How to buy quality sustainable seafood that won’t harm the ocean
Not all types of salmon are created equal, and the fish on your plate could be doing more harm to the ocean than good. This is the seafood you should avoid — and what you should be eating instead.
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High in protein and low in fat and full of heart-healthy oils, more of us are swapping steak for salmon.
In ever-increasing numbers, we’re turning to fish for dinner and not just for Friday night fish and chips.
But with a big push to only eat sustainable seafood to protect the future of our oceans and ensure the fish species we enjoy today are around for tomorrow’s generation, making the best choice can seem confusing, even daunting. So what should we be buying?
Not the supermarket favourite, Atlantic or Tasmanian salmon for one, says Australian Marine Conservation Society (AMCS) Good Fish Project manager Sascha Rust.
Those types of salmon are actually one of the least sustainable choices you can make, with the farming methods used to produce them placing significant stress on our oceans.
Instead, we should be looking to more under-utilised species, Sascha says, with fish that are not currently overfished, are resilient to fishing pressure, have a history of stable catches and are caught or farmed using techniques that have low environmental impacts.
“The key thing is to be informed,” he says. “Look at where this fish come from, which species is it, which fishery it’s from. It’s the where and the how that are most important.”
The AMCS has a full species-by-species guide to choosing fish online.
But to help eliminate some of the confusion, we asked Sascha, a qualified chef (ex-Messer, Copper Pot) and “The Fish Girl” Umar Nguyen — owner of Platinum Provedore and a chef who works with other chefs to encourage them to use more sustainable species — for their tips on what to buy and how to cook it.
NEW ZEALAND SALMON
What makes it great: “The environmental stewardship of the product is much higher than the local version,” Sascha says.
Brands like Ora King salmon are adored by top end chefs across the country for its wagyu-like texture and fat content, making it a premium fish. It’s also usually only slightly more expensive than the unfavourable Atlantic variety, but with better flavour.
“I love it from a taste perspective. You find these really beautiful fat lines running through it that really translates to the palate,” Sascha says.
How to cook it: Ora King salmon is particularly beautiful in raw dishes such as sashimi, sushi, crudo or ceviche, but you can also simply pan fry it, steam it, roast or bake it. “The thing I would always suggest is just to be really gentle in the way that you cook it,” Sascha says.
“Often people attack it with a little too much heat, so I always suggest to go medium heat when pan-frying and just allow it to sit skin side down for quite a long time. You’ll actually see the colour change on the flesh and it turns to a lighter pink as it gets cooked. Once it gets to about two-thirds cooked, you can flip it very quickly and it just takes another 10-15 seconds.”
AUSTRALIAN-FARMED BARRAMUNDI
What makes it great: Farmed predominantly in the Northern Territory and around Queensland, they are a less muddy-tasting fish like the barra of old was considered, and a great option for those not wanting an oily fish.
“It’s really just a beautiful, delicate, white-fleshed fish,” Sascha says. “It’s got a good fat content, it’s mildly flavoured. People who don’t really like fishy fish will find it’s a good way to dip your toes into fish.”
How to cook it: “I love using it in things like curries in that Asian style,” Sascha says. “You can essentially just add it quite last minute into a warm curry and it will just gently poach through.”
It’s also suitable for pan-frying, grilling, roasting and barbecuing. As it has a good fat content, it’s slightly more forgiving than other white fish if you overcook it.
MURRAY COD
What makes it great: Farmed in Victoria and NSW, it’s produced in a very environmentally sensitive way and is an incredibly versatile fish.
“It’s probably one of my favourite fish,” Sascha says. “You get this really beautiful, clean-tasting, white-flesh filleted fish. Flesh wise, it’s a little bit like snapper. It’s not as thick as a fillet generally when it’s farmed because they’re usually farmed to a much smaller size, but texturally it’s very similar.”
How to cook it: “I’ve really started to enjoy using it as a sashimi-style fish as well in things like ceviche, it’s a very nice way to eat it,” the chef says.
COBIA
What makes it great: Mostly a farmed product coming from Queensland, it is a more affordable and sustainable alternative to the beloved kingfish.
“It’s almost identical texturally and can be used in almost the same way, like it’s great for ceviche or sashimi,” Sascha says. “It’s relatively mild. It does have a little bit more of that salinity to it and a little more of that fish element (than kingfish), but it’s still very delicate.”
How to cook it: “It’s beautiful served raw with a soy dipping sauce or something like that,” Sascha says.
Cobia can also be pan-fried, but it is quite a lean fish, so it can overcook easily and end up dry. Instead, perhaps try smoking it or curing it ceviche-style.
SPANISH MACKEREL
What makes it great: A largely underused species, it has quite a strong flavour and is richer and oilier than most white fish.
“They’re beautiful and have a completely different texture to barra or salmon,” Umar says. “It’s really meaty and because they’re quite oily you can overcook it a little and get away with it because it won’t really dry out.”
How to cook it: “You can braise them, cutlet them and pan fry them,” Umar says. She also loves adding them to tomato-based stews or curries as they hold their shape and are hearty.
