Baking and Making Food

3 Tips for Ordering Fresh Seafood: A Guide for Savvy Seafood Eaters

25 October 2017

Miriam Mcdonalid

If you wish to dine at any seaside restaurant in Australia, the chances are that seafood such as clams, fish, lobsters and scallops will be on the menu. Seafood is a delicacy for locals and tourists due to its freshness and availability. However, without knowledge of a particular restaurant, a novice might not discern the freshness of the seafood. The supply chain from the sea to the platter can be quite long, even for seaside restaurants. For example, some of the fish might have come from a pond in mainland Australia or originated from another continent. Restaurants are not obliged to label the origin of seafood as is the case in supermarkets. Here are tips to help savvy seafood eaters get the best out of seafood delicacies.

Source and Season of Seafood -- A well-informed seafood eater must have adequate knowledge of the fish species available in the locality and the breeding seasons. For instance, if your favorite oysters are available in a seafood restaurant during summer, yet the species should only be available in plenty in winter and fall, then that should be a cause for concern. Either the oysters are sourced from another continent or are not wild-caught. Either case, you should do your research to know where the served seafood comes from and what season a given fish species is available in plenty.

Know the Difference Between Local and Fresh -- A vast majority of seaside restaurants might serve fresh seafood, but that does not necessarily mean that the catch is local. These restaurants buy seafood from fishers who travel far and wide to get a better catch. These fishermen keep their catch frozen for days to keep it as fresh as possible. However, strict fishing regulations in local waters and unsustainable demand can affect the availability of fresh local seafood. Unbeknownst to a customer, a seafood restaurant can serve fresh fish from afar as opposed to locally caught fish when the customer intended to promote local farmers.

Price of Seafood -- Fresh seafood sourced locally can be pricier compared to a frozen catch that is acquired from another region. Prohibition or restrictions on fishing of certain species might create a huge demand, which can only be offset by rearing some fish species in farms. For example, the Atlantic salmon is a non-native species in Australia, and thus, any rise in demand at local restaurants can see its price surge significantly. Furthermore, imported wild-caught Atlantic salmon can be expensive compared to the farm-raised type. In this case, beware of such differences when ordering, as the seafood availability might have a bearing on your budget.

Contact a seafood restaurant like Maisie's Seafood & Steakhouse for more information.

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