Timorese-Australian Grilled Fish with Batar Daan
Flaky grilled barramundi served alongside batar daan, a hearty Timorese stew of sweet corn, tender pumpkin, and red kidney beans.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 35 min
- Total
- 55 min
- Servings
- 4
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Calories
- 460 kcal
Equipment
- •Barbecue or grill pan
- •Heavy-based saucepan
- •Chef's knife
- •Tongs
Nutrition
Per serving, approximate
- Calories
- 460 kcal
- fat
- 14 g
- carbs
- 38 g
- fibre
- 8 g
- protein
- 42 g
- calories
- 460 kcal
Instructions
- 1
Heat 15 ml of olive oil in a heavy-based saucepan over medium heat.
- 2
Add the diced onion and two-thirds of the crushed garlic.
- 3
Cook for 3 minutes until the onion is soft and translucent.
- 4
Add the pumpkin cubes, corn kernels, and drained kidney beans to the pan.
- 5
Pour in the vegetable stock and season with half the salt.
- 6
Bring to a gentle boil, then simmer uncovered for 20 minutes until the pumpkin softens.
- 7
Lightly crush a few pumpkin pieces with a wooden spoon to thicken the stew.
- 8
Rub the fish fillets with remaining oil, garlic, sliced chilli, salt, and lime juice.
- 9
Heat your barbecue hotplate or grill pan over high heat until very hot.
- 10
Grill the fish skin-side down for 4 minutes until crisp, then flip and cook for 2 minutes.
- 11
Grill the reserved lime halves cut-side down for 2 minutes until charred.
- 12
Ladle batar daan into bowls, top with grilled fish, fresh coriander, and charred lime.
Chef's tips
Cut the pumpkin into even 2 cm cubes so it cooks in step with the fresh corn. Lightly mashing a small spoonful of pumpkin directly into the broth creates a naturally rich, velvety sauce without needing any cream.
Ingredient substitutions
- barramundi fillets → snapper, threadfin salmon, or sea bass fillets
- red kidney beans → black-eyed peas or borlotti beans
- sweet corn cobs → 250 g frozen sweet corn kernels
Storage
Store leftover batar daan and grilled fish in separate airtight containers in the fridge for up to 2 days.
Reheating
Reheat the stew gently in a saucepan with a splash of water, and warm the fish briefly in a hot frypan to restore crisp skin.
Common mistakes to avoid
- •Boiling the stew too vigorously, which disintegrates the pumpkin completely before flavours balance.
- •Placing fish onto a cool barbecue plate, which causes delicate skin to stick and tear.
- •Overcooking the fish fillets, leading to dry and rubbery flesh.
Serving suggestions
Cooked Timorese-Australian Grilled Fish with Batar Daan?
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