Snapper
Pagrus auratus
Other Names
Cockney, cockney bream, old man snapper, pink snapper, pinkies, red bream, schnapper, squire.
Family
Sparidae (breams).
Description, Location, Habitat and Harvesting Information
Available mainly wild-caught, though some juveniles are farmed, it is a marine fish found near reefs and rocky bottoms, mainly near the coast and on the continental shelf from Townsville, Queensland, south to the central WA coast (including Bass Strait and around Tasmania), with juveniles mainly found in estuaries. It is caught by traps, trawling, longlines, handlines and gillnets. It has a pinkish skin with blue spots and a distinctive shape with a prominent forehead hump.
Season
Available year round with peaks in winter.
Size and Weight
Commonly 800g-8kg and 38-90cm, but can grow to at least 19.5kg and 130cm.
Price
Medium-high priced (plate-sized are usually dearer than larger fish).
Relations
Black Bream, Frypan Bream, Pikey Bream, Tarwhine, Yellowfin Bream.
To Buy
Sold whole (gilled and gutted), in cutlet/steak and fillet (often skinned) forms. In whole fish look for lustrous skin, firm flesh, and a pleasant, fresh sea smell. In cutlets, steaks and fillets, look for cream-pink, 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. Wrap whole fish, fillets, cutlets and steaks 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, cutlets or steaks for up to 3 months, below -18ºC.
To Cook
Average yield is 45%. Has a mild, delicate, sweet flavour, low oiliness and moist, medium-textured flesh with coarse flakes and easily removed pin bones; larger fish tend to have softer flesh. The edible skin can be left on. The centre bone of cutlets can be removed and a filling placed in the cavity. The bones make excellent stock. Score whole fish at the thickest part of the flesh. Cut thick fillets into serving-size portions and score to allow even heat penetration.
Cooking Methods
Steam, poach, deep-fry, pan-fry, stir-fry, bake, braise, grill, barbecue, smoke, raw (sashimi), pickle. A good plate-sized fish cooked whole.
Goes Well With
Breadcrumbs, cream, herbs, garlic, ginger, lemongrass, mayonnaise, sweet chilli sauce, tartare sauce.
Alternatives
Blue-Eye Trevalla, Goldband Snapper, Mulloway, Pearl Perch, Red Emperor, Queenfish.
Imports
Chilled and frozen product, whole and fillets, is imported from New Zealand.
Recipes