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Giant Trevally

Caranx ignobilis

Giant Trevally
Species

Species

Description

It has a silvery-grey to black upper body with random small black spots. Available wild caught, it is a free-swimming marine fish found in off-shore waters around most of Australia (except the very southern coast), over the continental shelf and oceanic reefs, where it feeds on smaller schooling fish. It is caught mainly by lining.

Other Names

Lowly Trevally, Turrum.

Family

Carangidae (Trevallies).

Season

Available year round, though supply is limited.

Size and Weight

Commonly 30kg and 120cm, but can grow to 80kg and 180cm.

Price

Medium priced.

Relations

Trevallies (including Bigeye, Black, Bluefin, Bluespotted, Diamond, Golden 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), and in cutlet form. In whole fish look for lustrous skin, firm flesh, and a pleasant, fresh sea smell. In cutlets look for yellowish-white to slightly brownish, 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 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 strong flavour, high oiliness and dry, medium-textured 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