Instructions
Is there an iconic Australian seafood?
Prawns would make a good claim for this prestige, courtesy of Paul Hogan’s 1970’s tourism ads. But today’s their price point makes prawns a special occasion dish most of the time. What about barramundi – the flavour of the north! While barra is great sport fishing and exceptionally good eating, they’re found all throughout Asia, and so aren’t uniquely Aussie.
Snapper? Tuna? Tasmanian salmon? Australian crayfish? All delicious, and all local. With so much great seafood on offer, it’s almost impossible to decide.
Yet for my taste it has to be the yellow-tailed Kingfish.
For starters, the Kingfish is almost uniquely Australian, swimming along coastal areas of the whole continent. You will find them throughout New Zealand waters as well, but no further afield.
The flesh is meaty and firm, but with a moist and delicate texture. And the taste is distinctly briney. Kingfish really has the flavour of the sea. Not oily and heavy like mackeral or mullet, but neither is it overly-mild like bream or whiting. This mellowness makes it great for kids, while mature palates love it too. With Kingfish you’re tasting Australian waters.
For the passionate cook, it’s an incredibly versatile ingredient that is able to be prepared equally well in kitchens or on barbecues. Kingfish is suited to both the direct smoky power of a grill, or the gentle heat of a pan. The same cannot be said for many fish species.
This versatility makes Kingfish perfect in modern Australia where our traditional barbecuing culture has recently merged into a contemporary obsession with cooking shows. So, Friday night dinner party, or Sunday afternoon barbie – Kingfish is the go.
But best of all, the Australian Kingfish industry is looking after our future by producing fish in a sustainable way. It’s not enough to have great fish just for now, we want our grandkids to be able to enjoy it too.
So be part of the new Aussie cooking tradition. Go on, chuck another kingfish fillet on the barbie!
Pan-fried kingfish with creamy mashed potatoes