Grilled barramundi with pumpkin velouté & caponata
Serves: 2

For the velouté – preheat an oven to 200°C. Remove the skin and cut the pumpkin into chunks. Coat with olive oil, season with salt, then roast in a lined baking tray for 35 minutes, or until very tender. In a large saucepan, sauté the garlic and butter over a low heat until soft and translucent. Add the pumpkin and mix well, then pour in the white wine and simmer for 2 minutes to evaporate the alcohol. Stir through the cream, milk and water, then bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer until the liquid has reduced by a third. Transfer into a blender and purée to a fine, velvety texture. Transfer the velouté into a clean pot and add the basil sprigs to infuse. Set aside.

For the caponata – keeping them separate, finely dice the vegetables to ½ centimeter chunks. In a non-stick pan over a medium heat, fry each of the vegetables in extra virgin olive oil for 2-3 minutes, then combine in a large mixing bowl. Add the vincotto and lemon juice, then chop and stir through the herb leaves. Mix through the pine nuts, season to taste, and bring to room temperature.

To cook the fish – preheat an oven to 180°C. Place some olive oil into a large, oven-proof pan over a medium-high heat. Cook the barramundi fillets skin-side down for 2 minutes. Transfer the pan into the oven and cook for a further 8 minutes, or until the fish is cooked through. Rest on paper towel.

To serve – discard the basil sprigs and spoon some warm velouté into serving bowls. Place the fish in the middle, skin-side up, and top with spoonfuls of caponata. Finish with a squeeze of lemon, a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkling of sea salt flakes.