There we were, freezing to death in our summer gear, in the chill-room of Auckland’s Fish Market, where buyers inspect the day’s catch.    It was all part of a tour to familiarise food writers with the new facility, which is state-of-the-art to ensure that fish supplies, countrywide, are as fresh as possible.  Opened in May, it is a multi-faceted facility which includes retail outlets, a seafood school, and the daily 6.00 a.m. fish auction which the public can watch from viewing areas. Situated a short walk from Victoria Park Market and the Viaduct Harbour, on the corner of Madden & Daldy Streets, Freeman’s Bay, the seven-day market is a whole new approach to fish in this country.

As well as having its serious side in educating the restaurant industry about fish, the Seafood School with its 66-seat auditorium and fully equipped kitchens, offers a wide range of classes for the public.  Details are on the website www.aucklandfishmarket.co.nz and one of the great ideas is a gift voucher for one of the themed classes with top chefs. Each class has a 45-minute demonstration by the chef, then students prepare dishes themselves before enjoying them for dinner.

 

One of the beaut things about shopping at the market is the ample parking and the selection of shops from live fish to fruit and vegetables and other produce to gourmet deli and you can have a snack or lunch while you’re there. All the producers are dedicated to spreading the word about fish as an integral part of everyone’s diet.

 

One of the main thrusts of the food-writers’ visit was to talk about new, unfamiliar and less popular fish species, which are also keenly priced.   We often hear complaints about how “expensive” fish is, mainly related to the best known species like snapper, terakihi, John Dory, Orange Roughy, etc., but the message is that there are many other fish in the sea at good prices that do exactly the same job on the menu.

 

Did you know that “Elephant Fish” is the fish of choice for fish and chip takeaways in Timaru?  It’s an ugly sort of a fellow, but has firm whit flesh that suits all cooking methods. If John Dory is too expensive, try its close relations Silver, Mirror and Lookdown Dory, described as a superb table fish which suits all cooking methods.  Or you might try Porae, a member of the same family as Terakihi, with firm white, delicately flavoured flesh. 

 

AFM manager, Nigel Thomas said:  “Fresh is a given for me – if fish is not fresh, why are you buying it?  You should buy on quality not price.”   Nigel advises buying fish on the day you are going to cook it. If you can smell the fish, it is not fresh; fresh fish and seafood should have very little smell other than that of the sea. 

 

Whole fish should have clear eyes, with black pupil and translucent cornea, the skin should appear bright and firm with a glossy sheen and the gills should be a bright pastel rose colour.   When it comes to buying fillets, they should be translucent and firm with an elastic texture…if they look yellowish, dry or slimy, go buy some beef! 

 

Each species of fish, like other fresh produce, has a main season of availability…right now in April-May, look for snapper, kahawai,monkfish, trevally, tuna, blue cod, red cod, groper, blue mackerel, tarakihi.  You can find this table on the Seafood Industry Council’s website www.seafood.co.nz along with lots of other information.

 

You can also find information about different types of fish on Fish Guide on the site.