles, 320 cals
• Barramundi steamed with Thai spices, 285 cals