Summer/Autumn 2024 edition
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2024 thus far has been filled with adventure. As a family, we made a big life decision, which has had us a little distracted of late. We sold our home, left the countryside, and embarked on an exciting sea-change (where the fish bite all year round) and have settled in a small beachside town where the kids can literally head to the pier after school to catch their dinner!
It has been a HUGE move, but so far, this coastal life has been brilliant and so far, has provided us with pinkies, whiting, flathead, and salmon.
Ingredients
MEthod
There is also a local fish monger in town!
This is game changing for the kitchen, and I look forward to experimenting with different species. The A-frame out the front stopped me in my tracks, the special of the day was ‘Duckfish’. Well, that caught my eye and curiosity, so I doubled back and purchased some fillets.
Possibly more commonly known as Boarfish, this species is readily found across southern Australia and New Zealand - a reef fish which are often a bycatch of trawlers. They use their large snouts to unearth and suck up crabs, worms, starfish, and sea cucumbers from the sand.
Considered a great eating fish, the flesh is a bright white and firm. It has a lovely delicate flavour which is ever so slightly sweet.
I must say it is quite the novelty being 2 minutes away from the boat ramp, knowing that if conditions are perfect, we can be fishing in 10 minutes!
A couple of hours out on the water and a nice variety of species were found, including salmon, whiting and pinkies. With a great filleting station at the ramp, we cleaned the fish so that they were ready to go straight to the kitchen!
One thing that pains me as a parent, is that somehow, I have the fussiest 8-year-old when it comes to food. I am lucky that he eats some fish and so I am always coming up with ways to mix up his lunchbox treats. I made these snapper sausage rolls and thankfully they were a hit! So much so that he has asked for them for his school lunch the last 3 days in a row! Now that’s a win!
Check out my latest recipes for Duck(fish) a'l'orange and fish sausage rolls.
From river to plate or sea to fork,
Cara
Meet Cara
When she’s not out in the rivers or cooking up a storm on Instagram, Cara works as an ambassador for Women in Recreational Fishing and Boating (WIRFAB) - an organisation focused on encouraging women and kids to explore the joy of fishing.
Cara can be found on Instagram and Facebook.