OTHER FISH IN THE SEA

EXPERT GUIDE TO LESS USUAL SEAFOOD

There are, as the saying goes, plenty of fish in the sea. Most of us are fussy and will only eat a select few.

White fish with no bones is the Tassie go-to, says Will Mure - owner of Tasmanian seafood institution Mures - especially blue eye, grenadier, ling and stripey trumpeter.

But why not branch out and peruse the displays of your local fishmonger to find something different for the family dinner table this Easter.

“Our Anglo Saxon culture

has left us with a legacy of a relatively limited appreciation for and repertoire of seafood,” says John Susman, co-author of the acclaimed Australian Fish & Seafood Cookbook.

“We tend as a nation to favour the local favourites.”

John, who owns Sydneybased seafood supplier Fishtales is regarded as one of the country’s leading fish experts, says he can understand why people might be scared off.

He compares a butcher shop, where there are essentially five animals available, to a fish shop where “you can be faced with more than a hundred animals with different handling and preparation requirement and culinary characteristics”.

So where to start when you don’t know your gurnard from your garfish?

Will Mure provided some tips on what to look for when you’re looking for something different.

“I think it’s good to look for other options for sure, even just for the diversification of what you’re eating,” says Will.

“There are definitely some under-utilised species which would be nice to start to develop a little bit more.”

Will says the silver warehou is an affordable option which is comparable to the black trevally.

The stripey trumpeter is also a classic, he said.

“That’s a beautiful fish but it’s not a big fishery, it’s a very well-known fish, but we don’t see a lot of it.

“If people can find that in a fishmonger, then it’s a great fish to buy because it’s such a good eating fish.”

The mackerel is potentially available in large quantities but Will says it is not utilised in Tassie at the moment because the demand is not there.

“It is an oily fish so it needs to be bought fresh,.

“it’s beautiful when it’s fresh and it’s very good grilled or smoked.

“It’s quite a rich fish so you wouldn’t want to put much with it. Just keep it fresh and simple.”

Will said gemfish, Ray’s bream, garfish, red mullet and gurnard are a few more species great for eating and ideal for a change to your Easter menu.

“You just have to go to a little bit more trouble in terms of how you cook them and how you prepare them,” Will says.

Hero worship

If you give people the option, they always go for the big names like snapper, flounder and blue eye.

“It’s hard for other fish to compete on a menu,” says Michael Bacash, whose threedecade career has been spent cooking fish, first at Toofey’s in Carlton and for the past 17 years at his eponymous South Yarra restaurant.

“But when we force people to get out of their comfort zone, they appreciate other fish when they try them.

“We do a sardine carpaccio and people are amazed at the f l avour — and that i t doesn’t taste like cat food!”

Key to cook

Michael says watching the opacity of whatever fish you’re cooking change is the best indicator of when it’s done.

“When the fish is no longer translucent, and it’s still supple to touch, it’s ready.”

The biggest killer of a good piece of fish is residual heat. “Don’t be afraid of low heat. The combination of extreme and low heat can work well.”

Go under

“The main thing to remember is that fish is significantly nicer undercooked or even raw than it is overcooked,” he says.

“There are very few fish that aren’t good to eat if they are in good condition.”

The chef warns that unlike when cooking a steak that needs to be rested, when a piece of fish is done, it’s immediately ready to be served.

“As soon as it’s off the heat, it needs to be eaten.”

Black and right

Paul Wilson from Prahran’s

Wilson & Market says black trevally is a great fish for home — versatile, good value with good flavour.

“It’s a robust fish that’s hard to over cook,” he says.

Finely slash skin, dust with flour seasoned with pinch of chilli and ground black pepper and shallow fry skin-side down in butter until crisp, turn and cook for 3 mins.

Serve with a green mango salad, fresh lime and red curry sauce.

“Black trevally is a great fish to use when you need a large fish steak,” Michael says, but cautions that it deteriorates quickly once out of the ocean.

To cook, Michael seasons, dusts with flour and seals both sides in a hot pan with butter. He then turns the heat off and covers the pan, letting the heat permeate the fish.

Blue steel

“I love the intense flavour of blue mackerel, and it loves spices,” Paul says. Marinate with chermoula and cook whole on the barbecue, or bake in the oven wrapped in baking paper.

“I didn’t like the strong oily flavour of blue mackerel when I first tried it, but now it’s one of my favourites to cook and eat,” Sam says.

At Iki Jime Sam serves it cooked using the Japanese technique of “yakashimo” — charring the skin while keeping the flesh on ice, raw and cool.

At home Sam suggests serving blue mackerel with a tomato salad “as the sweetness and acidity of a beautifully ripe tomato work to complement the fish really well”.

Good gar

“Aside from being striking to look at, I love the versatility of garfish,” Sam says.

“Its crisp, clean flavour and delicate sweetness lend itself to so many different preparations.”

He suggests grilling it whole and serving with a simple potato salad to highlight its delicate flavour.

“If you have the patience to fillet them, they are super tasty served raw with some chilli oil and a little bit of soy.”

At Bacash, Michael serves garfish baked in a parmesan crumb. “Because (the fish) is so thin, once the crust is done the fish will be as well.”

See red

“This reminds me of the

simplest Mediterranean cooking at beachside restaurants along the Amalfi

coast,” Paul says of red mullet.

Ask your fishmonger to scale and gut the fish which is then baked whole, topped with garlic slivers, cherry tomatoes, black olives and Oritz anchovies.

Finish with extra virgin olive oil, torn basil and a squeeze of lemon.

“I love the intense flavour of blue mackerel, and it loves spice” PAUL WILSON WILSON& MARKET “When we force people to get out of their comfort zone, they appreciate other fish” MICHAEL B AC ASH B AC ASH