A London Fishmonger: October 2010

I will always argue that fish from North East Atlantic have the finest of flavours and that cold water fish provide the best eating. However, since moving to the Southern Hemisphere I have had the opportunity to sample some beautiful fish including a fine range of snappers. When involved with wet fish in London I was only aware of the Red snapper which was generally the only species available at any level of quality. Here in Queensland there are a number of snappers available including what seems the most popular species of crimson snapper and frypan snapper (or frypan bream). Unlike the Red Snapper (usually imported from the Seychelles) that is commonly found in UK and has a soft texture when cooked the Australian species are much meatier with some that compare to eating steak soft steak. There texture is unlike any fish I have tried before and due to the firmness holds up well to more aggressive cooking techniques. Currently the Golden Snapper, Saddletail Snapper and Goldband Snapper are my three favorites, but I still have a number to try. When buying your fillets compare to the pictures below as they are a great guide to quality.