By Christine Salins.
It used to be crustaceans for Christmas and fish for Easter, but nowadays Easter is becoming less about fish and more about enjoying all of our great Aussie seafood, according to the CEO of Seafood Industry Australia, Veronica Papacosta.
“Twenty to thirty years ago, consumers were highly focused on fish at Easter, predominantly smoked haddock and smoked cod, but now people are moving away from these and focusing on the broader category of Australian seafood,” she said.
“Good Friday has long been associated with eating seafood and is one of the busiest days of the year for fishmongers with popular choices this year tipped to include barramundi, Tasmanian Atlantic salmon, coral trout, blue swimmer crab and of course, prawns.
“Mussels, octopus, calamari are becoming more and more popular at Easter because they provide excellent value for money and people are getting more comfortable cooking them.”
Sydney Fish Market CEO, Greg Dyer, says that while it’s been a bumpy couple of weeks on the water, it’s great to see fishing fleets returning to sea and auction volumes increasing as Easter nears. Sydney Fish Market has extended trading hours on Good Friday from 5am to 5pm.
Fish likely to be in strong supply include premium white fish like kingfish and Murray cod, alongside budget-friendly options such as yellowfin bream, bonito, and grey mackerel. Other species that will be in ample supply and peak condition include southern calamari, octopus, blue swimmer crab, and mud crab.
If you are looking for a whole fish to plate up, consider farmed barramundi fillets, with skin-on to add a crispy texture, says Northern Territory Seafood Industry Council CEO, Katherine Winchester.
Queensland, meanwhile, is expecting wonderful, fresh-caught king prawns out of south-east Queensland and big catches of beautiful tiger prawns from Moreton Bay.
“Tropical rock lobster season opened not long ago and catches out of Northern Queensland are in good volume. These lobsters make for a nice delicacy for the Easter table,” says Queensland Seafood Marketers Association chair, Marshall Betzel.
“Exports of coral trout to international markets have slowed, so we are seeing more product in the domestic market than we’ve seen in previous years. This is a beautiful fish that will be perfect at the centre of Easter tables.”
Adelaide-based Ferguson Australia is renowned for its Pacific lobsters that are wild-caught off the South Australian Coast. These would make the perfect Easter centrepiece too. Ferguson recently partnered with culinary talent and former MasterChef contestant Callum Hann to produce some seafood recipes, including this one for roasted lobster.
To find seafood near your location, visit the Great Australian Seafood Fish Finder and search by postcode for retailers.
www.greataustralianseafood.com.au/fish-finder
Roasted Lobster With Caper Butter
1 lobster tail
50g butter, softened
1 clove garlic, finely grated
finely grated zest of a lemon
¼ cup roughly chopped dill
¼ cup roughly chopped parsley
Preheat oven to 200 deg C. Place lobster half, cut side up onto a lined baking tray. Place butter, garlic, lemon zest, dill, parsley and a pinch of salt into a bowl. Stir until well combined. Spoon onto lobster.
Transfer to oven and cook for 10 to 12 minutes or until lobster is just cooked. Serve warm or cooled.
Recipe by Callum Hann for Ferguson Australia.
