SALTWATER FISH

Snapper

This beautiful pink-hued fish has sweet, meaty flesh and is incredibly versatile in the kitchen. Sold whole or as fillets, it is as popular with diners as it is with anglers. A familiar fish to many, it is interesting to note that snapper is actually a member of the bream family and is sometimes called Red Bream. Red Bream is found around the coast of Japan, Korea and China and is a favourite of chefs from those countries.

Snapper is a fish that lives around coastal reefs and coastal seas with rocky bottoms. Every spring, mature fish migrate into estuaries and protected waters to breed. Port Phillip Bay is one of the most important nurseries for snapper in Australia, a place where juvenile fish grow until big enough to swim out through The Heads into deeper waters along the coast. Plenty of large Snapper are caught commercially using baited long lines in Port Phillip Bay under strict quotas. Snapper are also wild caught along the Victorian coast by our commercial fishing fleet using nets and baited lines. Once on board the boat, it is chilled straight away in an icy slurry to capture the freshness. It can be on ice in the front counter of the shops within hours. It’s available year-round with some extra supply in winter.

Snapper is a brilliant fish to cook whole steamed, baked or grilled on the BBQ. You look for a fish with bright, plump eyes, a shiny pinkish shin with fine blue dots. The fishmonger will gladly scale and clean the fish for you. You can also buy snapper fillets, again look for shiny pink skin and dense closed flesh. Snapper can also be bought as skinless fillets. Tightly wrap fish in plastic wrap and refrigerate up to 3 days. Freeze below -18°C for up to 6 months.

In the kitchen, snapper offers so much versatility. It flakes beautifully and marries well with Asian flavours. Steam whole snapper with ginger and spring onion and finish crisping the skin with very hot oil. Fresh snapper fillers can be sliced for sashimi and served with ginger, wasabi and soy. Chefs love serving fresh Victorian snapper raw as tartar or ceviche – soused in citrus and fresh herbs. Roast whole snapper stuffed with garden herbs and slices of citrus. The skin crisps well so cooking fillets in a pan and finished briefly in the oven, perhaps with a knob of butter and a little salt are delicious. Skinless fillets can be dusted with flour and dipped into a beer or tempura batter to make the most succulent fried fish. Leftover flesh can be shredded, folded through mashed potatoes and soft herbs, formed into patties, crumbed then baked or fried for perfect fishcakes.