Bream

Other Names
Family
Sparidae (breams).

Description, Location, Habitat and Harvesting Information
Available mainly wild-caught, though Yellowfin and Black Bream are also farmed. They are found mainly in estuaries, though also along the coast and around rocky reefs, lighter coloured fish are caught at sea, while darker ones are from estuaries and further up river. Black Bream are found around southern Australia, while Frypan and Pikey Bream are found in northern waters. Yellowfin and Tarwhine are found along the eastern coast up to far north Queensland, and Tarwhine is also found along the southern to central coast of WA. Black and Yellowfin Bream are endemic to Australia.

Season
Available year round with Black Bream peaking in WA in August and September and some available from SA in the second half of the year, and Yellowfin peaking in NSW from February to June and Queensland from May to July.

Size and Weight
Varies with species, typically from a minimum of 200g (Tarwhine and Yellowfin) to a maximum of 1.5kg (Black and Frypan) and 25-45cm in length, though they can grow to at least 4kg and about 60cm.

Price
Medium priced.

Relations
To Buy
Sold mainly whole (gilled and gutted) and occasionally in fillet form (usually skinned). In whole fish look for lustrous skin, firm flesh, and a pleasant, fresh sea smell. In fillets, look for 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, gutted and cleaned thoroughly as soon as possible (completely remove the lining of the abdominal cavity and the white fat along the abdominal wall). Wrap whole fish and fillets in plastic wrap or place in an airtight container. Refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze whole fish for up to 6 months, and fillets for up to 3 months, below -18ºC.

To Cook
Average yield is 35%. Has a mild, sweet flavour, low oiliness and moist, soft-medium flesh. Estuarine and river fish can have a slightly coarse, muddy or weedy flavour.

Cooking Methods
Steam, poach, pan-fry, bake, grill, barbecue. A good plate-sized fish cooked whole, flesh also works well in mousseline.

Goes Well With
Capers, chilli, coriander, garlic, lemon, lemongrass, lime, parsley. Soy sauce, Chinese cooking wine, ginger and Asian spices can help to balance the slightly muddy or coarse taste some Bream develop due to their estuarine habitat (especially Tarwhine and Black Bream).

Alternatives
Emperors, Morwong, Seaperches.

Imports
Recipes