Seafood from Down Under

I recently came back from a trip to Australia. While I was prepared to live on a steady diet of fish & chips, much to my delight I found eateries with a broad array of dishes from all over the world, especially Asia. My most stellar experience was lunch time at the Sydney Fish Market, which attracts about three million visitors annually. Here are some photos from my three Fish Market adventures.

When is a  bug not an insect? When it's a Balmain bug -- a crustacean native to the coast of eastern Australia. These shellfish are sweet and delicious and taste like a cross between a shrimp and a lobster. We had ours Chinese style with a bit of garlic-ginger sauce. So savory.

In Japan, uni  (sea urchin) is considered a delicacy. The fresh uni at the Sydney Fish Market beckon with their luster and are hard to resist. This showcase sea urchin is served still in its spiny shell. So yummy!

Uni

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Fresh scallops are so delicate and delicious however they are served.

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With some many choices of seafood, platters are great ways to try different types. But these platters are huge and need lots of eaters. That's why the fish market is always crowded. People come in large groups of families and friends.

So many types of sushi, all beautifully displayed. But who ever heard of a sushi donut? A Sydney original for sure.

Sushi donuts

For dessert we made our way to the produce market and discovered what is now our favorite mangoes in the world: Kensington Pride (aka Bowen) mangoes. Their aroma is so fragrant and the flesh so smooth and sweet. A perfect palette cleanser after a fisherman's lunch.

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