Soy Glazed Barramundi with Pineapple Salsa (2024)

Soy Glazed Barramundi with Pineapple Salsa Served Over Black Rice is an impressive and delicious dinner that’s filled with healthy ingredients.

I’ve been working on coming up with some new recipes for fish. And, I thought it would be fun to try a glazed fish. So, my husband and I started tossing around ideas for the glaze. It was my husband who thought to try making our regular salad dressing (sweet and soy dressing) into the glaze. And, I must say, it was a fabulous idea that he had!

We appreciate your support

This post may contain affiliate links. Life Currents participates in different affiliate programs. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. For more information see here.

Please let me know if you have any questions about this recipe. I read all the comments myself and I try to help as soon as I can. I have readers from all levels of comfort and experience in the kitchen on my site, and I’ve tried to answer some of your questions already in the post. But if I’ve missed anything, please feel free to leave a comment and ask.

Can I use a different fish?

I think this glaze would work on just about any fish from a mild white fish like cod to a more full flavored fish like salmon.

Barramundi

I’ve been seeing barramundi at the store, and hearing more and more about it.

So, I thought I’d see what it was like.

If you aren’t familiar with barramundi (like I was), it’s a mild buttery tasting white fish from Australia. It’s high in Omega 3s and lean protein.

It has a bit more flavor than cod or halibut, but not an overpowering flavor at all.

Barramundi is a sweet tender mild fish. And, the soy glaze complemented it perfectly.

I didn’t feel like the fish would be easily overcooked, so I think it could withstand some excess heat and not get burned or dry out too much. Though, it wasn’t what I’d call a fatty fish at all.

White fish

The barramundi, in its raw state, looks a lot like other white fish.

There was some change in the color through the fillet, with the fish going from a darker pink to a lighter white, to a silvery color. And, handling the raw fillets was really easy because it was very firm and sturdy.

I never worried that it was going to fall apart.

Cooking the fish was easy. I seared each side for 2-3 minutes, until a nice golden crust started to develop.

I glazed the fish, and then, I placed the seared and glazed fish in the oven to finish the cooking.

The fish never stuck to the pan, though I do like to use my non-stick pan to make sure that I don’t have any issues with sticking.

The barramundi was easy to flip as well; again, it’s a firm fish. Because of the added rub on the outside of the fish, it browned nicely, evenly, and easily.

Glaze

The flavors of the glaze, as well as the tasty sides, complemented each other nicely without overpowering the barramundi.

There’s acid in the dish from the pineapple salsa with lime juice and lime zest.

Fresh herbs from the basil.

There’s crunch from the pine nuts and the rice (which was cooked al dente).

The salty elements come from the fish itself, as well as the rub on the fish, and the soy glaze (soy sauce can be pretty high in sodium, so I like to use reduced sodium soy sauce).

dinner

This fish dish was pretty easy to put together, but took a little bit of time.

First, I made the pineapple salsa, which only took a few minutes because the food processor does most of the work.

Then, I mixed together the soy glaze and cooked it for a few minutes to reduce it.

The rice cooked in the rice maker while I cooked the glaze and the fish. And, then I cooked the fish for a total of about 15 minutes.

Once all the parts were prepared, I plated the fish with the sides and the garnishes, which took another couple minutes.

So, maybe the whole process took about 50 minutes or so; not a quick weeknight meal, but a super tasty impressive presentation for a nice dinner.

And, there are several ways to cut some time off of this dish making it take less time to prep and more of a weeknight meal.

black rice

Black rice may be hard to find; my grocery store doesn’t carry it.

My Trader’s Joe’s doesn’t have it anymore, but they used to.

So, well-stocked grocery stores may carry it.

I found some at my local Mother’s Market. Amazon carries it.

But, if you prefer not to search for it, you could serve this fish with brown rice or even regular white rice.

And, if you didn’t want to make the salsa on your own, just buy a nice fruit salsa from the grocery store.

I see them both in the jarred salsa section of the store and in the produce section. You could also buy regular tomato salsa and throw some pineapple into that.

Sustainability

This barramundi was raised by a company called Australis.

It’s farmed in Turners Falls, Massachusetts, and it’s its scientific common name is Barramundi Perch.

I checked NOAA’s website to see what they said, but neither barramundi nor perch were listed. Barramundi was listed on Monterey Bay’s site though I’m a little confused by the info provided, as it was listed as a best choice, a good alternative, and avoid.

Thanks again to Seafood for the Future for helping me learn more about fish and sustainability.

Let’s keep in touch

If you like seeing my recipes subscribe via email in the upper right.
Or, connect with me on your favorite social media channel for recipes, photos, & much more:
Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Twitter!
And find my shop on Amazon for recommendations on cool tools

If you try this recipe,
please come back & leave a comment below letting us know how it goes.
Share a picture & tag @lifecurrents on Instagram.
Or you can upload a “tried it” photo (I would love to see)
via the pin.

Recipe