OCTOPUS
What makes it great: Wild-caught Australian octopus found along the coast from the Sunshine Coast to Fremantle (not the imported stuff from Asia) is one of the most sustainable seafood species around as they are fast reproducers and resilient to fishing pressure. “It’s a species that is a little bit scary for people to cook sometimes — it is a bit challenging — but the results are amazing,” Sascha says.
How to cook it: Octopus loves the chariness imparted from a grill or barbecue. He recommends cooking it slowly on a low barbecue. Alternatively, you can boil it first and then cook it quickly on the barbie. It’s also delicious served sashimi-style.
KING GEORGE WHITING
What makes it great: Caught in South Australia, Victoria and WA, this fast-reproducing fish is loved by top-end chefs for its delicate texture and taste.
“It’s a really, really beautiful fish and super easy to cook,” Sascha says. “It’s super delicate and super soft in texture.”
How to cook it: “You can dust it lightly in flour and pan fry in a little bit of butter for a couple of minutes each side for something that really doesn’t take much effort at all and you get really, really nice results,” Umar says.
It’s also great for fish and chips, whether battered, crumbed or grilled.
PRAWNS
What makes them great: Unfortunately, our obsession with prawns has caused many local species to be overfished, particularly Queensland-produced western king prawns and Endeavour prawns, Sascha says. It’s best to give these a miss and allow the stocks to replenish.
If you still want the shellfish on your menu though, the expert advises to choose farmed prawns from Queensland or NSW, which have a great flavour and are bred sustainably.
For wild-caught prawns, though, opt for Spencer Gulf prawns from South Australia, Sascha says. “Their practices are amazing.” Some fisheries in the Northern Territory and WA also produce sustainably sourced prawns.
How to cook them: Prawns are beautiful fresh, barbecued, in curries, paellas, pies or salads.
AUSTRALIAN SARDINES
What makes it great: Forget imported tinned varieties, fresh sardines sourced from Victoria, South Australia, NSW and WA are a terrific, nutritious fish loaded with vitamin B-12, for a healthy cardiovascular system and energy, as well as vitamin D and calcium for good bone health. They are one of the most flavourful fish varieties, but fresh sardines are much milder in taste than canned ones.
“It is a strong flavour but it’s not intimidating,” Umar says.
How to cook it: Sardines lend themselves to all manner of cooking techniques and are incredibly versatile. “You can pickle them in vinegar and preserve them yourself, have them as an entree on toast or with croutons, pan fry them, or be more adventurous and try to steam them.”
Her favourite is pan-fried with just a squeeze of lemon, sprinkling of salt and a side of salad. But says it’s also fun to make different flavoured oils to preserve them in for later, using anything from herbs to chilli.
TIPS TO BUYING QUALITY FISH
No matter which fish you choose, you want to be buying the best quality you can find.
Sustainable commercial fisherman Chris Bolton recommends always starting at a reputable fishmonger first. “I say to people if you don’t really know where to go, try to pick a fairly busy seafood shop that looks clean,” Chris says.
“A seafood shop should look and smell clean. You shouldn’t smell that strong fishy smell when you walk in.”
His next tip for ensuring optimal freshness is always buy a whole fish, not fillets. “In general, if a fish has been filleted it’s usually because it was getting to the end of its shelf life or (was poorly handled).”
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And when choosing a whole fish look for nice, clear eyes, all the scales intact, complete not frayed fins and an even colour. “It should be an even colour
all over, not sort of dull in one spot and brighter in another spot — no patches,” Chris says.
“There should be no smell. You should be able to pick up a fish and there’ll be that slight fishy smell, but not a real overpowering smell of fish. If it really smells strong it’s telling you that it’s old.”
And don’t be afraid to pay for quality. “Over the years people have been turned off certain species because they’ve bought the cheapest they could get,” he says. “Instead of going to the supermarket and buying the cheap stuff multiple times, you’re better off going somewhere once and buying really good stuff.”
RECIPE
ROASTED WHOLE BARRAMUNDI WITH GINGER & SOY DRESSING
Serves 4 / Prep: 20 minutes / Cook: 25 minutes
• 2 tbsp sesame seeds
• 1kg-1.5kg whole barramundi, cleaned
• 2 tbsp sunflower oil, plus extra to brush
• 4cm piece ginger, peeled, cut into very thin strips
• 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 2 long red chillies, seeds removed, cut into thin strips
• 2/3 cup (160ml) soy sauce
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 4 spring onions, finely shredded, soaked in iced water for 30 minutes, drained
• 2 cups coriander sprigs
• Lime wedges, to serve
• Steamed rice (optional), to serve
1. Preheat the oven to 200C. Mix sesame seeds and 2 teaspoons sea salt in a small bowl.
2. Make 3 slashes on each side of the barramundi, then place in an oiled roasting pan. Brush with a little extra oil, then scatter with the sesame salt. Roast in the oven for 25 minutes or until the fish flakes away easily from the bone.
3. Meanwhile, heat sunflower oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add ginger, garlic and chilli and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes until softened slightly, then add soy, vinegar and sesame oil and stir until warmed through.
4. Place fish on a platter, then pour over the hot dressing. Scatter with the spring onion and coriander sprigs, then serve with lime wedges and rice, if desired.
Recipe: Valli Little, taste.com.au
— For more help with choosing sustainable species, check out sustainableseafood.org.au
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