Many casual customers of Sydney Fish Market's retail outlets have no idea that the Market's famous daily auction has been buzzing away behind the scenes for hours prior to their visit.
Held from 5.30am every weekday, except public holidays, Sydney Fish Market's Dutch clock auction sells approximately 20 tonnes of fresh and live seafood every hour, and an average of 50-55 tonnes every day!
In the 2021 Financial Year, the auction saw 10,786 tonnes of seafood traded through it... But what kind of seafood was it? Today, we are running you through the top 10 species (by weight) traded at auction in the 2021 Financial Year, to give you a window into the Market's most popular auction products, and who's buying them!
Don't forget... The best way to learn all about the auction is to come along to our Behind the Scenes Tour, where our experienced tour guide Alex will show you around the floor (which is normally not open to the public!), and teach you everything you need to know about choosing fresh seafood.
Yellowtail Kingfish (Farmed)
Farmed in the Spencer Gulf in South Australia (mainly Port Lincoln and Whyalla), Yellowtail Kingfish is often marketed under its Japanese name ‘Hiramasa’. Its yellowish tail distinguishes it among related fish and gives it its name. The farmed version of this species is from colder waters, and is therefore more flavourful, moist and tender. For these reasons, farmed Kingfish is often considered consistently better eating than wild-caught.
The consistent availability of Yellowtail Kingfish has given Australians the chance to learn new ways to appreciate this excellent species. First has been the variety of uncooked presentations - sashimi, sushi, poke, and ceviche, to name a few. Second has been the revelation of just how crispy Kingfish skin can get when it’s attached to a fatty piece of flesh. Farmed fish are usually fattier than their wild counterparts, and this is certainly the case for Kingfish.
Tiger Flathead
Tiger Flathead consistently lands in the top 3 species (by weight) traded through Sydney Fish Market’s auction, due to its popularity in retail and hospitality. Not only is Flathead easy to cook at home, but it is also a great fish and chip fish, meaning you will often see it on the menu in seafood restaurants up and down the Australian coast.
Wild-caught, they are found mainly on the mid-continental shelf and upper slope in depths of 10-200m (sometimes as deep as 400m) and are caught off the south-eastern coast, including around Tasmania. Tiger Flathead have a slightly sweet flavour, low oiliness and slightly dry, medium textured flesh with fine flakes.
Snapper
Available wild-caught, Snapper is found near reefs and rocky bottoms, mainly near the coast and on the continental shelf from Townsville, Queensland, and south to the central WA coast (including the Bass Strait and around Tasmania).
Snapper is a highly prized fish, and a favourite on Australian plates for generations, which is why it is purchased in such high quantities at auction. Interestingly, these days a large amount of Snapper eaten in Australia are actually imported from our neighbours in New Zealand.
Eastern School Whiting
Sourced from Noosa (QLD) south to Port Lincoln (SA), this small, sweet, delicate fish is popular with buyers because it has so many possible uses. The fillets are lovely quickly pan fried on the skin side and just seared on the flesh side. The whole fish can be skewered and grilled over coals, or steamed with ginger and shallots, or deep fried like a chicken wing. The rib bones are easily removed or soft enough to eat without concern.
Blue Swimmer Crab
Blue Swimmer Crabs are one of the few Crab species not sold live, and are instead available cooked or green (uncooked) – a bonus if you’re squeamish about purchasing live crustaceans. This is also why they are high on the list of popular auction species, as they are easier to transport and sell than live crabs.
The flesh is translucent when raw and white when cooked, and has a mild, sweet, nutty flavour, and low oiliness. The meat is generally moist, evenly textured and firm (claw meat is firmer than that found in body and legs). Some people enjoy the stronger-tasting ‘mustard’ or brown meat in the body.
Sea Mullet
Now here’s one for the true seafood lovers. Your favourite fish’s favourite fish, Mullet have been loved by those in the know for tens of thousands of years in Australia, everywhere on the east coast. These fish are popular at auction due to the sheer volume that are sent for sale! At the peak of the autumn Mullet run on the NSW coast, the price can get as low at $2/kg, though they usually retail for closer to $5 to $8 per kilo for whole fish.
This hardy fish is at home in the freshwater upper reaches of estuaries as it is in the ocean and will take on a corresponding estuarine or marine flavour. As a rule of thumb, the further up an estuary a Mullet is caught, the stronger the flavour, with sea run Mullet having a more neutral, briny flavour. However, all Mullet share an uncommonly high level of omega-3 in their generously distributed fat, and it is the flavour in this fat that is the secret to their appeal.
School Prawn
School Prawns were historically only used as bait, and enjoyed by a select few fishermen in the know, before migrants from Asia taught Australians how good they can be when treated with a bit of love! While larger varieties of prawn are more classically popular, one of our favourite little-known tips for prawns is that the smaller the prawn, the sweeter the taste – making little School Prawns the sweetest of them all! Much of Sydney Fish Market's supply of school prawns comes from the Clarence River, Wallis Lake, Newcastle, and Hawkesbury fishers co-operatives.
Only the largest School Prawns are suitable for boiling and peeling. The smaller sizes are much, much best deep-fried whole. It’s a surprisingly easy technique that gives you sweet, tender prawn meat surrounded by a lightly crispy shell, as easy to eat as popcorn.
Blue Mackerel
One of the most widely distributed families of fish on Earth, Mackerel are deeply embedded in world cuisine, meaning they sell in high volumes at the Sydney Fish Market auction. The name Mackerel derives from the old French ‘macquerel’, which most closely translates as ‘pimp’ or ‘procurer’ which apparently refers to the practice of large shoals of mackerel enthusiastically spawning close to shore and the fact that in Medieval times people had some bizarre theories about animal procreation.
But whatever the name, Mackerel share some fantastic attributes. Known for their uncommonly high levels of Omega-3, their rich oil opens up so many avenues to explore. Don’t be shy to char the skin, whether in the oven or on the BBQ, and embrace strong, fresh flavours like lemon and garlic.
Yellowfin Tuna
Yellowfin Tuna is one of the most highly-prized seafood species worldwide, and is the highlight of the menu in most fancy sushi restaurants. By far the most common Tuna in Australia, it is found right around the Australian coast, preferring warm, temperate and tropical waters, and is caught mainly by drifting longlines off the Eastern and Western coasts.
Yellowfin Tuna is an excellent species for home cooks to experiment with. The belly is marbled with fat softer than Wagyu beef, but the shoulder loin is pure lean protein. The flavour is subtle and can be easily overwhelmed. Though best eaten raw or seared, thanks to pioneering chefs like Josh Niland you’re also well within your rights to mince it up, form a patty, and enjoy it as a cheeseburger.
Ocean Jacket
Some of the earliest records of the experiences of fishermen in New South Wales consist of a series of complaints about this exact species, such as the 1883 annual report to NSW Fisheries that described this fish as being “troublesome to schnapper fishers”. As recently as 2014, these complaints persisted, noting the capacity of the Ocean Jacket to both swarm an area in massive proportions and to destroy any fishing gear with their sharp, strong beaks. However, nobody ever complains about how they taste!
Thanks to their evenly distributed fat and decent oil levels, Ocean Jacket remains one of our most versatile yet still one of our cheapest fish, landing them their place on this list. Usually sold as skinned trunks (the skin is inedibly tough, hence the name), this fish can be cooked as is, as fillets, or in cutlets. Forgiving to cook, cooking options are plentiful - braised in sauce, encrusted with nuts and pan-fried, in a curry - you name it.
