Australia has a greater variety of fresh seafood in its waters than just about any nation on Earth, so it’s worth trying new fish varieties and recipes. Talk to your fishmonger, find out what’s freshest and in season then use these fish recipes for inspiration.
Rather than buying fillets, buy whole fish (scaled gilled and gutted) and ask your fishmonger to fillet it for you.
Ask for fish to be ‘dry filleted’, not filleted under running water; it can be wiped down with a damp cloth to remove any stray scales.
Ask for the bones as well so you can to make stock.
Cook fish fillets with the skin on to protect the delicate flesh.
Pan-fry them skin-side down until the flesh is opaque two-thirds of the way up the side, then turn them over and cook the other side for just a minute. Remove the skin before serving if you prefer not to eat it.
Preheat the pan, oven, barbecue or oil before adding the seafood – it should sizzle when you put it in the pan.
Cook in batches rather than overcrowding the pan, which drops the temperature too much so the food stews rather than fries.
For crisp skinned fish fillets, see video above.
Remove fish from the fridge and set it aside, away from direct sunlight, to allow it to come to room temperature before cooking; this is typically 30–60 minutes depending on the size of the fish and the season.
After cooking, fish should be ‘rested’ for a few minutes to allow the juices to return to the centre of the fish. Do this by setting it aside in a warm place (not on direct heat). This is especially important with whole fish or thick fillets.
