Why Sydney seafood is better in winter, where to eat seafood in Sydney, Sydney seafood restaurants

Many Australians consider summer to be the prime time for seafood. They’re wrong: sticking to fish and chips on the beach and prawns on the barbecue means missing out on a cool-weather bounty.

“Winter is a great time for seafood,” says Sydney seafood consultant John Susman.

“A lot of seafoods go into their reproductive cycles in winter, so they put on a lot of fat. Pipis and clams are in their best condition at this time of year. The mussel season starts. Pacific oysters, rock oysters and scallops are all at their best.”

Finned fish, too, are in excellent shape in winter because the water is colder, says George Kaparos, owner of Clamms seafood wholesaler in Melbourne.

Chef Jarrod Walsh has just opened Longshore restaurant in Sydney with a menu that’s 90 per cent seafood. Walsh acknowledges that most diners lean into seafood in summer, but he hopes to turn that around with a winter launch.

“People think of sitting on the deck for oysters and champagne, everything fresh and light, but you can also do comfort cooking with seafood in stews and curries.”

He’s particularly keen to roll out a snack of Rusty Wire oysters from Moonlight Flat. “They’re a larger oyster that we’re steaming in the shell and dressing with a truffle and smoked soy brown butter.”

Winter means access to different species, too.

“We have two major currents that move up and down the east coast of Australia,” says Susman. “Cooler water moves north and warmer water moves south, so we have migratory species that are dormant in summer and autumn on the move in the cooler months.”

He points to alfonsino – “a big red fish that looks like a three-year-old drew it” – and silver warehou – “a delicious cousin of blue-eye” – as examples. Wild barramundi from the Gulf of Carpentaria are abundant, and consumers should look out for threadfin and blue salmon, too.

At Shell House in Sydney, culinary director Joel Bickford is enjoying the variety winter brings to the seafood market.

“We’re seeing fish like turbot and trumpeter. They’re like golden nuggets for us. And when the water is colder, the fish put on extra weight: you have beautiful fuller fillets, and we know that fat means flavour,” he says.

Prawns are also having a moment – they’re not only plentiful and keenly priced, but in excellent condition, too.

“Kings, tigers, bananas – there’s so much diversity. They are around half the price they were in summer, and they’re especially delicious in winter,” says Susman, who says this year’s banana prawn catch is the biggest in 30 or 40 years.

Scallops are at a keen price, too. The harvest has just started in Tasmania, says Kaparos. “They’ll be very good towards the end of June until the end of September.”

Where to eat seafood in Sydney this winter

Cirrus

This seafood stalwart is the go-to pick for a sunny winter afternoon, when you can sit outside and enjoy the water view. Their new menu is creative and delicious, with dishes such as spice-crusted yellowfin tuna with red wine and bone marrow sauce ($58) and Murray cod fish pie with scallops, smoked eel and pickled jalapeno ($85).

23 Barangaroo Avenue, Barangaroo, bentleyrestaurantgroup.com.au/cirrus

Longshore

The new restaurant and wine bar from former Hartsyard duo Dot Lee and Jarrod Walsh serves a 10-course seafood-focused snack menu for $80 during dinner service. It’s presented in two stages, hot and cold, and features everything from coral prawn tartlets with shellfish mayo and finger lime, to glazed greenlip abalone crumpets with guanciale and sancho.

5 Kensington Street, Chippendale, longshore.com.au

Fish Butchery and Charcoal Fish

Saint Peter chef and restaurateur Josh Niland has pioneered the art of fish cookery in Sydney, and this winter he’s turned his attention to the humble fish pie. For a limited time, you can pre-order a smoked King Ora pie from Fish Butchery or Charcoal Fish for $100. The pie comes ready to bake, with a side of salad, and the filling changes every week.

388 Oxford Street, Paddington, saintpeter.com.au, and 670 New South Head Road, Rose Bay, charcoalfish.com

Kame House

At Kame House, you can try chef Tomoyuki Matsuya’s Hokkaido-style chirashi, a carefully curated selection of vibrant seafood, cubed like a colourful checkerboard and artfully layered over Japanese rice. The $145 dish is served with an appetiser, chawanmushi (steamed egg custard), miso soup and dessert.

729 Pacific Highway, Gordon, kamehouse.com.au

Fish Shop, Bondi

Wild-caught yellowfin tuna gets the smashburger treatment at Fish Shop, where it’s flattened and seared on the grill, creating a delicious golden crust. It’s packaged up as the yellowfin tuna smashburger ($22), served with pickles, white onion and yellow American cheese. It’s a winter special, but if you miss it, there’s always the O.G. ($20). With golden crumbed fish and house-made tartare sauce, it’ll hit the spot.

Shop 4, 17 Warners Avenue, Bondi, fishshop.com.au