With the news out that farmed Tasmanian Atlantic salmon is off the menu – at least for now – you may be wondering what the alternatives are. Eating fish at least once a week is good for your brain and your waistline and is still better for the planet than red meat.

However, last week the Australian Marine Conservation Society (AMCS) voiced concerns about the farmed salmon industry’s environment impacts on Macquarie Harbour and downgraded it to their lowest rating in their sustainable seafood guide.

Australians do love salmon. According to Roy Morgan Research, a quarter of us enjoy the pink fish at least once a week. The good news is that AMCS still rate wild Australian salmon as “a better choice”, so that’s an option although it’s typically more costly than the farmed varieties.

There are also plenty of other homegrown seafood options that are easy on the planet. According to the AMCS, the key when buying seafood, at the supermarket or in a restaurant, is to find out where the species was caught (country and state/territory) and how it was caught or farmed. The group has a guide and an app with updated listings.

So what to avoid and what to choose? Steer clear of fish like wild sea bream, hake, jewfish, orange roughy (aka deep sea perch) and of course shark (aka flake). Wild pink snapper from Queensland and New South Wales and tropical snapper are also off the list, as is southern bluefin tuna. Unfortunately most tuna is listed as either “say no” or “eat less”.

Good choices include wild crabs, wild flathead from NSW and Victoria, Victorian wild pink snapper, wild southern calamari and wild mackerel, as well as farmed cobia, farmed Murray cod and farmed Sydney rock, native and Pacific oysters.

Best of all, two Australian favourites are listed as “a better choice”, namely farmed barramundi and farmed prawns. So enjoy Adam Liaw’s paperbark-wrapped barramundi with saltbush wild rice and Matt McConnell’s garlic prawns guilt-free:

Paperbark-wrapped barramundi with saltbush wild rice



Adam Liaw’s paperbark-wrapped barramundi. Photograph: Hardie Grant Books

Wrapping fish in paperbark protects it and holds in moisture, and also provides a distinct and delicious smoky flavour that is fantastic with meaty barramundi just thrown on some hot coals.



serves 6-8

1.8 kg whole barramundi, cleaned

60ml olive oil, plus extra for drizzling

6 spring onions, white and light green parts thinly sliced, dark green parts reserved

3 lemons, 1 sliced, the others cut into wedges

1 bunch dill, roughly chopped, stems reserved

1 large sheet of paperbark (see Notes)

3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

3 cups picked saltbush or baby English spinach, roughly chopped

1 cup jasmine rice, rinsed and drained

1 cup wild rice or Thai red rice (see Notes), soaked in cold water for 1 hour, then drained

To prepare the fish, pat dry well with paper towel. You don’t need to scale the fish as you can remove the entire skin and scales later. Drizzle the fish cavity with a little oil and season with salt. Stuff the cavity with the green parts of the spring onion. Add the lemon slices and dill stems. Wrap the fish in the paperbark, then tie up with string, or wrap with foil to enclose.

Heat a hot plate or barbecue to medium heat. Cook the fish for 15 minutes on each side.

To prepare the rice, heat a saucepan over medium heat and add the oil. Cook the garlic and remaining spring onion bits for 2 minutes, or until slightly softened. Add the saltbush or spinach and cook for about 2 minutes, stirring regularly. Add the rice, stir to coat in the oil, and season with salt. Add 3 cups (750 ml) cold water and bring to the boil. Continue to boil until the water reaches the top of the rice.

Reduce the heat to very low and cover with a lid. Cook the rice for 15 minutes, or until tender. Turn off the heat and keep covered for 10 minutes, then uncover and fluff the rice with the cutting motion of a spatula. Allow to stand uncovered for a further 5 minutes. Stir in most of the dill, squeeze in some lemon juice and season with a little salt.

Carefully unwrap the fish, then remove and discard the skin, along with the scales. Divide the rice among bowls and top with the barramundi flesh and remaining dill. Serve with the lemon wedges.

Notes: Paperbark is available from native ingredient suppliers or, if you have paperbark trees growing locally, just head out into the bush and grab some yourself. If you can’t get paperbark, just use a double layer of aluminium foil.

Australian wild rice can be extremely difficult to find, as it is not a commercially produced crop. Its taste, shape and properties are very similar to Thai red rice, so that makes a great substitute.

This is an edited extract from Destination Flavour by Adam Liaw (Hardie Grant Books, $50)

Soft shell prawns al ajillo

serves 4

These garlic prawns just walk out the door [at Melbourne’s Bar Lourinha]. We serve them in sizzling hot pans. You walk through the restaurant with the pans and if people haven’t ordered them already, they all say, “I want that”. The dish is at such a temperature that the prawns are still crackling when you put it on the table and people just look at it and go, “How do I get my mouth on that?”, because it’s so hot. Handle with care. Must be served with crispy bread and ice-cold fino.

8 medium-sized whole prawns

25ml blended olive oil

pinch of sea salt flakes

75ml extra-virgin olive oil

1 tsp chilli flakes

1 tbsp finely chopped flat-leaf (Italian) parsley

2 garlic cloves, crushed

juice of 2 lemons

crispy bread and ice-cold fino sherry, to serve



Preheat the oven to 200C.



Place the prawns in a large, ovenproof frying pan so they are lying perfectly flat, then add the blended oil and salt. Set the pan over a high heat and cook until the prawns start to turn orange. Turn the prawns over and transfer the pan to the oven. Cook for about 5 minutes, or until the prawns are cooked through.

Place the pan back on the stove over a medium heat. Add the extra-virgin olive oil, chilli, parsley and garlic and cook until the garlic just starts to change colour.

Remove from the heat, add the lemon juice and serve immediately with crispy bread and a glass of fino.

This is an edited extract from Eat At The Bar by Matt McConnell with Jo Gamvros ($50, Hardie Grant Books)

• The Guardian and Observer aim to publish recipes for sustainable fish. For ratings in your region, check: UK; Australia; US

• This article was amended on 26 October 2018 to clarify the situation with wild pink snapper. Those from Victoria are classed as a “better choice”, while those from Queensland and New South Wales are “say no”.