Ocean Delights: Celebrate Seafood
Seafood cook and TV personality Sally Jenyns shares her love of local seafood.
With the Sunshine Coast’s stunning beaches, renowned National Parks, world class waves and bountiful farmlands, you’d think we couldn’t also be spoilt with the best seafood in the land… but spoilt we are, with seafood from the Sunshine Coast celebrated by chefs and adored by the masses.
Fraser Isle Spanner Crab, Mooloolaba Prawns and Australia’s largest wild caught sustainable Tuna company are just a few of the big hitters based in our region, with reputations that span across our country to international kitchens. Luckily for us, we’re able to throw on our locavore hat and enjoy them in local restaurants and in our kitchens.
Sustainability is a big issue in the seafood industry these days, and rightly so. We want to know our oceans are cared for and that future generations will enjoy its bounty as we do today.
The sweet white flesh from our local Spanner Crabs gets a big green tick from the Sustainable Seafood Guide with healthy stocks in Queensland, minimal impacts on marine habitats and low bycatch which can be released from pots alive. A big pat on the back, so throw on your ‘eco’ hat also, and head down to Rickys for their legendary Spanner Crab Spaghettini. Well, who could resist?
With the superb variety of seafood choices on offer my advice is always to head to your local fish shop with an open mind.
Go without a recipe plan, find out what’s freshest on the day, ask about its texture and eating qualities and use that information to choose your recipe. You’ll expand your repertoire and more importantly be eating and enjoying the best of the best.
Buying our sensational seafood is one thing, but does anything really beat the joy and satisfaction of catching your own?
It could be argued that fishing is really an excuse to get outdoors and enjoy the natural beauty. With our sweeping beaches and healthy rivers, do we really need an excuse?
Throw in a line…throw the first one back for good karma…and who knows if fresh whiting, squid, flathead or bream will make it onto tonight’s menu?
Whether you’re a local or a visitor, a plethora of piscatorial pleasures await…dive in!
Looking for some recipe inspiration? Check out InNoosa’s own recipe collection here.
