| | All fish that are not going to be released should be killed humanely and quickly. The best way to do this is by ‘iki jimi’ - spiking the fish in the brain with a sharp instrument just behind the eye. The fish will convulse, flare its mouth and gills, then suddenly relax. Another quick and humane method is to cut the fish’s throat and bend the head back to sever the spine. This approach is better for smaller fish, such as herring and whiting. Gently place kept fish in an ice slurry (two-parts ice to one-part sea water) in an esky. If you don’t have an esky keep the fish in a wet hessian, open-weave or cotton bag in the shade. Please refer to the Department of Fisheries’ Catch Care brochure or website for further information. |  |
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| | If you cannot eat your fish straightaway, do not let them go to waste. Here are some tips to make sure you can have a tasty healthy meal later on. Refrigerator storage - Place fish in a covered container or in a freezer bag or zip-lock bag in the coldest part of your fridge and use within two to three days. Force all the air out of the bag, as exposure to air hastens spoilage.
- Scale, clean and gut whole fish (if required), then rinse under cold water and pat dry. Store as above.
- Wrap cooked crustaceans in foil and store as above.
- Use uncooked crustaceans and molluscs within one to two days.
- Live crustaceans and shellfish, such as mussels, should be consumed as soon as possible after capture or purchase. To keep mussels and freshwater crayfish alive, store in a cool spot in a bucket of water covered loosely with a damp cloth. In hot weather, place in a container, cover with damp butcher’s paper and keep in the coldest part of the fridge.
Freezer storage - All fish should be scaled, gutted, gilled and rinsed prior to freezing.
- Place fish in an airtight freezer bag, label and date. Fish can be frozen for up to six months (oily fish, fillets/cutlets for up to three months) at –18ºC or less.
- Gut and clean squid, cuttlefish and octopus and wrap in plastic before freezing.
- Place prawns, unpeeled, in a plastic container. Cover with water, seal and freeze. This forms a large block, which insulates the prawns. Do not add salt as it draws out the moisture.
Label, date and freeze crustaceans, molluscs and other reef animals for up to three months at –18ºC or less. | |
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| - Fish should be at room temperature before cooking.
- Never overcook fish – remove from the heat when ‘just done’ (flesh turned from translucent to opaque) and the internal heat will finish off the cooking.
- Tuna and Atlantic salmon are best served while still rare in the centre.
- Overcooking molluscs toughens them. Mussels, whether steamed or boiled, are ready to eat when their shells open.
- The most humane way to treat live crustaceans is to place them in the freezer for 10 to 20 minutes before cooking. This will also reduce the chance of the fish tensing during cooking and dropping its claws and legs.
- Cook prawns in boiling water for three minutes and blue swimmer crabs and rock lobsters for about six minutes. Remove crustaceans from the heat and run cold water over them to stop further cooking in their shells.
- Fish can be cooked most ways; however, oilier fish with stronger flavours lend themselves to grilling or barbecuing, while those with a more delicate taste and texture are best pan-fried or steamed.
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