At 91制片厂Fish Market, we are all about encouraging people to eat a wider variety of seafood species. We have over 5000 commercial species in Australia, after all, and only a fraction are regularly eaten by the general public.
You might need to work quite hard to get your hands on some of these, but that’s all part of the fun. Don’t be shy to ask your fishmonger, as they can often get particular fish in for you. Consider it the ultimate seafood lover’s treasure hunt.
Mark yourself as a true seafood afficionado by giving these rare species a try… If you can find them!
Tilefish
Those of you who used to watch Iron Chef may recognise this fish from the introduction to each episode, where it took pride of place on the table of premium Japanese ingredients. In Kyoto, a signature dish is to marinade portions of Tilefish fillet (skin on) in sweet miso before grilling over coals. This process firms up the soft flesh and highlights the inherent clarity and sweetness that this fish has in spades.
Fortunately, Australia also has a few species of Tilefish that make it to market (you can use them interchangeably in recipes so we’re grouping them together here). Tilefish is one of 91制片厂Fish Market’s most expensive auction species (at nearly triple the average fish value) and this is because local Japanese chefs compete amongst themselves for the few hundred kilos sold annually. Not that you’re likely to see it on their menus though: the Tilefish is of such significance that generally the chefs eat it themselves! If you’re lucky enough to see one at a retailer, buy it - it’s worth every penny.
Flame Tail Snapper
Simply put, the Flame Tail Snapper is as close to perfect as fish come. It lives in the tropics, and has every good quality that you could expect from that region. However, the Flame Tail snapper lives up to 500 metres deep, and because of this it also exhibits the premium qualities of a high-end deep sea fish.
They have a diverse diet, and a resulting neutral flavour, with a firm white flesh, as sweet as pie. The belly is as fat as tuna, the lean shoulder is meaty and sweet like a Mangrove Jack. They are easy to clean, with few bones, and happen to be beautiful. If you’re lucky enough to find one, treat it with the love it deserves, and it’ll be sure to love you back.
Royal Red Prawn
There is no doubt that Australians love their prawns. King, Tiger, School, and Banana Prawns are all readily consumed, year round, and fetch appropriate prices.
What most Australians don’t know is that we are also blessed with a bounty of deep-sea prawns including the Royal Red Prawn. This species prefers to live over muddy bottoms, between 200 and 1000 metres deep, with three distinct populations caught off New South Wales, Queensland, and West Australia. Their deep environment means they live in cold water, which imparts tenderness and sweetness to their flesh.
When very fresh, these prawns can be eaten raw or just blanched in hot water. They are also arguably the best prawn to use as a filling in the Cantonese classic Har Gow - roughly chopped raw prawn meat is lightly seasoned and folded into dumplings before being steamed. Delicious!
Mantis Prawn
Also known as the Mantis Shrimp, Sea Locusts, Prawn Killers, Thumb Splitters, Urine Shrimp, and other less polite versions of that last one, the Mantis Prawn is one of Australia’s most interesting edible species. They can be put into two groups – ‘spearers’ and ‘smashers’, based on the appendages they use to hunt.
There’s too much fascinating information about this species to list here, but we will say that when very fresh, this is one of the sweetest things that swim. Mantis Prawn are best eaten unadorned - blanche in boiling water for a few seconds, peel the shell off the tail, and extricate the flesh. A few drops of lemon juice and a sprinkle of salt is all you need.
The Mantis Prawn is one of the weirdest and best things you can eat. Plus, they make for excellent sashimi!
Anglerfish
Comfortably some of the weirdest looking fish in the sea, here we use “Anglerfish” to refer to what are technically “Goosefish”. The reason they are grouped together is the way that they catch prey.
Anglerfish, as the name suggests, use a small glowing blob of skin, suspended on a ‘rod’, attached to their head (yes, like in Finding Nemo). They bob it back and forth enticingly, imitating a small baitfish or deep-sea prawn, waiting in the dark for anything small enough to fit in their mouth to come close. When they strike, it is with a violent upwards motion, flared gills creating a vacuum in their mouth that draws the prey into their throat. The Anglerfish will then settle down to begin digestion, which in their case can take up to a month.
It is this style of feeding that influences their eating qualities. Lying perfectly still, followed by a sudden burst of action requires special quick-twitch muscles that present with a uniquely springly, lobsterlike texture. Fillets can be pan-seared and finished in a hot oven, with a bone gravy, and will be as hearty as any Sunday roast. For seafood connoisseurs, it is important to note that the Anglerfish has one of the best livers in seafood.