Description
Two very similar species are marketed as silver trevally, P.dentex grows much larger and has more bony, enlarged scales near the base of the tail. Available wild-caught, they are free-swimming marine fish found in coastal to off-shore waters, mainly near reefs where they feed on smaller schooling fish, and caught off southern Australia (from Shark Bay, WA to Rockhampton, QLD) by line and trawl net offshore as well as by gill and tunnel nets in bays and estuaries.
Price
Medium priced.
Relations
Trevallies (including Bigeye, Black, Bluefin, Bluespotted, Diamond, Giant and Golden 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 fillet forms. In whole fish look for lustrous skin, firm flesh, and a pleasant, fresh sea smell. In fillets, look for pale reddish-brown, 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 or fillets 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 somewhat fishy flavour, high oiliness and dry, medium-textured flesh with fine flakes and few bones, which are easily removed. The skin is usually removed.
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.
Imports
Chilled and frozen Silver Trevally, whole and in fillet form, is imported from New Zealand.
