Easter is the perfect time to get the family together and enjoy fresh Australian seafood.
When shopping for your Easter seafood feast, it's useful to keep in mind what is in season; while you'll always be able to access delicious fresh prawns, and your favourite classic fillets like Flathead, King Salmon, and Snapper, there are some other fantastic species that are also in strong supply around this time of year, and unfortunately aren't as well known!
We looked at the Sydney Fish Market auction data from last year, to find out the highest volume species at Easter time. Try one of these tasty species on the family table this year to make your celebrations truly special.
Remember, Sydney Fish Market offers extended trading hours on Good Friday, with retailers opening their doors from 5am-5pm on Friday 15th April. Business will continue as usual over the remainder of the long weekend, with retailers open from 7am-4pm daily.
Kingfish
Kingfish is consistently available and among the top sellers at the Sydney Fish Market auction due to its ever-reliable aquaculture producers. While some people are wary of farmed fish, the general consensus is that farmed Kingfish is actually often better eating than wild-caught, as it is grown in colder waters and is therefore more flavourful, moist and tender.
For Easter, we recommend using Kingfish sashimi as a light entrée, either with a simple soy and wasabi dipping sauce, or served crudo-style with a drizzle of lemon-infused olive oil, like in this recipe from Sydney Seafood School.
Octopus
Available wild-caught, these marine dwelling cephalopods are found right around the Australian coast, from shallow tidal pools to depths of over 3,000m (though they are generally caught closer inshore). The biggest suppliers of Octopus to Sydney Fish Market are the fishermens cooperatives at Coffs Harbour, Macleay, and Bermagui.
Octopus works beautifully with ingredients like capsicum, chilli, mint, oregano, parsley, garlic, green onions, lemon, lime, olive oil, and tomato. Many home cooks, even those who feel relatively comfortable working with seafood, feel intimidated by cephalopods like octopus and squid. While we know they look and taste beautiful, their strange body shape and texture can be off-putting if you don’t know how to best utilise it.
For a complete guide on how to cook Octopus, as well as some delicious recipe suggestions, check out this article.
Murray Cod
Another key aquaculture species, Murray Cod has really come into its own as an eating fish recently due to the influence of a few innovative key players in the foodie scene, like Josh Niland and Alessandro Pavoni.
The largest freshwater fish found in Australia, the wild population of Murray Cod has been dramatically reduced by changes to its habitat, the introduction of foreign species, and excessive fishing. As a result, there has been a ban on commercial fishing of this species, and only farmed product is available (the majority being supplied to Sydney Fish Market by ), meaning that what is out there is guaranteed to be sustainable!
Josh Niland is a big proponent of the Murray Cod burger, while many high-end restaurants simply serve it pan-fried with some seasonal veggies. Sydney Seafood School also has a great recipe for a whole steamed Murray Cod, which would work beautifully as an Easter centrepiece.
Mud Crab and Blue Swimmer Crab
The two most popular commercial species of Crab, Mud and Blue Swimmer, are almost always in strong supply at Sydney Fish Market, and Easter time is no different. Fishermens cooperatives at Wallis Lake, Newcastle, Coffs Harbour, Macleay, Ballina, and the Hawkesbury all supply these species to the Market.
Some people feel intimidated by the idea of cooking Crab at home, but it's really not difficult if you keep the recipe simple. A spicy stir-fry like this one is a great option for any green Crab species – just make sure your Easter guests are prepared to dig in with their hands to get all that delicious meat out! Alternatively, just purchase cooked crabs and use the meat for salads, sandwiches, or cold seafood platters. Remember never to re-cook cooked crab meat!
Yellowfin Bream
Yellowfin Bream is a lesser-known white fish, but it is just as delicious as your classic Snapper or Flathead. It is also a perfect choice for Easter, as it comes into its peak season in Autumn, and is supplied strongly by Clarence River and Wallis Lake fishermens cooperatives.
Yellowfin Bream are usually sold whole (cleaned and gutted), and are therefore great as a dinner table centrepiece, but you can also ask your fishmonger to fillet them for you if needed. We recommend trying it steamed, baked, or in a fresh salad - all of these preparations suit Easter entertaining beautifully, as they're made to be shared.
Southern Calamari
Arguably the most popular of cephalopod species, Southern Calamari has a fantastic reputation for a reason. Its flesh is much more tender than other species, and has a mild, subtle flavour, with low to medium oiliness. Most of the commercial catch of Southern calamari comes from South Australia (hence the name), though they are found all the way up to Brisbane on the East coast, and Shark Bay in WA!
To be tender, calamari must be cooked very quickly over high heat or very slowly over low heat Рtry this Squid and Fennel Bruschetta recipe as an Easter entr̩e, or this delicious salad using barbecued squid.
Grey Mackerel
Dwarfed in reputation by its more famous cousin, the Spanish Mackerel, this fish has long been a bread-and-butter species for recreational fishers in Northern Australia. Commercially, four distinct populations are targeted, spanning territory from WA to northern NSW, with the bulk caught via line, trawl and netting in QLD and the NT. Most of the Mackerel supplied to Sydney Fish Market comes from fishermens cooperatives at Ulladulla, Coffs Harbour, and the Clarence River.
As indicated by their narrow mouth with sharp, fine teeth, this fish predominantly feeds on baitfish. This imparts a rich oiliness to the thick fillets, which allows a greater variety of cooking methods. Try marinating cutlets and grilling directly on your barbecue or pan-fry a fillet in some punchy spices.
