Wild Local seafood supplier and gourmet fish-and-chip restaurant in Ingham

Iconic North Queensland seafood supplier and gourmet fish-and-chip restaurant – and more recently a café and deli – is boldly battling back after the Hinchinbrook flood disaster.

Coral trout and salad served at Wild Local seafood supplier and gourmet fish-and-chip restaurant in at 52 Herbert St, the Bruce Highway, in the Ingham CBD. Picture: Cameron Bates

Iconic North Queensland seafood supplier and gourmet fish-and-chip restaurant – and more recently a café and deli – is boldly battling back after the Hinchinbrook flood disaster.

Having escaped the worst of the inundation after its recent move from Townsville Road in south Ingham to its new central location at 52 Herbert St, the Bruce Highway, in the CBD, Wild Local has undergone a radical transformation from its humble beginnings as a mere fish shop.

Owners Bec and Dom Zaghini said the eatery formerly known as Wild Local Prawns may have grown to the next level but have not strayed from its core concept of supplying the best seafood in North Queensland, including an abundance of its former namesake.

“We fresh cook our prawns every day, which is a bit unusual … most places source pre-cooked prawns from the trawler and brine them up,” Bec says.

“So today, for example, we’ve got banana prawns in the window, tiger prawns and then we’ve got some giant tiger prawns; they’re fantastic on the BBQ.”

Dom’s Marinated Octopus, a 10-year-old secret recipe known only to Mr Zaghini of Wild Local seafood supplier, gourmet fish-and-chip restaurant and more recently a café and gourmet deli. Owners Bec and Dom Zaghini say the famous dish, the recipe for which is only known by Dom includes local octopus, herbs, onion and garlic. Picture: Cameron Bates

Wild Local seafood supplier and gourmet fish-and-chip restaurant owners Bec and Dom Zaghini. Picture: Cameron Bates

Ms Zaghini says her personal favourite, the local tigers, was sourced out of the Kurrimine Beach, “but we buy anywhere between Townsville and Cairns”.

“So it’s very local, it just depends on where the trawlers are coming in … they let us know when they are docking and we have people on the ground that source what we need.”

She says sometimes that involves buying sample products to ensure what they sold in store was of the highest quality.

“We’re really passionate about local prawns, our fishing industry, our community, we have some of the best seafood, I believe in the whole world, right on our doorstep, which is something we should all be very proud of and something that is also under threat with regulations and red tape.”

Coral trout and salad served at Wild Local seafood supplier and gourmet fish-and-chip restaurant in at 52 Herbert St, the Bruce Highway, in the Ingham CBD. Picture: Cameron Bates

Bec Zaghini, owner of Wild Local seafood supplier and gourmet fish-and-chip restaurant, says the locally sourced tiger prawns, served here with a salad and home-made seafood sauce, is a favourite. Picture: Cameron Bates

The well-travelled and qualified chef said all her suppliers were primarily small North Queensland operators.

“We are very selective of who we buy from as well; people with best practise.”

Wild Local seafood supplier and gourmet fish-and-chip restaurant in its comparatively new premises at 52 Herbert St, the Bruce Highway, in the Ingham CBD. Picture: Cameron Bates

Ms Zaghini says the high standards flow through to its six employees at Wild Local, which is open seven days a week.

“Business was interrupted by the floods, we are almost back on our feet … we are almost 100 per cent and we’re really just proud to bring the best seafood to our regulars, local people, as well as people moving through the area.”

Wild Local seafood supplier and gourmet fish-and-chip restaurant in at 52 Herbert St, the Bruce Highway, in the Ingham CBD. Picture: Cameron Bates

She says the move to the CBD three years ago meant that not only was the eatery left high-and-dry during the disaster, but business had markedly improved in the new location, complete with indoor and outdoor eating areas.

“The move was definitely worth doing for that (the floods) alone but there are a lot more businesses in town, we are on the ‘food strip’ here next to a lot of the other takeaways, there is a lot of parking and we also have the (new council) toilets directly across the road, so it’s convenient.”

Wild Local seafood supplier and gourmet fish-and-chip restaurant has added a hugely popular frozen cream-cheese cake cannoli to its extensive menu. Picture: Cameron Bates

Ingham institution Mr Zaghini, a life-long fisherman, said the gourmet pantry was stocked full of local products, including sardines, anchovies, sauces and marinades, while the expansive frozen product range included the fan favourite home-made scallop pies, which were made fresh on site as demand dictated.

Ms Zaghini says the fish-and-chip shop menu recently had a makeover, including a number of “meal-deals”.

“So you can have some chips, with fish, salad, tartar sauce and lemon that you can sit down and eat with a knife and fork, so for people who don’t want to be sitting in a car eating a burger,” she said.

“There’s also Moreton Bay bugs on the grill with some garlic butter with chips, sauce and salad.”

Wild Local also sells North Queensland-made ice-cream as well as a variety of smoothies using, again, locally produced fruit.

“We are also getting a bit of a reputation for our frozen cream-cheese cake cannoli.”

Wild Local opening hours

Monday to Friday: 8.30am-7.30pm

Saturday to Sunday: 8.00am-7.30pm

Originally published as Wild Local seafood supplier and gourmet fish-and-chip restaurant in Ingham