These appropriately named bottom-dwelling marine fish have a flat-triangular shaped head and long, greyish-green, tapering body. Wild-caught, they are found mainly on the continental shelf and upper slope in depths of about 70-490m and are caught by trawling off southern WA and in the Great Australian Bight. It is endemic to Australia and closely related to Tiger Flathead, but lacks their distinctive spots.

DIVE DEEPER

COMMERCIAL NAME

Deepwater Flathead

Method of Capture

Region

Other names

Deep Sea Flathead; Flathead; Trawl Flathead.

Scientific Family

Platycephalidae (Flatheads).

Seasonality

Available year round with peaks in SA and WA from October to February.

Size

Commonly 700g-1.8kg and 45-65cm, but can grow to 4kg and 94cm.

Price range

Low-medium priced.

Alternative Species

Bream, Hussar, Morwong, Redfish, Tarwhine, Whiting.

ROLL UP YOUR SLEEVES

SHOPPING TIPS

Sold whole (gilled and gutted) and in fillet form. In whole fish look for lustrous skin with a slippery, mucilaginous coating, firm flesh, and a pleasant, fresh sea smell. In fillets, look for yellowish-white, firm, lustrous, moist flesh without any brown markings (a few dark veins may be visible) or oozing water and with a pleasant fresh sea smell.

STORAGE TIPS

Make sure whole fish is scaled, gilled, gutted and cleaned thoroughly. Lay whole fish and fillets in a single layer on a plate and cover with plastic wrap or place in an airtight container. Refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze whole fish for up to 6 months, and fillets for up to 3 months, below -18ºC.

COOKING TIPS

Average yield is 30%. Has a slightly sweet flavour, low oiliness and slightly dry, medium textured flesh with fine flakes. Their unusual shape means that there are relatively few bones, mostly towards the head section of the fillet, which are easily removed. The bones make good stock. Cut thick fillets into serving-size portions to allow even heat penetration.

COOKING METHODS

Steam, poach, deep-fry, pan-fry, bake, grill, barbecue. It is best wrapped in foil or banana leaves if baking or barbecuing, to prevent it drying out. It is an excellent fish battered for fish and chips.

Flavour pairings

Beer batter, beetroot, cauliflower, capers, cornichons, dill, garlic, horseradish, lemon, lettuce, lime, mayonnaise, onions, tartare sauce, tomato, white wine vinegar, yoghurt.

IMPORTS

None.

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INGREDIENTS:
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons chardonnay vinegar Salt flakes and freshly ground white pepper, to taste
2 golden shallots, very finely diced Rock salt, for serving
 12 freshly shucked Sydney rock oysters Chervil sprigs, for garnishing

METHOD:
Whisk together oil, vinegar, salt and pepper and stir in shallot.