Part One was about heat sources – the fact that a pan, an oven, a grill and a pot of steam are doing genuinely different jobs, and that seafood itself responds to all of that in wildly different ways depending on species, thickness and structure. Part Two is about what happens once all of that…
For a long stretch of my cooking life, seafood in the oven was hit and miss. I’d use roughly the same method each time – same shelf position, similar oven temperature, similar timing — and still end up with wildly different results. Some nights the fish dried out before I’d noticed anything was wrong. Other…
I remember the first time I properly poached fish. I’d been intimidated by the technique worried about overcooking, unsure about liquid temperature, convinced I’d end up with waterlogged, flavourless results. But when I finally trusted the process and kept my court bouillon at a steady 75°C, the coral trout that emerged was a revelation: tender…
The first time I steamed Ōra King salmon at 55°C for 45 minutes, I thought I’d made a mistake. When I cut into it, the texture seemed wrong – too soft, too silky, nothing like the firm, just-set flesh I’d achieved through pan-searing. But then I tasted it. The mouth-feel was extraordinary: delicate, almost custard-like,…
There’s a pattern I’ve watched play out at seafood counters for years. Someone walks in, scans the display for about four seconds, and reaches for one of the same five species they always buy. Atlantic Salmon. Snapper. King George Whiting. Kingfish. Bluefin Tuna. The rest of the display – and it’s often extraordinary – gets…
The Language of Touch and Time I’ve always thought baking gets overlooked when people talk about cooking fish. Everyone rushes to the pan-sear, chasing that restaurant-style crust and the drama of high heat. But here’s what I’ve learnt: baking is actually the most versatile way to cook fish, especially when you’re feeding more than two…
The Language of Touch and Time The principles of precision watchmaking reveal something fascinating about heat control – master craftsmen understand that consistent, controlled application of energy creates reliability rather than chaos. This same principle transforms pan searing from guesswork into weeknight confidence. Weeknight pan searing is understanding heat applications and fish structure. When cooking…
The Language of Touch and Time After discovering the transformative power of temperature control in Part One, I became obsessed with understanding how different fish species respond to heat. Each variety seemed to have its own personality – some delicate and forgiving, others robust and demanding specific treatment. What started as temperature awareness evolved into…
Have you ever wondered why fish in restaurants seems to taste almost impossibly perfect – delicate, moist, just-set – while at home, your best efforts sometimes fall a little short? I’ve chased that answer for years in my own kitchen, armed with cameras and curiosity. There’s an alchemy in those restaurant plates, a sense of…
I’ve been thinking about how the French approach a fish market. Not the romanticised version you see on cooking shows – the practical reality: at a good Marché, you don’t just buy fish. You have a conversation first. The vendor wants to know what you’re planning. Baking or grilling? A soup, or something to pan-sear…
Growing up around fresh food established foundations I didn’t recognise at the time. Rottnest represented freedom – the freshest seafood, all handline caught, and crustaceans that our Pop would safely take back to Perth from his day trip to the Quokka Arms to freeze at home. We knew all the shop owners on the island;…
Just as a painter doesn’t need every colour to capture the ocean, a home cook doesn’t need every gadget to master seafood. With a handful of thoughtfully chosen utensils, it’s possible to cook everything from smoky BBQ prawns to delicate steamed fish, confidently and consistently. Whether you’re working on a weeknight dinner or a special…
Memories and food resonate within me, intertwining to connect me to places, the dishes I’ve savoured, and the circumstances surrounding those meals. Albany fish and chips watching the sunset over King George Sound with Marie, crayfish cooked over a driftwood fire at Strickland Bay, Rottnest, that has never tasted the same since, flattened fruit cake…
We stand at a crossroads where the allure of cheap, convenient, year-round food availability threatens to eclipse something irreplaceable: the passionate, small-scale enterprises that form the backbone of local food systems. Each time a family farm closes, a local fishery shuts down, or a neighborhood market gives way to corporate chains, we lose more than…
Fair Seafood SA Honoured with Slow Food’s Prestigious Snail of Approval Fair Seafood SA is proud to announce we have been awarded the prestigious Snail of Approval by Slow Food South Australia, recognising our commitment to sustainable, traceable seafood practices, education and our role in supporting local communities. The presentation ceremony will take place this…
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