BARRAMUNDI farmed in the Northern Territory is taking Australia by storm.
Wild River Farmed Seafood, which raises the fish in saltwater ponds at Blackmore River, near Darwin, has won a string of awards and won plaudits from top chefs.
General manager Matt Seccombe and his staff oversee an operation where river water is pumped through a series of ponds, producing sufficient current to keep fish active and healthy.
Over 18 months, fingerlings grow into 3kg beauties.
Mr Seccombe said the end result was a fillet with a firm texture and clean, sweet taste.
His opinion was backed by judges at this year's Sydney Fine Food Show, where Wild River won the the best barra over 3kg category.
And it is supported by elite Sydney chefs Neil Perry of Rockpool and Greg Doyle at Pier Restaurant.
In Brisbane, the fish is highly rated by Kym Machin at Urbane, Matt Moran at Aria and Mark Maric of the opulent Cloudland nightclub.
Mr Maric, who earned his stripes as a seafood chef at Rockpool in the nineties, said Wild River barramundi was "wildly popular" with his clientele.
He does 150 covers a week — "it is our biggestselling meat course" - with seared and baked fillets served with braised fennel and a salad of Gold Coast prawns, shaved fennel and parmesan.
"For a farmed product, we can't believe how good it is," Mr Maric said. "It has a fantastic texture and a good clean flavour."
Mr Seccombe said Wild River fish benefited from a clean environment and a diet supplemented by school prawns, crustaceans and small fish.
Stocking rates are low, with less than one fish per cubic metre as opposed to 20 for sea cage operations.
