Prawn salad.

Seafood: hints on buying, home freezing and preparation

Australians are eating more and more seafood each year, but many of us still know less about buying and storing fish and shellfish than we do about other foods. This fact sheet gives general information on purchasing fresh and frozen seafood and how to store and prepare it.

• 15 December 2009 | Updated 14 October 2011

Fresh seafood

• The varieties
• When to buy

The varieties

The term seafood is used in this fact sheet to describe all edible animals harvested from the sea or from fresh water.

Seafood can be classified either as fish or shellfish.

Fish includes species such as:

• mullet
• sharks
• salmon
• tuna
• shellfish includes crustaceans (prawns, lobsters and crabs)
• molluscs (oysters, mussels and squid).

The term 'fresh' should only be applied to seafood which has not been frozen.

When to buy

Good supplies of seafood are available almost all year round in Australian cities and large towns.

Nevertheless, the supply and price of fresh seafood fluctuates markedly because of regulatory controls on fishing seasons and uncontrollable factors such as fish migrations and sea conditions.

You should therefore take advantage of geographical and seasonal factors to buy fresh seafood at relatively low prices.

You should buy local seafood when it is plentiful and therefore available at reduced prices.

Sea mullet, for example, are caught in considerable numbers in New South Wales and Queensland, Australia, throughout the year but the largest catches are taken in autumn during their spawning migration along the coast.

Most species, and particularly mullet and oysters, are in prime eating condition just before spawning (shedding of eggs) and in poor condition when they are 'spent', just after spawning.

A few species such as oysters and trout are farmed, and supplies are generally available all year round.