It doesn’t have to be Easter or Christmas for Queenslanders to tuck into their fair share of seafood.
Whether that’s a fresh catch of your own, a meal at the pub or local surf club… or heading into your local wholesaler – there are plenty of ways to get your fix!
Daniel Street Fish Market is one of Caloundra’s newest family-run wholesalers… and one of the best places to get your fresh seafood supply on the Sunshine Coast.
They have fresh deliveries arriving in daily – that includes crabs and prawns direct from Mooloolaba, salmon from Tassie, plus fisherman who supply their local catch which include a variety of species. Owner Mick has a few tips to take on board when purchasing fresh seafood.
“A good fish should nice, bright and clear eyes. They shouldn’t be dried out – should be nice and slimy, and sometimes if you get the chance to look inside their gills, they should be bright red,” Daniel said.
Another tip – prawns should also have nice plump eyes – and a good-coloured shell. You don’t want to be seeing any shell separation from the meat.
And when it comes to filleting – you can either do it yourself or have Daniel Street Fish Market do it for you.
Head filleter, Paul, suggests using three different knives:
- A boning knife is short and sharp – ideal for smaller fish and more delicate cuts
- A longer more flexible knife – perfect for salmon and larger fish
- A skinning knife – always to be used to skin all fish – never use the same knife to skin as you do to fillet
Another contentious tip these guys have shared – leave your catch overnight before filleting it. We know when you get home from a day on the water, you want to get the job of filleting over and done with – but if you leave the fish for a further 6-8 hours on ice, it will stiffen up.
And when they stiffen up – you’re able to get a decent cut and savour every bit of eating flesh, rather than trying to cut it soft. Chances are you’ve worked hard to get the catch – so may as well keep as much of it as you can!
