Autumn is the most abundant season for wild caught seafood on the Northern NSW coast. Hard working trawler fishermen head to sea in the evenings, fishing local waters from Yamba to the Tweed, returning with unbeatable products. Our famous King Prawns are at their peak, while by-catch often flies under the radar.
Squid and baby octopus are truly underrated catches, hand sorted and processed by our local fishermen, they are an amazing addition to your restaurant’s seafood menu, or the family’s dinner! The octopus is tenderised using traditional techniques introduced to Australian fishermen by Greek and Italian immigrants during the 1960s. Prior to this, many of these by-catch species were discarded and seen as low value. Our Australian gastronomic culture developed as these new techniques enabled us to utilise these now valuable products.
This is also the season for the migration of Spanish Mackerel and Spotted Mackerel. As the seasons change, strong nor-easterly winds give way for milder southerlies, allowing favourable oceanic currents to push into shore. This brings an abundance of smaller fish to the inshore reefs, which the predatory mackerel have made their pilgrimage for. These mackerel - much like the King Prawns - are at their peak conditioning. They stuff themselves with nutrient dense bait fish resulting in a buttery, flavourful and firm meat. Commercial line fishermen, such as myself, target these fish with sustainable and highly selective techniques. Many of the fish head to the Sydney Fish Markets, where they are distributed throughout Australia.
Fortunately, I am able to connect local chefs and retail customers with all of these local wild caught seafood products. This process often looks like a visit to our local trawlers - as they are finalising the processes of their catches - after a morning of line fishing for mackerel myself! Please feel free to contact me if you wish to source any of these products, as they are often seasonal and come directly from the fishermen themselves, prices and availability will not be live on our website.
Thank you, Michael Rupnik
Michael’s Seafood