Cooking Method
Steam, poach, deep-fry, pan-fry, stir-fry, bake, braise, grill, barbecue, smoke, raw (sashimi), pickle. A good plate-sized fish cooked whole.
Species
Description
Available wild-caught, it is a marine fish found near reefs and rocky bottoms, mainly near the coast and on the continental shelf from Townsville, Queensland, south to the central WA coast (including Bass Strait and around Tasmania), with juveniles mainly found in estuaries. It is caught by traps, trawling, longlines, handlines and gillnets. It has a pinkish skin with blue spots and a distinctive shape with a prominent forehead hump.
Other Names
Australasian Snapper, Cockney, Cockney Bream, Old Man Snapper, Pink Snapper, Pinkies, Red Bream, Schnapper, Squire.
Family
Sparidae (Breams).
Season
Available year round with peaks in winter.
Size and Weight
Commonly 800g – 8kg and 38 – 90cm, but can grow to at least 19.5kg and 130cm.