Queensland Wild Coral Trout

Coral trout is the aristocrat of the grouper family, and on the Great Barrier Reef it grows into the brilliant red fish that Chinese kitchens have prized for generations. The flesh is fine, white and clean, with a delicate sweetness and a soft, almost melting texture — which is why it is a steaming fish above all else.

Ours is line caught by hand on the Reef, then dispatched using the Japanese ike jime method. That matters more than it sounds: killing the fish quickly and cleanly stops the stress response that floods the flesh with lactic acid, and it is the single biggest thing you can do to preserve texture and flavour in a premium fish.

Gilled, gutted, vacuum packed and snap frozen, then flown out of Cairns.

Why Choose Our Coral Trout?

• Line caught by hand: taken one fish at a time on the Great Barrier Reef.
• Ike jime dispatched: humane and immediate, which measurably improves the eating quality.
• Snap frozen at source: gilled, gutted, vacuum sealed and frozen before it leaves Cairns.
• Fine, sweet flesh: delicate white meat that is soft enough to fall apart on the tongue.
• Great Barrier Reef: from clean northern Australian waters.

Cooking Methods:

• Steamed Cantonese style: the only way most people will ever want to cook it. Steam until the flesh just parts from the bone, then hot oil, light soy, spring onion and coriander.
• Sashimi: the flesh is fine enough to slice raw if you prefer.
• Steamed with ginger and shallot: the simplest version, and hard to improve on.
• Baked whole: in foil with lemon and herbs, if you want a Western treatment.

Cooking Note:
This is a delicate fish and it overcooks fast. Steam until the flesh at the thickest part just parts from the bone, then take it out — it will finish under its own heat on the way to the table.

Thawing:
Thaw overnight in the refrigerator (0-4°C) in the sealed bag, then rinse and pat dry. Never use hot water or a microwave.

Storage:
Keep frozen at -18°C. Cook within 1 day of thawing and do not refreeze.

A whole reef fish, handled properly from the moment it came out of the water. Order now.