Here, you’ll find everything from must-have grilled prawns to beautiful whole-baked fish and gourmet lobster recipes to really impress. We’ve also put together a tasty seafood platter with easy and complementary dressings to take the guessswork out of planning it yourself. Merry Christmas!
Follow these tips to make sure you’re buying the best quality of seafood for your family.
Would you prefer Christmas barbecue or Christmas salads to accompany lunch?
How to buy fresh seafood with confidence
Fresh seafood (fish and shellfish) should always be bought from seafood markets or a reputable fishmonger.
Try to avoid supermarket seafood where possible as these are usually farmed varieties and are often less fresh than if you were buying first thing in the morning from a market.
Whole fish should have firm, not spongy, flesh with red gills; the skin should be shiny with close-fitting scales and the eyes should be clear and bright.
Fish fillets and cutlets should have moist flesh with a firm texture; there should be no signs of discolouration or dryness. Any bones should be firmly attached to the flesh.
Crustaceans and molluscs should have brightly coloured shells or flesh, and the tentacles, heads, flesh or shells should be plump, firm and intact. Shells should be closed, or should close when tapped on a bench. There should also be no discolouration of the joints.
In general, seafood should look undamaged, with moist flesh and a firm texture.
All seafood should look fresh and have a fragrant, clean “sea” smell. Any seafood that smells “fishy” is no good to eat, the same goes with any seafood that smells slightly bitter and chemical. If you find yourself offended by the powerful fish odor, choose a different piece or visit another fishmonger.
How to transport it home
Bring an esky with you! If you are not going to use eat the seafood straight away then you need to keep it chilled for the journey home.
Ask the staff at the fishmongers to give you a little ice to add to your esky or cooler bag. Or ask them to double bag your seafood with a little ice.
Barbecued ocean trout with pomegranate & radish salad
Prawns with soy chilli cocktail sauce
Easiest-ever ocean trout
Perfect barbecue prawns
Prawn cocktail platter
Lobster mornay
Oysters with pink and green mignonette dressings
Baked salmon with tahini sauce and tabbouleh
Salt and pepper baby squid
Romesco with fish skewers
Cherry and ginger gravlax
Provençale mussels
Grilled prawns with lemongrass and lime
Lobster with fennel salad
Barbecued squid salad
Whole snapper with pea and herb dressing
Grilled prawns with avocado cream and slaw
Korean-inspired barbecued squid on skewers
Prawn cocktail platter
Soft shell crab with green onion aioli
Five spice squid with lime mayonnaise
Ginger and lemongrass whole baked snapper
Kingfish carpaccio with tangy dressing
Scallops with ginger and lemongrass
Seafood platter with dipping sauces
Warm spiced prawns with avocado salsa
Roast salmon with fennel and apple salad
Prawn and mango salad
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