Delicious and thrilling to catch, they also live in both freshwater and saltwater, change sex and eat just about anything. Barramundi support substantial commercial, recreational and customary fisheries, as well as an aquaculture industry Australia-wide.
Native to the Indo-Pacific, Barramundi proves to not only offer a desirable taste and culinary properties, it's packed with heart-healthy omega-3s and is a hardy species that lends itself to sustainable farming. It's truly like the “goldilocks of sustainable fish.”
Barramundi is an Aboriginal word meaning 'Large Scales'. It is one of Australia's most sought after recreational fish and also has an important commercial fishery.
Barramundi have a mild flavour and a white, flaky flesh, with varying amount of body fat. Barramundi are a favourite food of the region's apex predator, saltwater crocodiles, which have been known to take them from unwary fishermen.
It is a fish common to the waters of northern Australia and south-east Asia and is also called Asian sea bass. In Thailand it is called pla kapong, and in Bengali it is called it bhetki. Asian sea bass is grown extensively in farms in Asia and imported into Australia in large amounts and marketed here as barramundi.
Fact 2 Barramundi is known by many around the world as Asian Seabass, although its Scientific common name is Barramundi Perch. Some of the other names it's called include: Giant Perch, Palmer, Cockup, Bekti, Nairfish, Silver Barramundi and Australian Seabass.
Is barramundi healthier than salmon? Salmon and barramundi are both great options as part of a healthy lifestyle! While barramundi has half the calories of Atlantic farmed salmon, both fish are high in omega-3 fatty acids, which play a vital role in brain and heart health.
Barramundi offers a wide variety of nutrients that include selenium, zinc, magnesium, vitamin A and calcium. By eating barramundi, you'll also get the added benefit of lowering your risk of heart disease, inflammation, and anxiety.
The Better Fish® Barramundi is also an excellent source of lean protein (21g per 4 oz serving) with only half the calories of farmed salmon. Our Barramundi are clean and fully traceable with non-detectable levels of mercury, PCBs, and other contaminants.
SNAPPER. One of Australia's most popular recreationally-caught fish.
Snapper is a highly prized fish, and a favourite on Australian plates for generations, which is why it is purchased in such high quantities at auction. Interestingly, these days a large amount of Snapper eaten in Australia are actually imported from our neighbours in New Zealand.
Quiet outback town known as The Barramundi Capital of Australia. Burketown proudly announces to the world that it is 'The Barramundi Capital of Australia'.
Indigenous communities knew the outback and were to track food sources as well as the best ways to hunt those food sources.” Barramundi fish was a main food source for Australia's first peoples but at the time, Anglo Australians were far from interested in consuming it due to its muddy taste and difficulty to catch.
But you may be surprised to know that more than 60 per cent of the barramundi served here is imported. The dark truth is that, in order to save costs, many restaurant operators serve barramundi farmed in south-east Asia under the guise of Australian – it's cheaper as a result of less regulation.
Barramundi are opportunistic predators and eat just about anything that lives in the water. This includes insects, spiders, prawns, fish, other barramundi and even crocodiles!
Oily fish are fish that contain at least 10% fat, most of which are the healthier omega-3 oils. In Australia, the oiliest fish include: canned salmon and sardines, some varieties of canned tuna, salmon, gemfish, blue-eye trevalla, blue mackerel, oysters and arrow squid.
Fish that contain high levels of mercury include shark, ray, swordfish, barramundi, gemfish, orange roughy, ling and southern bluefin tuna. Mercury is a naturally occurring element that is found in air, water and food.
Barramundi is a healthy type of fish to start including in your diet. It's nutritious sea bass with great texture, taste, and nutrition. Barramundi is low in fat and high in omega-3 fatty acids, making it a great source of essential nutrients. Some consider barramundi one of the healthiest seafoods.
You can eat as much barramundi as you'd like without adding to your FODMAP load.
Barramundi (Lates calcarifer) farming is the second largest aquaculture activity in Queensland after marine prawn farming. Barramundi are grown in a variety of culture systems across Australia. Queensland's climate permits pond-based production of plate-sized fish. Southern states use recirculating tank-based systems.
Fishy fillets
The most common fish and chips fish after basa in Australia is New Zealand hoki. More hoki is caught in New Zealand each year than Australia's total annual fish catchment. “Hoki can be a good fish, though,” said Hodges. “It's absolutely great eating for fish and chips.”
Roast lamb has been declared Australia's national dish in a major poll that shows we're still a country of meat eaters at heart.
Which fish have a mild flavour/don't taste fishy? White-fleshed fish generally have a milder flavour than dark-fleshed fish. Ling, for example, is a good option for kids as it has a mild flavour and very few bones. Other mild-flavoured fish include leatherjacket, flathead, whiting, flounder, sole and dory.