As island dwellers, we enjoy great access to the sea and its delicious inhabitants. Unfortunately, this access has been a bit too great and many species now need to be left to recover from the depredations of commercial overfishing. But although a look at the Forest & Bird Best Fish Guide (forestandbird.org.nz/what-we-do/publications/-best-fish-guide) can make for sobering reading, it does also show plenty of sustainable options for the interested cook.

Because fish and seafood were not part of New Zealand’s early Pakeha inhabitants’ aspirational diet, we don’t have a highly developed tradition of fish cookery in the way places such as Italy or Japan do. Fish and chips, and smoked fish in white sauce with curly parsley, are about all I can remember from my childhood.

However, in the last few decades Kiwis have developed a fascination with other nations’ food, meaning most people have now sampled seafood dishes from other cultures. Whether it is a Kiwi version of bouillabaisse or a Malaysian fish curry, the range of seafood dishes in restaurants and cookery books has increased immeasurably. The following are a few ideas for making the most of the bounty from our waterways

Chorizo, mussel & tomato stew
Slow-fry chopped onions, finely chopped garlic, sliced chorizo or salame and chopped parsley in a deep frying pan until the onion is soft. Add canned chopped tomatoes and plenty of well-scrubbed live mussels and boil gently until the mussels open. Serve the mussels and sauce on steamed long grain rice.

Garlic prawns
Panfry large shelled raw prawns with lots of chopped garlic and parsley in extra virgin olive oil. Serve tossed with lemon zest, a little cream and plenty of steamed asparagus.

Scallop & potato salad
Boil plenty of small new potatoes until tender, crush them slightly and toss with scallops which have been pan-seared with chopped bacon in extra virgin olive oil, chopped dill, capers and finely diced red onions. Dress with a well-seasoned mixture of plain yoghurt and white wine vinegar.

Fish pie
Slow-fry chopped onions, finely diced carrots, sliced celery, lots of chopped curly parsley and a big sprig of fresh thyme until the onions are soft. Add a big splash of white wine, dry cider or dry vermouth and let it bubble for a minute then add lots of diced skinned and boned monkfish, gurnard, John Dory or blue cod and a few anchovies. Add cream to just cover then simmer until the fish is just cooked. Pour into an ovenproof dish, cover with mashed Agria potatoes, dot the top with butter and place in a hot oven until golden.

Poached salmon with salsa verde
To make salsa verde, place lots of flat-leafed parsley, some capers, anchovies, a small slice of bread soaked in a little white wine vinegar, and extra virgin olive oil in a food processor. Puree to a smooth (but not too runny) sauce. Taste, season and reserve. Bring a deep frying pan of salted water to the boil with half a small onion, sliced, some peppercorns, a fresh bay leaf and a big sprig of parsley. Add some skinned boned salmon fillet, bring to a simmer and poach until just done. Serve the salmon with boiled minted new potatoes and the salsa verde.

Seafood Spaghetti
Put some extra virgin olive oil, chopped garlic, chopped onion, and sliced zucchini in a wide saucepan and fry until the onion and zucchini are soft. Add well-scrubbed live clams and mussels, and fish fillets, diced 3cm. Cover and cook until the shellfish open, removing them to a large serving bowl of hot al dente as they do. When the fish is cooked, add it to the spaghetti as well, then add plenty of chopped tomatoes and chopped parsley to the pan. Mix well and cook until the tomatoes just start to soften. Taste, season and add to the seafood pasta. Toss everything and serve.




Mediterranean fish gratin
Fry some thinly sliced red onions with finely chopped garlic, a pinch of chilli flakes and diced preserved lemon until the onion is soft. Place the onion mixture in an ovenproof shallow dish and put scaled and gutted small fish such as piper, sprats, herrings or yellow-eyed mullet side by side on top. Add a splash of white wine and sprinkle plenty of fresh breadcrumbs on top then drizzle with extra virgin olive oil. Place in a hot oven until the fish is cooked and the crumbs are golden. Serve sprinkled with parsley, with lemon wedges for squeezing over.