What we serve on our seafood platter at Christmas for the RecipeTin Family. Here are our top tips on what to buy, where to spend money, and where to avoid, as well as our favourite seafood sauces. Watch me select the seafood at the Sydney Fish Markets!

A great time to eat seafood!

Today, I share the ingredients we use to make our Christmas seafood platter. It’s easy to make (mostly assemble) and is a special treat for holidays. Australian seafood is amazing, but it’s not cheap.

We even make notes for ourselves to remind us to be more careful when we shop. There’s nothing worse than paying a lot of money for expensive crab and finding it tasteless.

This post is basically our shopping list for what we put on our seafood platter. Watch me purchase the seafood in the Sydney Fish Markets and put together the seafood platter today!

Today’s seafood platter was our team lunch.

THREE RULES WE LIVE BY for tastier seafood*

1. Buy Australian.
2. The less frozen it is, the better.
3. Avoid pre-packaged* products (they stink). Fresh from the open display.

You will find specific exceptions and clarifications of this rule listed next to each item. For more information, please see the Seafood Buying Guide below!

SUMMARY: On our seafood platter, we use

This is a list of the ingredients that go on our seafood platter. Below, you will find sections explaining why and why not and additional tips. I am in Sydney, Australia.

1. Cold-cooked pre-cooked seafood

We get pre-cooked seafood that is served raw. We make sure that everything we buy is Australian because we know the quality will be higher.

1. Tiger, King or Banana Prawns
2. Oysters– Pacific or Sydney Rock. (My favourites are Merimbula and Tasmanian oysters).
3. Morton Bay Bugs (over Balmain Bugs) – Pre-cooked.
4. Blue swimmer crabs (best over 350g) – Pre-cooked. Alternatively, you can use Spanner crabs, but read the crab section below (including king crab & mud crab advice).
5. Sashimi_ Kingfish, Tuna, and Salmon are the most common.
6. Smoked Salmon — Sold in packs, only Huon (Tasmanian) is available.
7. Dipping Sauces Our Family’s Favorite Seafood sauce, Tartare sauce or Marie Rose sauce. (recipes are here).

TIPS The quality of seafood is higher at the fishmongers or fish markets. This may be because they take better care of it than big chain supermarkets. We only buy Australian seafood, and that has been frozen as little as possible. The freshest seafood is never frozen. It’s caught and sold on the same day. Some seafood is frozen in the sea and then sold after it has thawed. Even cooked prawns are sold at fish markets around Christmas. When done properly, the quality of seafood is maintained.

The fewer cycles of freezing and thawing, the better. The worst scenario is Caught, frozen, thawed, cooked, frozen, and thawed. Each step degrades the quality!

2. Luxury Seafood – Only Buy if You Can Afford Quality

If your budget allows, we recommend that you only buy the best quality seafood platters. Your platter will not be less tasty without them, but they aren’t regulars in our seafood platter.

1. Crayfish (crayfish). It’s not worth it unless you have $100+/kg to spend on high-quality lobster. These lobsters from the grocery store are a waste of money (sorry, but that’s what they are). Here are some lobster recipes.
2. King Crab ($90/kg). Everyone loves the meaty big crab legs! Although they are pre-cooked to make it easier, we find that the product is hit or miss. Imported king crab can also contribute to the variation in quality. We stopped buying precooked king crab because we were disappointed too often with such costly food. Want king crabs? Buy raw legs, and cook them yourself.
3. Mud Crab ($90/kg). Buy it alive and cook it yourself. (Here’s how you prepare mud crab). It’s rare to see mud crab that has been frozen or cooked. When buying cooked mud crab, ask the seller if it’s fresh and how long it lived (we tend to be suspicious and assume that it was already half-dead).

3. WE COOK SEAFOOD (SOMETIMES).

Left to Right: Marinated Baby Octopus, Mussels and Crispy Salt & Pepper Squid

If we include cooked seafood on our platter, we will usually choose these dishes.

