Cooking Method
Steam, poach, deep-fry, pan-fry, stir-fry, bake, braise, grill, barbecue. Thin fillets are best wrapped in foil or banana leaves to protect them when barbecuing or grilling.
Species
Description
Distinguished from other Whiting, especially the similar looking School Whiting, by multiple dark brown spots on the side with upper spots often joined to lower spots towards the back of the body.
Available wild-caught, it is a marine fish found mainly in sheltered bays and estuaries over mud or silt, especially in mangrove creeks and river mouths, along the east coast to 30m.
Caught mostly off southern Queensland (Moreton Bay), and central to northern NSW, as bycatch of prawn trawling, by haul seine in shallow waters and with hook-and-line. It is endemic to Australia.
Other Names
Diver Whiting, Winter Whiting, Spotted Whiting.
Family
Sillaginidae (Whitings).
Season
Available year round with peaks in June to August.
Size and Weight
Commonly to 100g and 25cm, but can grow to 200g and 30cm.