How to choose the best seafood



When it comes to picking the best seafood, I'll back a sushi chef every time.

They have to know how to pick the absolutely freshest seafood because often it is used raw in sashimi or sushi.  And no one wants to have raw seafood that is not perfect, that's my tummy speaking there.

So when Palazzo Versace's sushi and sashimi maker, Yukio Itaba shares his tips it's worth paying attention.  Perched on the edge of the Gold Coast's Southport Broadwater, there's no shortage of water access or great seafood for his sushi.

Here's what Yukio looks for -

Prawns



We all want our prawns to be fresh and plump with a great flavour that has just a touch of the sea.  Yukio 's tip is to avoid prawns that have brown around their heads as they are older and less fresh.  If you look carefully in this photo below, you'll see some are a little darker around the head - don't pick them.



Fish

For fish Yukio likes to open the gills and look for a deep red colour.  If the gills are pale pink the fish is much older.  The eye should also be plump and clear, without any red.  The fish below has just a touch of red in the eye.  It can be much more pronounced than this.




Crabs

When it comes to crabs Yukio , doesn't do cooked, he likes to do that himself, but he says turn the crab over and look under the flap to check the freshness and avoid dark colouration. This applies to all types of crabs including spanner crabs and sand crabs.




My Dad's best mud crab buying tips were always look for ground down teeth on the claws and buy a crab that's heavy for it's size as he's been eating up well.  Mud crab buying is an inexact science. Even a lifetime of purchasing didn't always guarantee Dad the best crab.

I was learning about seafood at Peter's Fish Market  on Seaworld Drive, Main Beach where the fish is fresh from the trawler which is moored just a few metres away.  Peter is a bit of a local legend.  His first preference for seafood dining is his own home but when pressed admits Omeros Bros is probably pretty good too.  Thanks Peter!




Meet Peter of Peter's Fish Market

Here's where you can eat your fish and chips.


Kerry Heaney

Disclaimer: Ed+bK was a guest of Tourism and Events Queensland www.queenslandholidays.com.au