INSPIRED by his travels in Vietnam, Nu Nu head chef Nick Holloway's delicious deep fried barra with a tropical twist that exemplifies his culinary mission: transporting diners to a different place.

• 4 baby barra, gilled, gutted, scaled and scored (400–500g each)

• 200ml fish sauce (3 Crab is best)

• 5 tbsp caster sugar

• Oil for deep frying

• 16 black mussels, cleaned

• 2 lemons, juiced

• 20 mint leaves, torn

• 1 stem fresh palm heart

• 1 lime, juiced

• 2 tsp fish sauce

• 1 tsp caster sugar

• ½ bunch long-leaf coriander, finely sliced

• ½ bunch thai basil

• 2 lebanese cucumbers, peeled
and melon-balled

• ½ bunch fennel tops

• ½ bunch vietnamese mint

• 1 punnet each of shiso cress, radish cress, chive cress

• 8 golden eschallots, peeled and finely diced

• 12 cloves garlic, peeled and
finely diced

• 5 tbsp ginger, peeled and finely diced

• 3 tbsp turmeric, peeled and finely diced

• 3 tbsp vegetable oil

• 3 tbsp white sugar

• 800ml fish stock

• Fish sauce for deglazing

1. Pound eschallots, garlic, ginger and turmeric to a smooth paste with mortar and pestle.

2. Warm vegetable oil in a broad, heavy-based frying pan. Fry the paste until golden, sticky and caramelised. Sprinkle over half the white sugar and cook until caramelised.

3. Deglaze with fish sauce.

4. Add fish stock, bring to the boil then reduce to a gentle simmer and cook until the rawness on the palate dissipates (about 10-15 minutes). Check for seasoning and add more sugar or fish sauce if needed. It should taste sour and zingy with balanced sweetness and enough salt.

5. Marinate the barramundi in 200ml fish sauce and 5 tbsp of caster sugar for at least 10 minutes.

6. Heat the deep frying oil to 180C.

7. Bring turmeric sauce to the boil again, add mussels, cover and agitate gently until the mussels open (around 3-5 mins).

8. Tip mussels and sauce into clean bowl, discard unopened ones. Add lemon juice.

9. Fry barra in batches until golden brown and cooked through. Drain
on paper towels, then drench with lime juice.

10. Divide sauce into 4 bowls, place a barra in each, top with salad and mussels and scatter over the remaining herbs.

Note: All salad ingredients are available from Rusty’s except palm heart (from palmheartsaustralia.com.au). Nick suggests substituting bamboo shoots or shaved green papaya and the cress. You can use your favourite Asian herbs instead of the cress.

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