Cook Up a Seafood Feast at Easter with These Expert Tips

Every morning before dawn, Peter Fotopoulos visits the Safcol Fish Market in Mile End to see what the fishers have brought in overnight. Once he’s put in offers on the freshest catch, he’ll scale, gut, clean and fillet the finest specimens and deliver them to his sister Koula Lagos to put on display.

The siblings have owned and operated Seafood On Parade in Norwood Place for 23 years, building on a family tradition passed down from their father. “He was a fisherman in Greece and Whyalla so we have a real love for seafood,” Koula explains. “It’s why we always get everything in as whole fish and process it ourselves. That way we know the condition of the fish and how fresh it is. We’re very, very particular and if it's not good enough we return it.”

Since buying the business, they’ve transitioned away from imported and frozen products and now have a strong emphasis on fresh Australian seafood, sourcing it from South Australian waters wherever possible. Koula takes pride in both the freshness and variety of the seafood on offer, but it’s the outstanding customer service that sets Seafood on Parade apart.

“One of the things that we always try to do is impart knowledge to the customer so they can make informed decisions about what they're buying,” she says. “We can tell them if it's a strong or mild flavour, boneless or bone in, local or interstate. And we can give them advice on how to prepare it if they want.”

Koula also stocks a huge range of other seafood including mussels, scallops, crabs, vongole and octopus, and has a range of pickled and smoked options for sale. “Usually we have yabbies when they’re running as well,” she says, “but we haven’t had so many this year because it’s been quite dry.”

Christmas is the store’s busiest period for oysters, lobsters and prawns, but fish fillets are always in demand in the lead up to Good Friday, especially King George whiting, garfish and flathead. So if you’re planning to cook up a seafood feast this Easter, Koula suggests getting in with plenty of time to spare. “We can get farmed fish like barramundi, salmon and trout every day. But because the other types are wild-caught, what we get depends on the weather and the fishers so it’s a good idea to visit early in the week.”

Koula’s Guide To Cooking Fish

A lot of people are afraid of cooking fish, but it's actually one of the easiest things to cook - you can make it as simple or as complicated as you want. For King George whiting or gar, all you need to do is apply a simple crumb, pan fry the fillets in good quality oil and add a squeeze of lemon to bring out the flavour.

Marinating fish is a good idea when you’re entertaining because you can do most of the prep the night before and the fish is ready to serve as soon as it comes out of the oven. Just remember to cook at a low temperature so the fillets retain as much moisture as possible.

Snapper works well with an Italian-style marinade of thyme, white wine and tomato, while oilier fish like barramundi are well suited to Asian flavours like ginger, chilli, coriander and soy.