Day 7 - Botany Bay, Sydney - Herbed Barramundi with Salad and Tzatziki

.

Botany Bay, located in Sydney's south end, provides one of the best stretches of beach in the city for kiteboarding.



With relatively steady wind conditions and low tidal activity, kiters can usually be found any day of the week playing hooky from work and showing off for the passers-by.



Botany Bay is also an area of town heavily populated by the Greek community - who love their fresh fish. Following an afternoon of playing guitar in the surf and watching some experienced kiters work the waves (note to self: I will compete at their level some day, and very soon), I came across a seafood take-out restaurant. There are several of these throughout Sydney, many of which are chain restaurants. Hungry onlookers can either choose from the usual suspects (salmon, trout, etc ...) or go for more interesting, local varieties. I went for my first taste of pan-fried barramundi ("bare-rah-mun-dee"), a native Australian fish with first white flesh and a reputation for being one of the country's finer eating fishes. Mine was served lightly herbed with salad, tzatziki sauce and an overly-generous side of fries ... which of course came as no surprise when I found out the owners were, in fact, Greek.





I will provide you with a couple of food resources: (1) a list of some herbal blend suggestions for flavoring any fish, meat or poultry, and (2) a recipe for tzatziki (opa!), a thick and garlicky yogurt-based spread. Grrrreat on sandwiches too! (note: if you want your tzatziki really thick, be sure not to skip over draining the yogurt overnight through cheesecloth - it's worth the extra effort)

1) Herbal Blend Suggestions

** Play around with proportions, depending on your personal tastes.

Fish Herbs - Dill weed, basil, parsley, chives, fennel, lemon peel and lemon pepper.
Italian Herbs - Oregano, rosemary, basil, thyme, marjoram, chilies.
Lemon Pepper - Lemon peel, lemon juice & pulp, black pepper, garlic, onion, citric acid.
Herbal Blend - Oregano, savory, basil, marjoram, garlic, thyme, sage, parsley, black pepper, onion.
Herbs de ProvenceThyme, basil, savory, fennel, lavender, marjoram.

2) Tzaziki Recipe

Ingredients
1 container (16 ounces) plain lowfat yogurt
1/2 English (seedless) cucumber, peeled, seeded and finely chopped
1/1-2 teaspoons salt
1 to 2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint or dill plus additional sprigs
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions
Spoon yogurt into sieve lined with cheesecloth or coffee filter set over bowl; cover and refrigerate overnight. Transfer drained yogurt to medium bowl and discard liquid.

In batches, wrap chopped cucumber in kitchen towel and squeeze to remove as much liquid as possible. Pat dry with paper towels, then add to bowl with yogurt.

With flat side of chef's knife, mash garlic to a paste with remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt. Add garlic, chopped mint, oil, vinegar, and pepper to yogurt and stir to combine. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 or up to 4 hours. Serve chilled or at room temperature, topped with mint sprigs.
Makes about 1.5 cups.