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Wanna Taste My Barramundi?

January 27, 2007

Wanna Taste My Barramundi? 
 
Barra-what? Barramundi is the next contender in the "hot 
fish" category. It is one of the most prized eating fish in 
Australia. The barramundi, which means "fish with big 
scales" was until very recently merely an obscure, feisty 
game fish for fishermen who sailed the remote Northern 
Territory of Australia. They are marine fish, but 
seasonally return to brackish coastal waters and into the 
long inland stretches of freshwater streams and rivers.  
It has become the whitefish of choice in the Australian 
restaurants, from fish houses all the way up the scale to 
what people in the eating world call "white tablecloth 
restaurants". When barra is cooked well, it can be one of 
the best seafood experiences you can ever hope to have. It 
has a very meaty, large flaked, firm white flesh. It also 
boasts a high Omega-3 content and a mild flavor. Although 
the barramundi is quite popular in Australia, it's only now 
starting to cause waves in North America and Europe. 
 
Barramundi is now being farmed right around Australia and 
is exported to all parts of the world. An Australian 
Company, Australis, is growing barramundi in a land-based 
grow out facility in Turners Falls, Massachusetts, where 
tilapia was once grown by a previous farming operation.  
The facility is an environmentally friendly operation, 
where nearly all the water used is recycled. The nutrients 
produced by the grow out are recaptured and any fish manure 
recaptured goes to local farmers for fertilizer. No 
hormones, antibiotics or colorants are added to the fish 
feed, and contains no mercury or other contaminants. 
Australis advertises its US produced fish as sustainable, 
due to its farming practices and as "born in Australia", 
because they hatch the fish Down Under,. grow them to tiny 
fish or fingerling stage, and ship them to the US for 
grow--out. 
 
So if you want to be on the cutting edge of seafood, get 
your plate and fork and palate ready for the newest, 
hottest trend in seafood, to be unveiled at Ripe Kitchen& 
Bar this week-end, "The Big Barramundi". First time on a 
menu in Mount Vernon, and probably the first in all of 
Westchester County! 
And of course, once we do it here at Ripe, expect to see 
barramundi showing up on a menu near you in the 
not-too-distant future.  
As it's an awesome protein to eat. We always keep you 
abreast of the latest food trends here at Ripe. Best of 
all, we don't just tell you about it. You get to eat it 
too!