Ideal for unleashing your inner master chef.

A bit more sophisticated than some of our other recipes, give this one a shot when you’re in the mood to impress a guest!

1. Step 1: Make the Puree
   Place the butternut squash, garlic, chicken broth and salt in a heavy sauce pan. Cover the pan and simmer until the squash is very tender, about 15-20 minutes. When it’s tender, lower the heat, and strain out most of the chicken stock, leaving just a little.
2. Add butter, nutmeg, honey, cayenne pepper and brown sugar to the squash. Next, put the squash mixture in a food processor, and pulse until it’s smooth and thick.
3. Transfer into a covered container to keep it warm while you make the coulis.
4. Step 2: Make the Coulis
   Prepare an ice bath—leaving room for the peppers—by filling a large bowl with ice and cool water.
5. Rinse the peppers, then coat them with olive oil and season with salt. Place the peppers on an open flame and cook until they’re almost charred. Transfer them to the ice bath.
6. After they’ve chilled (about 1 minute), peel them and get rid of any skin that blackened. Put the clean pepper in a blender, add the cilantro, salt, balsamic, honey, and puree until smooth.
7. Transfer to a squeeze bottle (if you don’t have one, just serve it with a spoon). You’ll want to serve this chilled, so refrigerate it until you’re ready.
8. Step 3: Make the Balsamic Reduction for the leeks
   Mix the balsamic vinegar and brown sugar in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly until sugar has dissolved.
9. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer for about 20 minutes until the glaze is reduced by half. You’ll know it’s done when the glaze coats the back of a spoon.
10. Remove from heat, let it cool, and pour into a squeeze bottle or a jar with a lid. Store it in the refrigerator to serve chilled.
11. Step 4: Sautee the Spinach
    Heat olive oil in a pan, and saute the spinach over medium heat for about a minute, until it’s wilted but not brown.
12. Step 5 Cook the Barramundi
    Season your fish with salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil in a skillet. When it’s hot, add the fish and sear for 3 minutes on each side.
13. Step 6: Leeks
    Quickly wash and dry the leeks, then slice them into long, thin strips. Fry until crisp or golden brown, about 1 to 2 minutes. Place the fried leeks on a paper towel and season with salt.
14. The perfect presentation
    You can serve this dish any way you want, but here’s our suggestion for plating it like a pro! Ladle the butternut squash puree in the center of your plate. Zig-zag charred pepper sauce and balsamic reduction into the squash puree. Stack sautéd spinach on top of the puree. Criss-cross barramundi (skin side up) and place on top of spinach. Add more charred pepper coulis on top of fish. Top it off with frizzled leeks and enjoy.

RecipesAll recipesFor Professional ChefsSkillet Roasted Barramundi