How to Buy Fresh Seafood in Australia: A Practical Guide

Buying seafood in Australia is one of the genuine pleasures of cooking here. Between the wild catch landed along the coastline and the farmed species grown in estuaries and sea pens, home cooks have access to an extraordinary range. The challenge is knowing what to look for, how to store it once you get it home, and how to cook it in a way that does justice to what you have paid for.

This guide is a general primer for shoppers at fish markets, supermarket counters and community seafood outlets. It covers what freshness actually looks like, how to judge different types of seafood, and how to handle your purchase at home.

What freshness really means

Fresh does not always mean never frozen. Much of the best-quality seafood available in Australia is frozen at sea or soon after harvest, which preserves texture and flavour far better than a slow trip in a truck. What matters is whether the product has been handled well and whether it has been thawed carelessly. Ask the person behind the counter when the fish was landed, whether it has been frozen previously, and when it was thawed if so.

Signs worth checking:

• Smell – clean and faintly briny, like the ocean. Anything sharp, ammonia-like or sour is a warning sign.
• Eyes – clear, domed and moist, not sunken or cloudy.
• Gills – pink to deep red, without thick slime.
• Flesh – firm and springy. Press gently; it should bounce back rather than leave an indent.
• Skin and scales – intact, glossy and firmly attached.

Choosing by type of seafood

Whole fish and fillets

A whole fish should look plump rather than flat, and should not bend easily. Fillets should be moist and neatly trimmed, with no gaping between the flakes and no browning around the edges. Firm-fleshed species such as snapper, barramundi and flathead are forgiving for beginners, while delicate white fish and oily species such as salmon and mackerel reward quick cooking. A sharp, well-maintained blade makes portioning far easier, and the principles explained in this guide to what a multi-purpose chef knife is apply just as well to fish preparation as to vegetables and meat.

Prawns, oysters and shellfish

• Prawns – shells glossy and firm, heads attached, eyes bright. A slight smell of the sea is fine; chlorine or ammonia is not.
• Oysters – sold live, tightly closed, or if opened, sitting in their own liquor with a clean briny smell. Discard any open shell that will not close when tapped.
• Mussels and clams – closed shells, heavy for their size, no rattling.
• Squid and calamari – firm and glossy, with skin that has not turned pink or slimy.

Season, origin and sustainability

Australia’s seafood calendar varies by state and species, but most fish and shellfish have natural peaks when quality is at its best and supply is strongest. Local knowledge is invaluable: a fishmonger in Queensland will have a very different board from one in Tasmania or Western Australia, and each will tell you what has just come in.

If sustainability matters to you, look for recognised certification labels, ask where the product was caught or grown, and avoid undersized fish. Recreational fishers have a legal responsibility to follow their state’s size, bag and possession limits, and those rules exist for good reason. Farmed products such as salmon are widely available and often more consistent than wild stock out of season; a look at this Huon Aqua review gives a sense of what Australian farmed salmon production involves.

Storing and cooking your seafood

Seafood is highly perishable. Take an esky or insulated bag if you are travelling more than a short distance, and get your purchase into the fridge as soon as you can. Store it in the coldest part of the fridge, ideally between 0°C and 4°C, in a covered container sitting on a bed of ice in a colander so it never rests in its own liquid. Use fresh fish within a day or two, and shellfish on the day you buy it. If you will not eat it in time, freeze it promptly rather than letting it decline.

For cooking, most seafood does best with simple treatment and a short cooking time. Fish is ready when the flesh turns opaque and flakes easily; overcooking is the most common mistake. A crisp beer batter, for instance, turns flathead fillets into a classic Australian meal, and this guide to how to cook battered flathead fillets sets out a reliable method. Serve with lemon, a sharp salad and something cold to drink.

Frequently asked questions

Is frozen seafood less fresh than fresh seafood?

Not necessarily. Seafood frozen at sea or soon after harvest is often in better condition than fish that has spent days in transit. Judge it on how it was handled and thawed rather than on whether it was frozen at all.

How long can I keep fresh prawns in the fridge?

Treat prawns as highly perishable. Keep them on ice in the coldest part of the fridge and cook them within a day or so of purchase, or freeze them promptly if you will not use them in time.

Should I rinse fish under the tap before cooking?

It is usually better to pat fish dry with paper towel instead. Rinsing spreads bacteria around the sink and adds surface water that stops the fish browning properly. Season it and let it come closer to room temperature before cooking.