Recipe
🍽️ DINNER
Barramundi in Banana Leaf
A whole reef fish seasoned simply, wrapped tight in banana leaves and baked until sweet and buttery, one of the national dishes of the Marshall Islands.
Marshallese · easy · serves 4
prep 20 min · cook 30 min
~465 cal · 57g protein · 22g carbs · 15g fat · 3g fiber · 11g sugars · 4g sat fat (estimated, per serving)
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With ocean in every direction, fish is the heart of Marshallese cooking, and fish baked in banana leaves is counted among the national dishes of the atolls. A whole fresh reef fish, often barramundi cod, is seasoned, wrapped tightly in banana leaves and cooked through until the flesh turns sweet, moist and buttery.
The banana leaf is the whole trick: it seals in the fish’s moisture while lending a gentle grassy fragrance, so the fish steams in its own juices rather than drying out. Seasoning stays deliberately simple, salt, lime and ginger, letting the freshness of the catch speak.
It is served the island way, with rice balls called chukuchuk, boiled or baked or sweet potato, and a fresh salad alongside.
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Make it yours
✓ Naturally gluten-, dairy-, egg-, nut- and pork-free. No swaps needed.
Toggle a diet and the ingredients rewrite themselves with regional substitutes.
🥕 Vegetarian
🌱 Vegan
🌾 Gluten-Free
🥛 Dairy-Free
🥜 Nut-Free
🥚 Egg-Free
🐖 Pork-Free
Dietary labels are a cooking guide, not allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish; we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, read the label on every product you use, and note that a kitchen can cross-contaminate in ways a recipe cannot control.
Ingredients
US
Metric
Serves 4
1 large (about 1 kg) whole reef fish (barramundi, snapper or grouper), cleaned
2 large banana leaves (or parchment and foil)
1 lime, sliced, plus extra juice
1 tbsp fresh ginger, sliced
2 spring onions, sliced
to taste salt
Instructions
1
Heat the oven to 200C. Pat the fish dry and score it a few times on each side. Rub inside and out with salt, lime juice and half the ginger.
2
Soften the banana leaves by passing them briefly over a flame or dipping in hot water so they fold without cracking.
✎ Chef’s note
Warming the leaves makes them pliable; cold leaves split when you fold them.
3
Lay the fish on the leaves with the lime slices, spring onions and remaining ginger, then wrap tightly into a sealed parcel (wrap in foil too if your leaves are thin).
4
Bake for about 30 minutes, until the flesh is opaque and flakes easily at the thickest part.
5
Open the parcel at the table and serve with rice or chukuchuk, breadfruit or sweet potato and a squeeze more lime.
Marshall Islands national dish.
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🌏 While it simmers, know your destination
📍
Majuro. Fermented breadfruit has a name and a method: bwiro. Green breadfruit is scraped and cored, soaked in seawater for days, kneaded and then buried in a leaf-lined pit, where it keeps for a year or more against a lean season or a storm. The dried forms, jaankun and manakajen, keep longer still.
🗺️
Marshall Islands. Bwiro is preserved breadfruit: the fruit is packed into a leaf-lined pit and left to ferment, where it will keep for a year or more, and the dried forms made from it are called jaankun and manakajen. That is what a breadfruit tree is for on an atoll, a harvest that can be stored rather than one that must be eaten.
🌍
Oceania. The twentieth century changed the Pacific plate faster than anything before it. White rice, tinned corned beef, mutton flaps, flour and sugar arrived by ship and are now entirely everyday, and the public health consequences are among the most closely studied anywhere. Alongside that, Australian and New Zealand kitchens have taken up Asian technique and Maori and Pasifika cooking in a way they had not before.
The story behind this dish is up top, worth a read while the pot works.
More from Marshall Islands
Bwiro with FishPreserved-breadfruit dumplings in sweet coconut, served with grilled reef fish.
Marshallese Banana PancakesThick, sweet banana pancakes flecked with coconut, griddled golden, a modern Marshall Islands breakfast favorite.
Marshallese Macaroni SaladA cool, creamy macaroni salad with tinned tuna and crisp vegetables, the potluck staple of the Marshall Islands.
Browse all Marshall Islands recipes →
Good to know
You’ll need: Oven.
Storing it: Keeps 3 to 4 days refrigerated and reheats covered in the oven. Most bakes can be assembled a day ahead and baked when needed.
Make it a Marshall Islands meal
JekaroDrink
Benben in Mokmok (Arrowroot and Coconut Sap Dumplings)Dessert
Marshallese Macaroni SaladLunch
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Frequently asked questions
What is Barramundi in Banana Leaf?
A whole reef fish seasoned simply, wrapped tight in banana leaves and baked until sweet and buttery, one of the national dishes of the Marshall Islands.
Where does Barramundi in Banana Leaf come from?
Barramundi in Banana Leaf is a Marshallese dish from Majuro, Marshall Islands.
Can Barramundi in Banana Leaf be made vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free?
This Barramundi in Banana Leaf recipe includes substitution suggestions for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, egg-free, and pork-free versions, including several at once such as gluten-free and dairy-free together. Treat them as a starting guide rather than a guarantee, and see the allergen note below.
Is Barramundi in Banana Leaf safe for people with food allergies?
Our dietary labels and substitutions are a cooking guide, not medical or allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish, but we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, always read the label on every product you use, and remember a home or commercial kitchen can cross-contaminate ingredients in ways a recipe cannot control.
How long does Barramundi in Banana Leaf take to make?
About 50 minutes total (20 minutes prep, 30 minutes cooking), serving 4.
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