1. Baby Octopus –Sold in bags, frozen or raw. The legs are marinated and then grilled until they become crispy. A rare seafood item that freezes very well.
2. Mussels—These are Prepared in advance and served at room temperature (they are so good!). Mussels are a rare item of seafood that can be vacuum-packed. Kinkawooka Blue mussels are our favourite (best quality and juiciest!). Look for the purple bag. It is sold in regular grocery stores.
3. Squid with salt and pepper– After 3 years of development, we have finally mastered the perfect salt and black pepper squid. In Australia, I’ve never tasted squid so crispy (and I always order it to compare …).). The squid was tender, and the batter was light yet crispy. This is truly amazing!

4. STANDARD SIDES

Here are some of the sides that we usually serve with a seafood platter.

• You should always have good bread (I like to use my Crusty Artisan Bread Recipe) and good butter or extra virgin olive oils.
• Sometimes, potato salad or macaroni and cheese salad is called.
• This festive Apple Salad is a Show-Off Salad. It also comes with candied walnuts and cranberries.

We are a simple company. To let the seafood stand out, we keep things simple. Our motto is that Christmas should be a time to relax, not spend hours in the kitchen.

5. Going the extra mile

We will add extra “special” dishes if we are feeling inspired or if we have VIP guests. We reach for:

• Christmas Baked salmon – A delicious side dish of salmon for Christmas celebrations!
• Crispy beer-battered fish – I do not exaggerate when I say that they are crisp and remain crispy!
• Crispy Homemade fries – They’re crisp even after they cool.
• Store-bought potato tots (tater-tots): I won’t pretend that we try to make them. We love them, and we’re not ashamed to say it! On special occasions, we deep-fry them rather than baking them.
• Chinese Honey Prawns – OMG YES!!! These will blow your mind. They are crunchier than anything you have ever eaten at a Chinese restaurant!
• Singapore Chilli Crab: A giant statement in itself.
• Whole Baked fish – the dill butter is everything…
• Here’s a collection of all the other fish and seafood recipes.

6. seafood sauces

We serve the fresh seafood above with two sauces, fresh lemon wedges (recipes are here), and fresh lime wedges.

1. Family favourite seafood sauce—This is a staple in the family. Everyone who has tried it loves it! It’s a mix of Marie Rose Sauce, Tartare Sauce, and Dill. It’s always a big hit.
2. Marie Rose/ Thousand Island – The classic pink sauce.
3. Cocktail Seafood Sauce (Ketchup) – A spicy red sauce with a heavy tomato sauce.
4. Even using mayonnaise in a jar, homemade tartare sauce tastes better. It’s so easy!
5. Thai Chilli Lime Sauce: Tangy with lime and a hit of sweet chilli, this sauce is a fresh alternative to mayo.

The Family Favorite Seafood sauce plus Marie Rose or Tartare is our standard selection.

Browse all Seafood Dipping Sauces.

More about each seafood item

I told you I had a lot to share about seafood! In this section, I will discuss each in greater detail.

In Australia, prawns are always a favourite. We are also blessed with a bounty of high-quality prawns.

The three most common types are:

1. Tiger prawns: More savoury and salty.
2. The king prawns have a more sweet taste. You’d think they’d be bigger, but that’s not always the case! ).
3. Banana Prawns: Sweet, mild flavour, and usually more affordable.

They are all delicious, and we happily eat them.

TIPS

• They are pre-cooked. – The majority of Australian prawns, once caught, are cooked immediately. This locks in the freshness and flavour. They are excellent as long as they’re fresh. You can also buy them raw and then boil them yourself.
• Buy Australian prawns for their superior taste and sweeter flesh and to help the Australian fishing industry. Most tiger and King prawns come from local sources, but banana prawns imported are much more common. Take note of the label.
• Avoid pre-packaged shrimp. Beware, they can be less fresh or stinky. You can use them as long as you take them out before serving. Please give them a good wash and let them air dry.
• TOP TIP: Ask to taste the product before buying!