Recipes

About seafood

Nov 30 10:54am

Summer is made for eating seafood. But do you know what to look for when you buy fish and shellfish? Follow our handy guide.

There are three main categories of seafood: fish, crustaceans (prawns, crabs, lobsters and bugs) and molluscs (which include shellfish, squid and octopus).

To check if seafood is fresh, look for the following:

Whole fish

Eyes are clear, bright and bulging, not cloudy, sunken or dull.
Skin and flesh are firm and lustrous.
Tails are moist, pliable and not the least dried out.
Scales have a good even coverage, not patchy.
Gills are bright - from bright to dark red depending on the species.

Fish fillets and cutlets

Flesh is moist and lustrous with no signs of discolouration.
Fillets are not dried at the edges.

Crustaceans (prawns, crabs, lobsters, bugs)

There is no discolouration or "blackness", particularly at the joints (claws, nippers etc).
Body, claws and nippers, etc, are all intact and not broken.
Bodies are heavy in relation to size, but free of water or liquid.

Live crustaceans (usually blue, black or green)

They should be active and moving freely.
Nippers and claws are intact.
Mud crabs should be tied up until they're cooked. They should feel heavy - if they feel light, it may mean they are still growing and the flesh will be watery.

Shellfish
Shellfish are either univalve, meaning one shell, like winkles and abalone, or bivalve, meaning two shells, like vongole (clams) or pippies.

Shells should be tightly closed, or close quickly after a tap on the bench, be intact and look lustrous. Flesh should be firm and 'plump'.

Octopus, squid and cuttlefish

Flesh is firm and resilient and springs back when touched.
Head, tentacles and body are intact and not loose.

Cooking tips

Never overcook fish. Remove it from the heat when "just done" and the internal heat will finish off the cooking. "Just done" means the flesh has turned from translucent to opaque.
Tuna and Atlantic salmon are best served while still rare in the centre.
Overcooking molluscs toughens them.

How do I cook my fish?
You can cook most fish most ways, however oilier fish with stronger flavours lend themselves to grilling or barbecuing, while those with a more delicate taste and texture are good pan-fried or steamed. Here are our suggestions for the best way to deal with some different varieties.

Baking
Bream, snapper, rainbow trout, ocean trout, sea bass, flounder, jewfish (bake covered as the flesh might dry out), trevally, leatherjacket.

Grilling and barbecuing
Swordfish, blue-eye cod, coral trout, salmon, mackerel, tuna, blue warehou, flathead, mullet, red mullet or any firm-fleshed fish. Also prawns.

Tips
* The fish should be no more than 5cm (2") thick so it doesn't overcook on the outside before cooking through.
* Fish should be room temperature before cooking.
* Marinate lean fish like bream to prevent it drying out, or baste with butter or oil during cooking.

Stewing and casseroling
Trevally, kingfish, flake, herring, mackerel, coley, whiting, red mullet, flake and firm-fleshed bream and sea bass. Mussels, prawns and lobster are delicious additions in a fish stew.

Tip
* Avoid combining strongly flavoured, oily fish, such as mackerel and herring, with other seafood, as their flavours can be overpowering.

Deep-frying
Whitebait, sardines, orange roughy, flathead, thin fillets and firm-fleshed shellfish.

Tip
* Thicker, larger fish and fillets tend to dry out and overcook on the outside before cooking through.

Pan-frying
Most fish can be pan-fried. Firm, white-fleshed fish are best, especially skinless fillets of flat fish such as sole. Also try blue warehou, coral and ocean trout, John Dory, skate (remove the skin before cooking), blue-eye and barramundi.

Stir-frying
Prawns, squid, cuttlefish and firm-fleshed fish such as tuna. Mullet is also good.

Steaming or poaching
Bream, snapper, blue-eye, flathead, blue warehou, ocean trout, coral trout, sea bass, salmon, kingfish.