Seafood Catch of the Day: A Menu of Fish!
August 5th, 2011 | 
Author: Seafood: what’s that old saying about the diet? See food… and eat it? Well if you’re remotely interested in undertaking a diet of seafood, and want both quality and variety of selection… Tasmania is the place for you! Options include a fresh catch, a fine-dining platter or a take-away paper cone-full of fish n chips. And any of them taste so much better with a view of the very place they came from.
A seafood dinner, water views... yum! (Photo by Dreamstime)
Seafood: Catch a Connoisseur
Reading the articles from Roger Findlay (detailing his gastronomic travels with wife Jeanette to the Apple Isle) would make anyone hungry. He’s always up for a challenge too. When I mentioned smoked trout once, I’m pretty sure he booked the next plane he could catch bound for Tasmania!
The Woodbridge Smokehouse came to my attention when I noticed the fabulous graphic on their website. When I made a comment to the Smoke Master (Roger Scales, although I’m not convinced that could actually be his real name); his reply was simple… if you think the website is good wait till you try the product! Woodbridge is located between Snug and Middleton in The Channel region south of Hobart. I’m sure we’ll have more details to bring you one day. Wild horses couldn’t keep our man Roger away!
Smoked fish: Woodbridge Smokehouse website
Hook Your Own Fish
If you prefer your seafood to be fresh rather than smoked, you could try your hand at a little fishing. There’s plenty of Tasmanian trout fishing experts around the state, and you can charter tours offshore for the big game fish. Locals might even take you for a spin in their boat if you ask them really nicely. We met some chatty fishermen at Birchs Bay (also near the D’Entrecasteaux Channel) who were quite pleased with their catch: tuna, I think?
A seafood catch: fresh tuna at Birchs Bay, Tasmania
Want your adventure in Tasmania to remain strictly on dry ground? You can dangle a basic old fishing line (or a flash new one) from a jetty or wharf. Marine and Safety Tasmania do a fantastic job providing facilities around the state to encourage recreational fishing. Flathead make a tasty seafood dinner, and these beauties were caught by George from South Arm. George was just five at the time!
Flathead: fresh fish for dinner!
Cooking the Catch
Nice as a fresh catch may be, what if you prefer your fish to be cleaned, cooked and presented to you on a plate? I’m sorry, you just can’t find that anywhere in Tasmania. Kidding! Many of you would’ve already read our rave reviews about Pedro’s Seafood Restaurant in Ulverstone. Popular place with Tasmanian tourists and locals, always a good sign. The seagulls even set up camp on the lawns, waiting for a stray chip. Obviously too lazy to catch their own fish!
Seafood platter from Pedro's The Restaurant, Ulverstone
The east coast of Tasmania is a region well known for its fishing. While the seafood processing plants are no longer operational, in places like Bicheno, you can still manage to score a crayfish from the butcher. Our host Debbie from Bicheno Ocean View Retreat suggested we try a meal at the Sea Life Centre, a local institution in the town. We took her advice and had a generous feed…
Sea Life Centre in Bicheno: seafood on a fish platter!
As we came to expect in the east coast town, we had great service at the restaurant. Over lunch we had a lovely chat with our waiter Tim, who was a wealth of knowledge about the local area. As it turns out, he’s also a very creative photographer.
Fishing Boats & Take-away Seafood
In Doo Town near the Tessellated Pavement on the Tasman Peninsula, we bought lunch near The Blowhole. Behind the vendor, whose caravan was wildly popular (that day at least), there’s a view to the fishing boats that deliver the produce straight from the Tasman Sea. And the strawberry and raspberry sundaes were also a sight to behold!
Catch some calamari and chips in Doo Town, Tasmania!
So there you have a tiny taste selection from the Tasmanian menu. By no means an exhaustive list of options, as you will see from Roger’s article about Stanley next week. Feel free to leave a reply about your own special seafood experience below.
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We still haven’t visited the Woodbridge Smokehouse but it’s on the list for our next trip. Great photos & great article. The seafood platters are so impressive. I wish I lived next door to Pedro’s!
I’m impressed by the freshly caught Flathead. Can any of our readers inform me of the best fish & chip shop in Tasmania?
Knew we could count on you Roger! Next door to Pedro’s would be a good place to live.
The corner store in South Arm do good take-away fish n chips – you get a two-man serve for $10.00
Not a fish lover but when it comes to chips I can’t stay away. As we are heading to Stanley on our next trip you are once again supplying me with great info. The only problem is the holiday is still 6 months away.
Mmmmm, hot chips!! You guys will love Stanley, it’s a beautiful town. And six months will fly by. Can’t wait to hear all about it, Wayne.