I woke up this morning and decided i would cook an Asian style Baby Snapper and i was craving freshly shucked Pacific Bay Oysters! what to do? walk down to Westfield and grab something quickly? no. It was my Sunday off from work & I had time to kill… so I jumped in my car and drove to Sydney’s Fish Market at Pyrmont.
Sydney Fish Market is the largest Fish market with specialty deli, fruit shop, butchers and restaurants in the Southern Hemisphere. Globally Sydney Fish Market is ranked as the THIRD LARGEST SEAFOOD MARKET in terms of variety of produce IN THE WORLD! SFM trades over 14 500 tonnes of seafood annually and is known locally for its focus on sustainable seafood trading with up to one hundred sustainable species traded everyday.
Driving into Sydney Fish Market, on a Sunday, i anticipated it would be busy! – SFM is always buzzing with crowds of locals and groups of tourists on the weekends. While it was packed i managed to get a park no problem ($3.00 for the first hour, $8.00 for two hours). When i see stepped out of my car the smell of freshly caught fish hit me like i was standing on a wharf at the harbour in the early hours of the morning waiting for the fishermen to come in with their daily catch.
My first stop – OYSTER BAR! OH yeah! thats what I’m talking about! who doesn’t love freshly shucked oysters? I prefer Pacific Bay to Sydney Rock Oysters, as they are larger, meatier and more succulent. SFM vendors all have oyster bars and its hard to compare quality when they are all of such a high standard. I ordered a tray of Pacific Bay Oysters, squeezed over some fresh lemon and slowly devoured the lovely succulent, fresh, salty morsels plucked from the sea this morning – heaven 🙂 – (freshly shucked pacific & coffin bay oysters – $7.00 half a dz / $14.00 a dozen).
Next stop the Blackwattle Deli, offers A fine selection of international and local produce. BD is a hidden gem inside Sydney Fish Market and a major drawing card for locals.
Let Clio Papahatzis the master of fromage guide you through their range of cheeses. BD have a great selection of specialty cheeses from the French Fromage de Meaux and Cremeux d’argental to your classic blues and swiss cheeses, or maybe try the Holy Goat (perfectly creamy) cheese.
The Deli offers a premium selection of specialty items such as: duck fat, pates, sauces, tetsuyas oyster vinaigrette, dips, pasta, persian fairy floss, antipasto, and charcuterie… the list is endless… go in and checkout their selection.
Now – where to source my baby snapper for tonights dinner? Today i found the best value snapper at De Costi’s Seafood $14.99kg, one whole medium sized baby snapper $10.43.
The SFM vendors all have an exhaustive selection of the freshest seafood. Today I felt like snapper which cooks perfectly deep fried or steamed with asian herbs & vegetables ☺️… my advice just walk around, go into different shops and be inspired. (I sourced fresh chilli, pre-peeled garlic & fresh herbs for my snapper at the Waterside Fruit Market behind the Blackwattle Deli. Next door there is a fruit bar with chocolate coated strawberries, mangoes, banana and fresh juice – who can walk past chocolate dipped strawberries?).
I found high quality fresh sashimi at a couple of places, i was particularly impressed by the range at Peters Fish Market.. At most vendors at SFM you will find good value, high quality sashimi – Yellow Fin Tuna, Salmon, Scallops, King Fish, and Scampi. Choose what type of fish and size you want and the staff will slice your piece into sashimi heaven – small trays range from $8.00 – $15.00. Actually at Sydney Fish Market ALL sashimi is half the price of sashimi in any of the restaurants in Sydney’s finest bars, 5 star or boutique hotels and the fresh sashimi flesh? Well it just melts in your mouth! add wasabi, soy and pickled ginger. love it! The best! Look no further!! Claudio’s Quality Seafood, Musumeci Seafood’s, Nicholas’s Seafood, & Christie’s Seafoods also offered a good selection of high quality sashimi.
Prepared trays of Sashimi
Throughout the SFM there are tastings of fine artisan chocolate, nougat, pate, cheese, dips and fresh seafood. Today at De Costi’s Seafood lovely staff prepared a beautiful, fresh tasting of Tasmanian salmon
For the Carnivores – i haven’t forgotten you! On the way out i stopped at Vic’s Meat Market to see their selection and buy beef for tomorrow night. Vic’s Meat Market offered a wide selection of pork, veal, lamb, beef, and poultry. Definitely worth stopping in at Vic’s when you visit Sydney Fish Market. I was impressed by the extensive selection of lamb, lamb racks, wagyu beef, pre-marinated pork ribs, specialty gourmet sausage selection, spatchcocks, proscuitto, and overall great selection of everything. Don’t miss this place on your way back to the car! i almost did!
Good Value Wagyu fillet at Vic’s for only $35.00 compared to my local butchers in the Eastern Suburbs this week which was $49.00
If you are looking for gourmet, low fat sausages then Vic’s is the place for you. Vic’s offer a wide variety of veal, chicken, pork and beef sausages.
For the cooks and gourmet chefs don’t miss the large fish heads with plenty of meat still on the bone – only $4.99kg at Peter’s – perfect for reductions for fish stews and soups.
Absolutely love these seafood platter plates from Nicolas Seafood for couples or to take home with no hassle for a sunday lunch with a good glass of sauvignon blanc.
