SUPER SEED VEGETABLES MEDLEY WITH CREAMED CORN AND BARRAMUNDI

See note at the bottom about barramundi fish.

“A recipe that I altered to suit our dietary preferences. It was the first time that I made corn mash and it was delicious!”

2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
2 teaspoons hemp seeds
2 tablespoons slivered almonds
2 tablespoons crushed peanuts
4 barramundi fillets (sole, sea bass will do if you cannot find barramundi)
2 corn cobs
1 onion
4 cloves garlic
½ cup Cheddar cheese
¼ cup sour cream
1 bunch kale
1 red capsicum
⅓ cup olive oil
40 g butter
salt and pepper to taste

Prepare vegetables:
Heat the oven to 200 °C and line two oven trays with baking paper.
Cut the capsicums into strips and tear the kale into small pieces, discarding the stems.
Crush or finely chop the garlic.
Finely chop the onion. Cut the corn kernels from the cobs.

Start cooking fish:
Heat one tablespoon olive oil in a medium fry pan over medium heat. Season both sides of the fish with salt.
Cook the fish, skin-side down, for three minutes or until golden and crisp (only the skin is cooked at this stage).
Remove from the pan, skin-side up. Wipe the pan clean with paper towel and reserve the pan.

Bake vegetables:
Put the capsicum on one side of the lined trays and scatter the kale over the top. Drizzle with two tablespoons olive oil and season with salt and pepper , then toss to coat. Bake for five minutes.

Make creamed corn:
While the vegetables are baking, put the garlic, onion, corn, 20 g butter and ⅔ cup water in a saucepan over medium heat.
Cook, stirring occasionally, for five minutes or until the onion and corn are tender.
Add cheese and sour cream.
Using a stick blender, blend the mixture in the pan to a coarse purée.
Taste, then season with salt and pepper.

Finish cooking fish:
Carefully remove the trays from the oven and toss the kale, making space for the fish. Put the fish on the trays, skin-side up and return to the oven for a further 5 – 8 minutes, until the fish is just cooked through.

Toast nuts and seeds:
While the fish is baking, put the almonds, hemp seeds, sesame seeds, 20 g butter and one tablespoon olive oil in the reserved pan and place over medium-low heat.
Toast the nut mixture, stirring regularly, for four minutes or until golden.
Divide the creamed corn, capsicum and kale among plates.
Flake over the fish and spoon over nut mixture to serve.

Recipe and photo: Louise Venter

Note:
If you wonder about barramundi fish, here is some information from Wikipedia, for your convenience, and abbreviated.

The barramundi or Asian sea bass is widely distributed in the Indo-West Pacific region from South Asia to Papua New Guinea and Northern Australia. In texture and appearance the flesh of a farmed barramundi is similar to firm white-fleshed fish like snapper, grouper, striped bass, or sole. But, for a white-fleshed fish, it packs a mighty load of healthful omega-3’s — about the same amount as a salmon. Most sea bass, being the same family and providing similar firmness can probably constitute a good alternative too.