Simple ways to enjoy NSW seafood

Seafood recipes are widely available on the internet, the cooking section of bookshops and booklets available at newsagents. There are many recipes which involve a raft of different ingredients and take some effort to prepare and cook. It is however possible to prepare and enjoy some great tasting local seafood with very few ingredients, little time and minimal effort.

As with all seafood, it is very important not to overcook as flavour and moisture are lost, and the flesh may become tough. You know when your fish is cooked when the flesh in thicker parts of the fish or fillet, can be flaked apart with a fork.   

If you are unsure how to cook your seafood why not ask your fishmonger how best to prepare for eating.

BBQ Eastern rock lobster

Species: Eastern rock lobster

Ingredients:
2 small to medium, green (un-cooked) Eastern rock lobsters
150g of butter or margarine
Your choice of chopped fresh herbs, 4-6 garlic cloves (crushed) and 3 or 4 finely chopped, small (birdseye) red chillies (optional).
Lime wedges to serve

Method: Lightly fry the crushed garlic and chopped chillies in a hot pan with a splash of oil. Partially melt butter or margarine in a microwave. Add chopped herbs, crushed garlic and chopped chillies to the melted butter, stir through then refrigerate for an hour or so. Halve lobsters, longways using a large knife. Rinse halves under running water.

Cooking: On a pre heated (moderate heat) hooded barbeque, place halved lobsters, meat side down (shell side up) on the grill bars for 4-5 minutes (hood closed). Then turn lobster halves over (meat side up), spoon butter/herb mixture over the meat, close the hood and continue cooking for 4-5 minutes. The butter mixture will melt over the lobster meat. 

Whole Baked Fish in Foil

This method seals in the natural flavours and moisture for a quality seafood experience.    

Species: Snapper, yellowfin bream, blue eye-trevalla and dusky flathead are well suited to this method, as are many other species.
Purchase whole fish, cleaned and scaled.

Ingredients:
Your chosen fish
Salt and pepper
Your favourite oil (eg; olive, canola, sesame etc)
Lemon or lime cut into wedges.
Aluminium foil

Method: Brush the fish with oil, add a sprinkle of salt and pepper, squeeze some lemon or lime juice over the fish and place a few lemon or lime wedges in the gut cavity. Using aluminium foil, wrap the fish into a parcel and seal so moisture cannot escape.

Tip: You can also include some fresh herbs in the parcel and gut cavity of the fish if you wish. Shallow slits cut along the side of the fish assist flavours to penetrate. 

Cooking: Place the fish in a moderate oven (around 170o-180o) or hooded barbeque (hood closed) set to low heat and bake for around 25 minutes, depending on the size of the fish. Test by opening foil and using a fork to see if the flesh flakes apart.  

Lightly coated fillets

This method puts a light coating over the fillet, helping to retain flavours and prevent drying out while cooking.

Species: Tiger flathead fillets (or tails) and eastern school whiting fillets.
Ingredients:
Your chosen fillets
Plain flour
Bread crumbs
Salt and pepper
Milk
Cooking Oil
Chilli flakes (optional)
Lemon or lime wedges and tartare sauce to serve

Method: A light crumb coating can be made by mixing equal portions of plain flour and breadcrumbs. Salt, Pepper and other seasonings (chopped fresh herbs or even chilli flakes if you like some bite) may be added to this mix.

Place the coating mix in a clean plastic bag. Dip the fillets in a bowl of milk then drop into the bag of coating mix, seal the top of the bag and shake to cover the fillet with the coating. Remove the fillet and place aside for cooking. Repeat with the remainder of the fillets.  

Tip: Don’t try and coat too many fillets in the bag at once.

Cooking: Preheat a non stick pan with a generous splash of canola oil or similar and cook fillets until golden, turning once mid way through cooking. The flesh will flake when cooked. Serve with lemon or lime wedges and tartare sauce.

Alternatively, ready made fish coating mix is available at most supermarkets

Fillets on the Barbie

Species: Fillets of sea mullet or silver perch

Ingredients:
Selected fish
Salt and pepper
Lemon or lime wedges to serve

Cooking: Place fillets skin side down on a lightly oiled barbie plate set to medium heat. As the flesh cooks it will change from pinkish to white or opaque. Thin fillets can be left to cook the whole way through skin side down, while turning thicker fillets is recommended. As with any fish, soon as the flesh in thicker sections begins to flake, it is done. Serve with lemon wedges and fresh ground salt or pepper.

Comments: Mullet and silver perch often have a higher oil content than other species, making them well suited to cooking on the barbie without the need to wrap in foil or apply a coating.  

Honey Soy King Prawns

Species: Eastern king prawns.

Ingredients:
500g of green (un-cooked) eastern king prawns
1/4 cup of soy sauce
2 Tbsp of honey
2 cloves of garlic, pressed
Squeeze of lemon or lime juice

Method: Remove the heads and shell of the prawn. De-vein the prawn (remove the digestive tract) if you wish. Place soy sauce, honey, garlic and juice into a bowl and mix.  Mix the prawns through the marinade and leave in the fridge for half an hour. 

Tip: Green King Prawns are often available for purchase with heads already removed.

Cooking: The prawns can then be cooked on a hot barbie plate, wok or pan. Turning or stirring as required. They should only take a few minutes…. soon as the meat goes white, it is time to remove them from the heat before they become tough.
Enjoy with a squeeze of lemon or lime juice. 

Alternatively the heads can be left on the prawns for presentation

Oysters Kilpatrick

Species: Opened, in shell Sydney Rock Oysters, they are normally sold by the dozen or half dozen;

Ingredients:
1 Dozen Sydney rock oysters
Worcestershire sauce
Bacon, diced.
Lemon, cut into wedges to serve.

Method: Place oysters on a shallow baking tray, put a splash of Worcestershire sauce on each oyster, followed by a good sprinkle of diced bacon (diced from thin bacon rashers is best).  

Cooking: Place baking tray with oysters under a medium to hot grill for 6-8 minutes, or until bacon becomes crisp. Serve with lemon wedges.

Turban Shell Spring Rolls

recipe provided by Mr Greg Finn - PACIFIC URCHIN

Species: 12 – 14 Turban Shells (approx. 3kg)

Ingredients:
juice from half a lemon
1 egg
2 Tablespoons of Thai basil (finely chopped)
1 Tablespoon of Mint (finely chopped)
2 Tablespoons of sesame oil
Spring roll pastry

Method:

Using an oyster opener or stiff bladed knife shuck meat from turban shell. Clean remaining waste from medallion of meat and slice operculum (or the foot) off meat. Mince the meat coarsely using a mincer or food processor.  Combine egg, sesame oil, mint, basil and lemon juice and mix well.

Laying out the pastry: Add a tablespoon of mixture along bottom corner of sheet folding in corners and rolling toward opposite corner and sealing with flour/water mixture.

Cooking: Cook for 3-4 minutes in peanut oil or until golden brown.

Serve with dipping sauce. (serves 4)

Availability

As with most fresh produce, many factors affect availability and price. Commercially caught seafood in particular, may only be available at certain times of year depending on the species. Other factors affecting wild harvest and farmed seafood availability include moon phases, rough sea conditions, and poor weather and flood conditions.

Buying seafood in season, through a reputable retailer, wholesaler or direct from a commercial fisher or aquaculture farmer, gives you the best chance of securing the freshest product, at the right price.

The following table should be considered as an approximate guide only to peak availability as many species are available year round.

Mainly taken by commercial fishing

Aquaculture species