Australia Part I: Sydney Fish Market

I'm back from a 10 day vacation in Australia and I'm going through some serious vacation withdrawal syndrome. I spent 4 days in Sydney and 4 days in Cairns and 2 days on an airplane. Let me tell you it was all amazing! Although I could have skipped the awful airline food. Delta food is crap. (I guess it matches their service) But Qantas was pretty good. They even handed out ice cream bars!

The food in Australia is so good I don't even know where to begin to tell you all about my eating adventure! I'll start with the first place meal I had after a long 23 hour flight. After dropping of my stuff at their house my wonderful tour guides, Howie and Cathy, took me to eat at Sydney's Fish Market. From 1945- 1999 all seafood that was to be sold in New South Wales Australia had to be sold through Sydney Fish Market. Now the fish market is a privately owned company but the seafood is still as fresh as you can get it. Many restaurants get their stuff from the market, notably from Claudio's Quality Seafood. I was in heaven. I have never seen such a big variety of fish, clams, oysters, shrimp, crabs, lobster, and seafood that I don't even know what they are called. It was so good that I had lunch/breakfast there 3 times during the 4 days I was there.

Claudio's is to me like Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory is to Charlie. Ecstasy! I was walking around with mouth agape and eye's twinkling. Everything was fresh, big, local, colorful, exotic, delicious, and cheap!

Scallops from Tasmania

Fish Roe

Bay Bugs

Oysters the size of my hand!

The raw oysters were the best part of my trip! I had Australian Pacific oysters, Sydney rock oysters, and extra large Tasmanian oysters. I had oysters to the point that I didn't want to even think of oysters anymore. But now my mouth is watering just thinking about them. What I wouldn't do for just another dozen. The freshness and price of their oysters beat anything I can find in here in New York.

A dozen oysters plus a plate of salmon sashimi plus a freshly cooked big mud crab cooked Singaporean chili style was my breakfast before my flight from Sydney to Cairns. Gluttonous! People were staring but I don't care. I think they were just jealous.

On my last day I went to Claudio's and had a dozen oysters and a couple of their biggest prawns already cooked to eat there as well as some prawns to bring back home to cook for my hosts. I simply sauteed the prawns with lots of garlic, salt and pepper and they were delicious! So sweet and good. Sucking the head of the shrimp was the best part!

The Singaporean Chili Mud Crab was from Christie's Seafood. At Christie's you can buy their already prepared food such as lobster tails with mornay sauce or fish and chips. But I recommend you pick up some of their fresh seafood sold by the pound and bring it to their kitchen and have them prepare it anyway you like. I splurged and had a big mud crab cooked with Singaporean Chili Sauce. Oooooh was it finger lickin' delicious. The crab was very meaty!

Look at the size of this claw!

The good man shucking oysters at Christie's Seafood
He must do a thousand a day!

Sydney Fish Market
Locked Bag 247, Bank Street
Sydney, Pyrmont, NSW 2009, Australia
(02) 9004 1100

Claudio's Quality Seafood

Cnr Jones & Gipps Sts

Pyrmont NSW 2009, Australia

Get Directions

(02) 9660 5188

Christie's Seafood

Pyrmont New South Wales 2009, Australia

Get Directions

(02) 9552 3333

I don't know what kind of crabs are in this picture. The top left one has claws the size of a giant turkey drumstick. The other three have bodies the size of both of Dolly Parton's boobies put together!

I don't know what it is but it's huge. I'm guessing abalone.


...Stay tuned for more Aussie eats!