Autumn is here and winter is not far away either, but don’t be sad. All fish lovers should be happy (even if your sun worshiping friends are not) as the chance of an Indian Summer disappears into the horizon.
The upside is that Autumn is a great time for flat fish. The flat fish are at the ‘nice and plump’ stage but they have not spawned yet so are particularly tasty at this period of time.
The other great thing about getting into autumn is that we also have peak shellfish season. The rule of thumb is that any month with an ‘R’ in it is a prime month for getting quality shellfish, so from September till April we need to make the most of this delicious seafood category.
In fact part of the rationale for this “R” rule is that shellfish usually spawn during the summer months and they need a rest to let them properly repopulate. It is generally agreed that spawning shellfish also taste differently to those harvested at other times of the year, with a flavour and texture that many people find less pleasant than that of peak season.
One thing to note is that even September and early October are a bit early for Native Oysters which don’t reach prime condition until Mid October at the earliest, so hold off a little longer and your taste buds will be rewarded.
PUBLISHED: September 16, 2019
