Sydney Fish Market offers Australia’s widest variety of fresh seafood, with hundreds of interesting species passing across the auction floor every single day, so of course it attracts some of Sydney’s most famous and qualified chefs and restaurateurs. It’s common to see chefs wandering retailers’ displays in the early mornings, chatting to their favourite fishmonger to find out what’s fresh, and examining product up close to ensure they are picking the freshest snapper, lobster, squid, or crab.
While not every chef comes down in person (many have built up years-long relationships with their chosen fishmonger, meaning they can trust that they will only be sent the freshest product), hundreds of restaurants across Sydney are supplied, directly or indirectly, with seafood that has passed through the market.
As Sydney begins to open up again after lockdown, the hospitality industry needs our support more than ever… So today, we are spotlighting five stunning venues and chefs that serve seafood from Sydney Fish Market. A visit to any of the restaurants on this list means a guarantee that you’ll be eating Australia’s freshest seafood.
Moxhe
Moxhe is a stunning restaurant located in Bronte, that focuses solely on showcasing Australian seafood. Head chef David is a regular at Sydney Fish Market, coming down each day to hand-pick the absolute best and freshest seafood species for his ever-changing set menu.
A fan of the weird and wonderful, David often highlights rarer varieties of seafood, to expand his guests’ palates and introduce them to the rich variety of species available to us here in Australia. They only work with species from Australia and New Zealand, so you know that everything served at Moxhe is not only fresh, but responsibly sourced too.
Sushi Oe
One of the best sushi chefs in the country, Toshihiko Oe used to work at the icon Japanese Restaurant Masuya (located in the Sydney CBD). Nearly a year ago, he moved on to create his very own omakase, Sushi Oe, for which bookings are in extremely high demand. Hardly a day goes by at Sydney Fish Market without seeing Oe-san on site.
The talented chef can usually be found either standing at the shoulder of master-filleter Tony, tasting fresh bluefin tuna straight off the razor-sharp knife, or behind the counters, examining fish closely and having it placed into ice slurry for transporting to his restaurant.
Big Sam Young
Ex-Merivale Chef Big Sam Young is always visiting Sydney Fish Market, often leaving with a car boot full of fresh, live Rock Lobsters to service his business as a private chef! Hong-Kong born, Sam has a deep connection to seafood cooking, often sharing his inventive takes on traditional Asian dishes on his Instagram account.
Some of his top picks from Sydney Fish Market are Sydney Rock Oysters, whole fish like Flounder or Turbot, sea urchin, Japanese bluefin tuna toro (tuna belly), sea scallop, scampi, swordfish belly, and scarlet prawns.
As of Monday October 11, his private chef experiences are back in action, bringing his wealth of experience and stunningly fresh seafood cooking into the comfort of your own home.
Cirrus at Barangaroo
Cirrus is one of Sydney’s finest waterfront seafood restaurants… Plus, its location in Barangaroo makes it an extremely close neighbour of Sydney Fish Market. The menu of Chef Brent Savage reflects the restaurant's gorgeous waterfront location, and is created from the finest seasonal produce from local growers and sustainably caught seafood. And for Sydneysiders, it doesn’t get any fresher or more responsibly-sourced than Sydney Fish Market.
Chefs like Brent choose their seafood carefully from Sydney Fish Market’s retailers and wholesalers, keeping their eyes peeled for fresh, lustrous skin, bright clear eyes, and active live crabs and lobsters.
Nudefish Poke
Nudefish Poke, which has two locations in the CBD and one in North Sydney, was started in 2017 by young Chef Tom Walton. Serving hand-crafted, chef-created poke bowls made using only sustainable seafood, free range poultry, and biodynamic tofu, Nudefish is a healthy eating dream!
Walton focuses on purchasing only the finest sashimi-grade fish from Sydney Fish Market wholesalers and retailers, celebrating and supporting local growers, farmers, and producers every step of the way in his cooking.
If you're heading back to the office soon and need a healthy lunch option, seek out your nearest Nudefish Poke to be sure you're getting the complete 'boat to bowl' experience.
