Concept: From Bait to Plate

So far on RTS, we've covered candy, had a moment with meat, and we've verified the importance of vegetables, but it is evident after many requests that there is one particular food group that  I have sinfully swept under the carpet... seafood. Now don't get me wrong, I relish a succulent oyster kilpatrick, and even had a brief pre-teen thought to pursue a career in Marine Biology. However, when it comes to cooking water dwellers, I will admit, I am not as experienced as I would like to be. So it is without further ado that I tell you the story of how I was recently thrown in the deep end.

On Tuesday, my partner and I drove up the coast for what was to be my second ever legitimate fishing experience. After stopping in at Davo's Compleat Angler bait shop in Noosaville to purchase prawns and a Thready Buster Lure, we drove to the Noosa River to try our luck. After a 2 hour wait and not much action besides a splashing display of Bream acrobatics out in the calm, the tides turned and our bait suddenly became the most popular item on the menu.  The fish appeared to be swarming like the bubbles of rappidly boiling water, so I baited my rod, cast out, felt the bites, and reeled one in... without help!
Here's a snap of the first fish I have ever caught on a rod. A 22cm Bream, not quite legal, so we set him free to get a little bigger for the next lucky fisherman.

Unfortunately none of our day's catch were of legal size, so we got in contact with friend Dan Watters, owner of Smoking Drags Co. and developer of the Thready Buster Lure I mentioned earlier, who was able to supply us with a collection of Amber Jack, Kingfish, Wahoo, and Snapper for our looming fish feast!

For my Rustic Fish & Chips and my Kingfish and Prawn Winter Curry, select the Recipe tab at the top of the page, or simply click here.

If you are a keen fresh fish cooker, visit http://www.ehib.org/faq.jsp?faq_key=69 for
some basic suggestions on how to avoid harm by poisons and chemicals in fish you have caught yourself.