Barra is better buttered with a curry infused sauce for a weeknight flex of fast flavour. There's really nothing like a pan sauce to access that easy-won wow factor. Go ahead and serve these fish fillets with rice and some pan-wilted and well-dressed cherry toms for extra freshness.
Place rice and 310ml (1¼ cups) cold water in a saucepan over medium heat and bring to the boil. Reduce heat to low, cover with a lid and cook for 15 minutes or until cooked through. Set aside, covered, until ready to serve. While rice is cooking, continue with step 2.
Peel and finely chop eschalot. Halve tomatoes. Peel and crush garlic. Place fish sauce, garlic, eschalot, sugar and a good crack of pepper in a bowl and mix to combine.
Heat ½ the vegetable oil in a frypan over medium-high heat. Add tomatoes and cook for 2–3 minutes or until collapsed and slightly charred. Add baby spinach leaves and fish sauce dressing and stir until just wilted. Remove from heat and set aside to cool slightly. Wipe out frypan.
Heat remaining oil in frypan over medium-high heat. Sprinkle fish with salt and pepper and cook, skin-side down, for 4–5 minutes or until skin is crisp. Turn and cook for a further 3 minutes or until just cooked. While fish is cooking, continue with step 5.
Grate ginger. Rinse and roughly chop coriander. Place butter, ginger, coriander and Malaysian curry powder in a bowl, sprinkle with salt and pepper and mix to combine.
Add curry butter to frypan with fish and cook for 30 seconds or until melted and bubbling. Spoon butter over fish to coat. Remove from heat. Squeeze lime juice over fish and season with salt and pepper. Divide rice and tomato salad between bowls and top with fish and any remaining pan juices to serve.