Pan Seared Barramundi with Vanilla & Chive Butter Sauce

It may sound a little strange, but using vanilla in a savoury dish like this works really well - here we have used the delicious Saltwater Barramundi but this would also work perfectly for seafood like crab or bugs or even lobster!

Prep: 20 minutes - Cook: 20 minutes - Serves: 4 - Difficulty: Capable Cooks - Recipe: Hayden Quinn

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Ingredients

4 (200g) fillets Daintree Saltwater Barramundi 
Sea salt, to taste
1 tbs rice bran oil

Vanilla and Chive Butter Sauce
1 eschallot, finely chopped
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1 Bloomfield Vanilla bean, halved and seeds scraped
1/3 cup cream
250g chilled butter, cut in 1cm cubes
1/2 bunch chives, finely chopped

Salad
1 head butter lettuce, washed and leaves separated
Juice, 1/2 lemon 
2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
1/2 bunch chives, cut in 2cm batons
Sea salt and pepper, to taste 

Method

Step 1. Heat a large non-stick frying pan over medium high heat. Season barramundi fillets well with salt. Drizzle oil into pan, good fish skin side down and using a fish weight, or heavy pan to keep fish skin in direct contact with the pan, cook for 3-4mins or until skin is crisp. Gently flip and cook for a further 1-2mins or until cooked to your liking. Remove from pan and allow to rest while you make the sauce.
Step 2. Using the same pan, saute the eschallot until softened and translucent. Add white wine vinegar and cook off until reduced by half. Add vanilla and cream, mix well to combine. Using a whisk, whisk in the chilled butter one cube at a time until emulsified. Once all butter has been added, remove from heat and sprinkle in the chives and stir through. 
Step 3. To serve, quickly dress the salad with lemon, oil, chives, salt and pepper. Place a piece of fish on each plate and then drizzle with vanilla and chive butter sauce and a helping of the salad.