Barramundi Flavor Profile

Barramundi Flavor Scale
Flavor
Oil
Texture

Barramundi has flesh which is a pearly-pink when raw and white when cooked. It has firm flesh with large, moist flakes and a sweet, buttery flavor profile. The flesh has only a few bones which are large and easy to remove. Small fish have a milder taste than larger Barramundi. The skin is also edible and crisps up nicely.

Typical Wholesale Products

Live (limited availability), Whole, Fillets

Cooking Methods

  • Bake
  • Broil
  • Deep-Fry
  • Grill
  • Poach
  • Saute
  • Smoke
  • Steam
  • Sushi

Alternate Names

Asian Sea Bass, Barra, Barramundi Perch, Bekti, Cockup, Giant Perch, Nairfish, Palmer, Silver Barramundi. The name Barramundi is Aboriginal for “large-scaled river fish.”
Sushi name: Akame
Note: Nile Perch is sometimes wrongly marketed as Barramundi.

Description (Lates calcarifer)

Barramundi are a member of the Sea Bass family. They are native to Australia and Southeast Asia and can be found primarily in fresh water, but they also are found insalt water and estuaries during migration. Barramundi fished from salt waters are longer, with a grey-green dorsal section, silvery-grey belly and yellowish fins. Those caught in fresh water rivers are more golden and wider. All Barramundi begin their lives as males, then at age 5 they become female. Market size fish average between 1.5 – 2 lbs.

Barramundi fillets
Barramundi fish

 

Fresh Availability

Fresh seafood availability chart: green areas show peak availability, light green show limited availability, gray indicates not available fresh. Farmed Barramundi is available all year long.

Jan Feb Mar Apr May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec

 

Butchering Yield Percentage and Recovery

Item To Skin/On Fillets To Skin/Off Fillets Notes
Whole Round (Head/On ungutted) 38% If you have yield info on this fish please comment below.

 

Range & Habitat

Barramundi Range & Location
AquaMaps Data sources: GBIF

Wild Barramundi are native to the waters of northern Australia and Southeast Asia. It is raised in aquaculture in Australia, India, Malaysia, Indonesia, Israel, the Phillipines, Poland, Thailand, the United States and Vietnam.

Sustainability Info

Name Alternate Names Catch Method Catch
Region
Seafood
Watch
Ocean
Wise
Sea
Choice
Mercury
Concerns?
Barramundi
Lates calcarifer
Asian Sea Bass, Barra, Giant Perch, Nairfish, Palmer, Silver Barramundi Farmed, Closed Recirculating US no
Australia no
Farmed, Open-net Pen/Cage Australia Red-Dot_20.png Red-Dot_20.png Red-Dot_20.png no
Southeast Asia Red-Dot_20.png Red-Dot_20.png Red-Dot_20.png no
Taiwan Red-Dot_20.png Red-Dot_20.png Red-Dot_20.png no
Wild, Gillnet Indo-Pacific na under review na no
Disclaimer: The sustainability info above is accurate to the best of our knowledge. However, each program randomly updates their information without our knowledge. We therefore recommend that you verify the current accuracy of this information.
Green-icon_20.png = Best Choice/Recommended Yellow-icon_20.png = Good Alternative Red-Dot_20.png = Avoid/Not Recommended Updated
Feb 2013

 

Nutritional Information

based upon a 6 oz (171 grams) raw edible serving.

* Calories/Calories from fat 185
* Protein grams 34.3
* Fat grams 1.5
* Saturated fat grams .7
* Sodium milligrams n/a
* Cholesterol milligrams 77
* Omega-3 grams 1

 

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