All hands on deck at Coffs Harbour Fishermen’s Co-operative

The Coffs Harbour Fishermen’s Co-operative is braced for a ‘full send’ over the next 48 hours as the punters chase fresh seafood for the Christmas table. See what’s in demand this year.

Fishing trawlers at the Coffs Harbour Jetty. Picture: Chris Knight

Arguably the king of seafood - Aussie lobster - is the hot ticket to crown the Christmas table on the Coffs Coast this year.

China’s 2020 ban on Australian rock lobster imports has stoked domestic consumption - so much so that the Coffs Harbour Fishermen’s Co-operative has been taken aback by the demand.

Co-op executive officer Deanne Hamilton has given a glimpse behind the scenes in the run to the big day.

“This year we have seen a high demand for king and Atlantic salmon, ocean and smoked trout and the usuals - cooked king prawns, bugs, oysters and lobster,” Ms Hamilton said.

“We have processed over 470 orders for the 23rd and 24th.”

Kristy Philp with one of the spectacular platters at the Coffs Fishermen's Co-op.

She said the co-op had sold more than 140 premium platters, as well as a 800kg of prawns, more than 600 dozen oysters and 100kg of salmon.

“We had unusually high demand for lobsters this year, selling over a 100 just in pre-orders,” she said, “unfortunately this year has not been plentiful for Balmain bugs.”

Visiting Coffs Harbour from Switzerland, Brenda and Rolf are looking forward to enjoying seafood on Christmas Day - a far cry from their traditional homeland dish of fondue Bourguignonne (pieces of raw meat cooked in boiling oil and served with a variety of sauces). Picture: Chris Knight

Most of the product stocked and sold comes from the pristine waters off the Coffs Coast.

“But if we cannot source it here we source from a range of Australian producers,” Ms Hamilton said.

“Our oysters are Sydney Rock and are sourced from Australia Oyster Coast who have multiple oyster farms up and down the coast. Due to recent floods we were really lucky to be able to obtain enough stock.”

She said the king and Atlantic salmon was fresh from Tasmania and is filleted onsite.

People will start queuing at the Coffs Harbour Fishermen's Co-op from as early as 5am on Christmas Eve. Picture: Chris Knight

“We have a premium range that will suit everyone from local flathead, swordfish, mahi mahi, trawl whiting, school shark, snapper whole or filleted, prawns, lobster and there’s plenty to go around,” she said.

“We also have great range of salads which include scallop, wakame, seafood, and octopus and chilli mussel salad that are made.”

If Easter is the fresh seafood industry’s grand final, then Christmas is the State of Origin as it’s literally all hands on deck with over 37 staff rostered at the co-op to meet customer needs.

The store will open at 8am on Friday and 6am on Christmas Eve - and there’ll already be a crowd of customers waiting by the door.

Lobster with lime and coriander butter.

LOBSTER WITH LIME AND CORIANDER BUTTER

Ingredients:

4 x 500g cooked lobsters, 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, coriander springs and lime wedges to serve.

Butter: 150g butter, cubed, at room temperature, 1/3 cup coriander leaves, chopped, ¼ teaspoon paprika, 1 lime, juice and finely grated zest, I clove garlic, crushed.

Method:

Lay each lobster on its back on a chopping board and halve lengthways with a large, sharp knife. Clean insides of lobster and lay them meat side on paper towel or buy your lobsters halved and cleaned.

To make butter, place all ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth.

Lay a piece of baking paper on a chopping board and spoon butter mixture onto the centre. Use the baking paper to shape into a log and then roll up to enclose and twist ends to seal. Chill until required, and then unroll and gently cut into 1cm thick slices.

Preheat a barbecue or chargrill pan on high. Brush cut sides of lobsters with oil. Season. Cook, cut-side down for 1-2 minutes or until lightly browned. Turn and top each lobster half with slices of butter. Cook, shell side down for 1-2 minutes or until heated through. Serve with coriander, lime wedges and butter. Serves eight.