For DIY seafood platter source the best cooked tiger prawns & lobster, perfect compliment to sashimi platter with asian style scallops and steamed Snapper in ginger, shallots and chilli for main (nailed it!).
You will find an excellent selection of Australian and imported wines at Fisherman’s Fine Wines
Everyones favourite! Lobster Mornay! don’t leave without ordering lobster mornay cooked fresh at a few SFM vendors. Doyles at the Fish Market, Peter’s, Nicholas’s Seafood, Fish Market Cafe, Fisherman’s Wharf Seafood Restaurant, Deep Seafood Cafe and Androtis Seafood Cafe all serving freshly cooked seafoods. Today i found my personal favourite Lobster Mornay cooked perfectly at Nichola’s Seafood – in the picture below.
Doyles at the entrance has a restaurant area where you can sit with your family, perfect if you have children or a large group. Relax with a cold beer or glass of Savignon Blanc and lobster or scallops mornay, Jumbo stuffed King prawns or fish and chips.
In the afternoon vibrant and colourful flowers in excellent condition were on sale at Waterfront Flower’s – $5.00- 15.00 a bunch.
Here my SFM trip comes to an end… not without a cherry on the top… well while i did not find any cherries today i loved the chocolate dipped strawberries! the ultimate way to end the day! delicious!
For inspirational photos on food, wine, cheese & sweets checkout my collection at http://www.weheartit.com/KatJolliffe
SFM’s Retailers Sydney Fish Market’s six wet fish retailers offer Australia’s biggest variety of fresh seafood. The site also features numerous restaurants and cafés, a bakery, gourmet deli, greengrocer, bottle shop, fishing supplies store and gift shop. View opening hours for individual retailers’ over the Easter long weekend period here. ANDROTIS SEAFOOD CAFÉ Ph: +61 2 9518 4333 Mon – Fri 7am – 4pm Sat – Sun 7am – 5pm GREGORY’S BREAD Ph: +61 2 9552 2051 Mon – Sun 5am – 5:30pm BLACKWATTLE DELI Ph: +61 2 9660 6998 Mon – Sun 7am – 4pm http://www.facebook.com/blackwattledeli MUSUMECI SEAFOOD Ph: +61 2 9660 0985 Mon – Fri 5am – 4pm Sat – Sun 5am – 5pm http://www.musumeciseafoods.com.au CHRISTIE’S SEAFOODS PTY LTD Ph: +61 2 9552 3333 Mon – Sun 7am – 4pm http://www.christiesseafoods.com.au NET and TACKLE SALES Ph: +61 2 9660 2355 Mon – Fri 7:30 – 4pm http://www.netandtackle.com.au CLAUDIO’S QUALITY SEAFOODS Ph: +61 2 9660 5188 Mon – Fri 7am – 4pm Sat – Sun 7am – 4:30 pm http://www.claudiosseafood.com.au NICHOLAS SEAFOODS Ph: +61 2 9660 4255 Mon – Fri 7am – 4:30pm Sat – Sun 7am – 5pm nicholasseafood.com.au DE COSTI SEAFOODS Ph: +61 2 9692 9188 Mon – Thur 7am – 4pm Fri – Sun 7am – 5pm http://www.decosti.com.au PETER’S FISH MARKET Ph: +61 2 9552 2555 Mon – Fri 6am – 3:30pm Sat 6am – 4:30pm Sun 7am – 4:30pm http://www.petersfishmarket.com.au DEEP SEAFOOD CAFÉ & OYSTER BAR Ph: +61 2 9660 3526 Mon – Fri 7am – 3pm Sat – Sun 7am – 4pm ROSIE’S OF PYRMONT GIFT SHOP Ph: +61 2 9552 4774 Mon – Fri 7am – 4pm Sat – Sun 7am – 5pm http://www.facebook.com/pages/Rosies-of-Pyrmont DOYLE’S AT THE FISH MARKET Ph: +61 2 9552 4339 Mon – Fri 11am – 3pm Sat – Sun 11:30am – 3:30pm http://www.doyles.com.au SUSHI BAR Ph: +61 2 9552 2269 Mon – Sun 7am – 5pm FISH MARKET CAFÉ Ph: +61 2 9660 4280 Mon – Fri 4am – 4pm Sat – Sun 5am – 5pm VICS MEAT MARKET Ph: +61 2 8570 8570 Mon – Sun 8am – 5pm http://www.vicsmeatmarket.com.au FISHERMAN’S FINE WINES Ph: +61 2 9660 0719 Mon – Fri 9am – 3:30pm Sat – Sun 9am – 5pm WATERFRONT FLOWERS Wed – Fri 8:30am – 3:30pm Sat – Sun 7am – 4:30pm FISHERMAN’S WHARF SEAFOOD RESTAURANT Ph: +61 2 9660 9888 Mon – Fri Lunch 11am – 3pm Dinner 5pm – 11pm Sat – Sun Lunch 10am – 3pm Dinner 5pm – 11pm http://www.fishermanswharf.com.au WATERSIDE FRUIT CONNECTION Ph: +61 2 9552 2104 Mon – Sun 7am – 5pm http://www.facebook.com/Waterside.Fruit.Connection