There's a moment at every good camp when the fire's settled to coals, the light's gone orange and somebody says "what are we eating?" — and you get to answer with "barramundi off the grill grate."
Skin crisped over the coals, flesh sweet and flaky, and a pan of garlic butter melting over the top. Twenty minutes from Engel to plate, one grate to scrub, and it eats like a beachside restaurant that happens to be parked in the middle of nowhere.
What you need
Ingredients (serves 4)
- 4 skin-on barramundi fillets (150–180 g each — snapper or flathead work too)
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp salt, ½ tsp cracked black pepper
- 1 lemon, halved, plus extra wedges to serve
- 80 g butter, cubed
- 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- Small handful flat-leaf parsley or coriander, chopped
- Optional: 2 handfuls of asparagus or broccolini to char alongside
Gear
- Camp grill grate (or BBQ hotplate) over a settled fire
- Fire gloves and long-handled tongs
- Small saucepan or camp billy for the butter
- Enamel plate and a wide fish slice or spatula
- Esky or Engel — the fillets ride home in it from the servo
How to make it
- Pat the fillets dry with paper towel — dry skin is crispy skin. Score the skin in three light cuts, brush with 1 tbsp olive oil and season with salt, pepper and smoked paprika. Back in the esky until the fire's ready.
- Let the fire burn down to even, white-ashed coals (about 30–45 minutes). Set the grill grate over the coals and let it heat for 5 minutes — a properly hot grate is a non-stick grate.
- Oil the grate with the remaining olive oil on a wad of paper towel held in long tongs.
- Lay the fillets skin-side down, pressing gently so the skin sits flat against the bars. Cook 4–5 minutes without touching — the skin releases when it's crisp.
- Meanwhile, melt the butter in the billy over the edge of the grate with the sliced garlic and a squeeze of lemon. Keep it warm — you don't want it browning.
- Flip the fish and cook 2–3 minutes until the flesh is opaque through the thickest part and flakes easily with a fork.
- In the last minute, char the lemon halves cut-side down, plus the asparagus or broccolini if using, until blistered.
- Spoon the garlic butter over the fillets, scatter with herbs and serve with the charred lemon to squeeze over. Eat straight away — this one doesn't wait.
Camp tips
- Buy the fish the day you leave and keep it buried in ice in the Engel — it stays sweet for two days easy. Season at camp, not at home, so the salt doesn't draw the moisture out of the skin.
- No barramundi? Snapper, flathead or thick-cut salmon fillets all take the same treatment. Swap the smoked paprika for a pinch of chilli flakes if you like it hot.
- Fish sticking to the grate almost always means the fire's too hot or the skin wasn't dry. Wait for the skin to release before you flip — forcing it tears the flesh.
- Serve with a quick bagged coleslaw with a squeeze of lime, or crusty bread to mop up the garlic butter.
- Leftovers: flake the cold fish into tomorrow's lunch rolls with aioli and pickles. Or don't — there usually aren't leftovers.
The closer
Barramundi straight off the coals, butter running into the cracks in the skin — that's a camp dinner worth writing home about. Keep the fish properly cold on the way out, and keep that Engel running off-grid with our 12V accessories, and you're set for the whole trip.
