Species
Species
Description
Thick-lipped with golden pectoral fins and yellow breast and belly, this free-swimming marine fish is available wild caught. It is found from coastal to off-shore waters around most of Australia (except the very southern coast), often near reefs or seagrass beds where it feeds on smaller schooling fish. It is caught inshore using gillnets, seine nets and tunnel nets and offshore by trolling and trawling.
Other Names
Banded Trevally.
Family
Carangidae (Trevallies).
Season
Available year round, though supply is limited.
Size and Weight
Commonly up to 90cm and 8kg, but can grow to 37kg and 120cm.
Price
Low to medium priced.
Relations
Trevallies (including Bigeye, Black, Bluefin, Bluespotted, Diamond, Giant and Silver Trevallies), Black Pomfret, Darts, Jack Mackerel, Queenfish, Samsonfish, Turrum, Yellowtail Kingfish, Yellowtail Scad. Despite the similarity in their names, Trevallies are unrelated to Trevallas.
To Buy
Sold whole (gilled and gutted), in cutlet and fillet forms. In whole fish look for lustrous skin, firm flesh, and a pleasant, fresh sea smell. In cutlets and fillets, look for yellowish-white, firm, lustrous, moist flesh without any brown markings or oozing water and with a pleasant fresh sea smell.
To Store
Make sure whole fish is scaled, gilled, gutted and cleaned thoroughly. Lay whole fish, fillets and cutlets in a single layer on a plate and cover with plastic wrap or place in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days. The flesh softens quite a bit when thawed, so freezing is not recommended.
To Cook
Average yield is 35%. Has a sweet flavour, high oiliness and dry, fine flesh with few bones, which are easily removed. The skin is usually removed. The centre bone of cutlets can be removed and a filling placed in the cavity.
Cooking Methods
Steam, poach, deep-fry, pan-fry, bake, grill, barbecue, smoke, pickle. It tends to be dry so marinating prior to cooking helps prevent drying out, as does wrapping in foil or banana leaves if baking or barbecuing.
Goes Well With
Basil, caraway, chilli, coriander, cumin, curry, fennel, garlic, ginger, herbs (such as coriander, dill, French tarragon, parsley, sage, thyme), lemon, lime, olive oil, onion, oregano, sesame oil, soy sauce, tamarind, teriyaki sauce, tomato, vinegar, wasabi, white wine.
Alternatives
Silver Perch, Morwong, Gemfish, Warehou, Snapper, other Trevallies.
Imports
Chilled and frozen Silver Trevally, whole and in fillet form, is imported from New Zealand.
Recipes
Teriyaki Silver Trevally Fillets with Sesame & Zucchini