1.) Sustainability
Though awareness about the importance of sustainability in choosing what seafood to serve is nothing new, Australian chefs are taking it to a heightened level, actively working with local farmers and fishermen to support their initiatives and purchase less popular species to diversify the catch.
Chef Lee Kwiez, executive chef of Darley’s Restaurant, situated in the beautiful Blue Mountain resort, Lilianfels, lists sustainability as his major driving factor when purchasing fish. He will only purchase line-caught fish where there is no risk of by-product. One he keeps on the menu at all times is the Glacier 51 Toothfish, which is caught by Austral Fisheries in Australia’s sub-Antarctic regions around Heard Island and Macquarie Island, southwest of Tasmania. The company’s fierce commitment to sustainability also extends to its Skull Island prawns, caught in the Gulf of Carpentaria through to West Australia, which is viewed as Australia’s last wild frontier.
Chef Kwiez also only purchases fish from local Australian and New Zealand waters, such as John Dory or Tasmania’s succulent ocean trout.
