There's no easier way to cook fish than tucked in a foil package, alongside healthy vegetables. Barramundi, a sustainable fish, takes the starring role. 197 calories and 1 Weight Watchers Freestyle SP
Maybe it's because I grew up in an oceanside city (Vancouver) and spent hours fishing with my dad, but I've always been determined to instill a love of seafood in my two boys. In Vancouver, I learned to love sea creatures of every type...salmon, shrimp, scallops, crab. You name it, I ate it. Okay, except sea urchin.
No can do.
So when Barramundi, a sustainable fish popular in Australia, New Zealand and Southeast Asia, came to my attention, I jumped at the chance to try it. This firm, mild fish has a slightly buttery texture, reminiscent of sea bass. It has even been dubbed "The Sustainable Sea Bass" and is farm raised using an innovative Smart Aquaculture technique.
Okay, so the taste is good and the boys loved it ("Mum, what is this? It's SO good!"). But what about the health benefits?
Each 4-ounce Barramundi fillet contains 140 calories, 23 grams of protein, 5 grams of fat (only 1.5 grams of saturated fat) and plenty of omega-3 fatty acids (that's the good, heart-healthy stuff). Specifically, Barramundi has Barramundi has 600 – 800 mg of omega-3s per 5-oz serving, which is comparable to wild Coho salmon. To boot, there are no hormones or colorants used, and the fish is free of mercury and PCBs.
If you're a fan of Dr. Oz, you'll be happy to know that he said this about Barramundi: "Free of mercury, but full of heart--and brain--healthy omega-3s, barramundi is a shoe-in for one of my top 5 superfoods. Bonus: the white meat is light, flaky and delicious."
Works for me!
Using a make-shift foil package is one of my favorite ways to cook fish, both on the grill and in the oven. Barramundi lends itself well to Asian flavors, such as soy, ginger and garlic, and you can't beat the ease of cooking the vegetables in the foil package alongside the fish.
So, where do you find Barramundi? It's sold frozen at many retailers, including Trader Joe's, Whole Foods and Safeway.
The fish recipe:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Place a large piece of foil (larger than baking sheet) on a large baking sheet and lightly coat with cooking spray.
Lay the barramundi filets in the center of the prepared foil.
Drizzle 1 tablespoon soy sauce (or tamari), 1 ½ teaspoon rice vinegar and 1 teaspoon canola oil over the fish. Top the fish with the ginger, garlic and green onions.
Lay the baby bok choy and red bell pepper slices over the fish, and drizzle the remaining soy sauce (or tamari), rice vinegar and canola oil over the vegetables.
Lay another large piece of foil over the fish and vegetables, sealing the edges so that the foil forms a loose pocket over the fish.
Cook until the fish is just cooked through and the vegetables are tender, 10 to 12 minutes. Take care not to overcook the barramundi.
Unwrap the foil, remove the garlic, ginger and green onions, and serve the barramundi with the bok choy and red bell pepper.
Other Asian-inspired recipes:
Cookin' Canuck's Chinese Noodle with Chicken, Bok Choy & Hoisin Sauce
Cookin' Canuck's Shrimp, Avocado & Rice Noodle Spring Rolls
La Fuji Mama's Honey Ginger Chicken Sobor Onigiri (Japanese Rice Balls)
Food Faith Fitness' Larb Gai Lettuce Wraps (Chicken)
If you make this recipe, I'd love to see it on Instagram! Just use the hashtag #COOKINCANUCK and I'll be sure to find it.
Printable Recipe
Asian-Style Barramundi Fish & Bok Choy in Foil
Ingredients
- 4 6 ounces each Barramundi filets
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce divided
- 3 teaspoons rice vinegar divided
- 2 teaspoons canola oil divided
- 1 1-inch piece ginger thinly sliced
- 2 garlic cloves sliced
- 3 green onions
- 4 heads baby bok choy cut in half lengthwise
- 1 red bell pepper thinly sliced
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- Place a large piece of foil (larger than baking sheet) on a large baking sheet and lightly coat with cooking spray.
- Lay the barramundi filets in the center of the prepared foil.
- Drizzle 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1½ teaspoon rice vinegar and 1 teaspoon canola oil over the fish. Top the fish with the ginger, garlic and green onions.
- Lay the baby bok choy and red bell pepper slices over the fish, and drizzle the remaining soy sauce, rice vinegar and canola oil over the vegetables.
- Lay another large piece of foil over the fish and vegetables, sealing the edges so that the foil forms a loose pocket over the fish.
- Cook until the fish is just cooked through and the vegetables are tender, 10 to 12 minutes. Take care not to overcook the barramundi.
- Unwrap the foil, remove the garlic, ginger and green onions, and serve the barramundi with the bok choy and red bell pepper.
Notes
Nutrition
Disclosure: I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
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Laurie {Simply Scratch}
Dara this looks amazing!! I love foil packet meals... and barramundi! Genius 🙂
Jade Asian Greens
Genius way to prepare fish and bok choy! We're going to link to you from our Facebook page so all our followers can see how you did this. Looks utterly delicious!
--Your friendly Southern Calif. farmers at Jade Asian Greens
Kate@Diethood
Love this! Such a beautiful meal. This is also my favorite way to prepare fish.
Nutmeg Nanny
Yum! I can't wait to whip this recipe up 🙂 I love bok choy!
Donna
Too bad I didn't have baramundi when I was raising my kids ~ this looks FABulous.
Brian @ A Thought For Food
I love fish that's simply prepared like this. Baramundi looks really meaty, which I really enjoy.
Kathy - Panini Happy
I love cooking fish in foil packets! It comes out perfectly that way (also easier clean up). I will look for barramundi! 🙂
jane
that is the fanciest foil dinner I ever did see. love it! looks wonderful!
KalynsKitchen
Sounds delicious! I love easy preparations like this that are loaded with flavor.
Kelli @ The Corner Kitchen
Loving all the flavors in this recipe, Dara! Makes a great weeknight dinner!
Candice
What a great and simple recipe! Can't wait to try barramundi as I've never had it before.
Liz @ The Lemon Bowl
We make fish this way all the time!! I love prepping it earlier in the day then popping it in the oven later. You know I love all things Asian!
Jeanette | Jeanette's Healthy Living
So funny, I have a few packs of this in my freezer from Trader Joe's and was going to steam it with similar flavorings this week. Love this idea of making it in foil packs Dara.