Treasures of the deep: Maeve O'Meara's seven tips for better seafood cooking

I've always loved a culinary epiphany. Tasting fresh fish, ideally line-caught, dry-filleted and cooked to just set the proteins has been one of them. If it's perfectly fresh, nothing smells "fishy" and the texture is unsurpassed – delicate and almost velvety.

The chef behind this moment of truth was legendary Sydney seafood chef Steve Hodges, who made it his life's mission to specialise in what he calls "the best protein on the planet". Indeed, the man who grew up hating fish (his grandfather was a fisherman and his grandmother would "cook the Christ out of fish", forcing young Steve and his sister to pretend to eat, then hide it in their pockets), now says that most Australians are yet to taste fish and oysters at their absolute best.

Here, then, are some of my biggest discoveries about seafood cooking while working on the SBS television series Food Safari Water.

Cook fish less

Steve Hodge's method of cooking a fish fillet has been a revelation. He dusts the fillet with rice flour on the skin side, cooks it in ghee in a hot pan for two minutes with a weight on top of the fish.. When you're ready to turn, remove the weight and flip it over. It just needs four seconds on the other side. Try this with snapper or any of the dory family. Or make a quick fish curry using a Thai or Malaysian curry base heated to almost boiling, then turn the heat off and slide in sliced white fish and pop the lid on. It will be ready in five minutes.

Sourcing good fish

Red gills and bright eyes are imperative but it's also best to shop for whole fish that hasn't been gutted so you know it's fresh. It should be firm to the touch – or, as self-confessed "fish nerd" Josh Niland said of the kingfish he was about to butcher, "It's a bullet!"

The big no-no is letting tap water near the fish as it's being filleted. "Once water of, say 18 degrees, has touched it, you need to cook the fish that night," says Hodge. Dry-filleting, so the fish isn't soaked in water before or after cutting, means it will last longer.

Aw, shucks

Oysters should never be shucked near tap water. Opening an oyster yourself takes a bit of practice but once you find the little hinge at the base of the oyster, it's easier. Pry it open with the tip of a short blade, then use a small pastry brush to remove any grit from the shell. The taste is the unbridled creamy brininess of the ocean.

Fire up

A fish rack makes it easier to turn seafood while barbecuing. It's great for cha ca la vong, a marinated white fish recipe from Hanoi in which barbecued fish is cooked again in a pan quickly with handfuls of fresh dill, turmeric and spring onions. Another fire find was Lennox Hastie's pilpil sauce method, in which he whisks fish cooking juices with olive oil (using a small flexible wire strainer) to create a luscious sauce to pour over fish.

Fish have seasons

Winter is the best time of year for deep-water fish, which build up beautiful oils that sing with flavour when used in Italian crudo or sashimi. Scallops, especially the incredible queen scallops harvested from the waters around Kangaroo Island with their distinct purple roe, are also at their plump sweet best in the coldest months.

Discover octopus

Try cooking a five-kilogram octopus in the Greek manner, tenderised first by freezing. Pop the tentacles into a big pot on high heat with three bay leaves. After a few minutes add 250 millilitres of red wine vinegar, lower the heat, and simmer for an hour. Cool and preserve in clean jars topped up with in olive oil for instant Greek mezedes or grill over charcoal and serve with skordalia (garlicky potato dip).

Newer tastes of the water

Get to know some of the other flavours from the sea, such as wakame, samphire, sea blight and bottarga, the "parmesan of the sea". Made from dehydrated sacs of salted golden mullet roe, it is delicious grated over pasta, adding an umami richness.

SBS's 13-part series Food Safari Water starts on Wednesday, August 1 at 8pm.

Fish pie recipe

Chef Nelly Robinson's fish pie is a truly winning recipe that touches your heart and makes a great family feast. The combination of various types of seafood – rosy salmon, smoked fish, white fish and plump prawns in a velvety bechamel – means that each bite is different. The topping of mashed potato and a generous amount of cheese takes it to the next level. Robinson, from Sydney restaurant nel., grew up in North Manchester and has worked at Michelin-star level for many years, creating exceptional dishes based on his childhood memories. This recipe was on the family table almost every week.

INGREDIENTS

Mash

2kg desiree potatoes

400g unsalted butter

800ml milk (500ml at room temperature)

Bechamel

80g butter

80g plain flour

500ml (2 cups) fish stock

750g cheddar, grated

Pie filling

250g smoked haddock, skinned

200g salmon, skin and bones removed

200g snapper, skin and bones removed

200g banana prawns

1 lemon

1 bunch dill, finely chopped

200g peas, blanched

1 whole leek, finely sliced

METHOD

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 200C.

Step 2

First make the mash. Peel the potatoes and chop into large chunks. Boil in lightly salted water until soft, then drain and mash. Add the unsalted butter, 300 millilitres of milk and season with salt and beat until fluffy. Keep warm.

Step 3

To make the bechamel, melt the butter slowly, then add the flour to make a roux. Cook for 2-3 minutes. Mix the room-temperature milk and stock together, slowly add into the roux and whisk quickly to get rid of any lumps. Once all the liquid has been added, cook out and whisk for two minutes. Add 450 grams of the cheese and melt into the mixture, whisking. Remove from the heat and season with salt and pepper. Cover the surface of the bechamel with plastic wrap to stop a skin from forming as it cools down.

Step 4

Dice the fish into two-centimetre cubes, devein the prawns and keep whole.

Step 5

Zest the lemon. Once the bechamel is cool, fold through the fish and prawns, the lemon zest and juice of half the lemon, dill and peas. Check for seasoning. Place filling in a large ovenproof dish. Spoon over the mashed potato, sprinkle over the leek and the remaining grated cheese.

Step 6

Place on a tray and bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden.

Serves 6

Bunuelos de Bacalhau (cod croquettes) recipe

It's said that in Spain, tapas bars are judged by their bunuelos de bacalhau (cod croquettes) and this easy recipe from Spanish chef Frank Camorra, of Melbourne's MoVida, is full of salty, velvety, deep-fried deliciousness. You'll need to have soaked and shredded the dried salted cod, so start this recipe a couple of days in advance, or save time by using ready-to-use packs found in Spanish delis. A fabulous party food and well worth the effort.

INGREDIENTS

400g bacalhau (dried salt cod)

600ml milk

75g butter

½ onion, finely diced

2 garlic cloves, finely diced

125g tinned anchovies in oil

100g plain flour

3 eggs

1 tbsp snipped chives

grated zest of 1 lemon

1 litre olive oil for frying

sea salt to serve

sweet paprika for dusting

METHOD

Step 1

Wash the bacalhau three times in cold water then soak in fresh water in the refrigerator for 36 hours, changing the water every 12 hours.

Step 2

Line a shallow tray with plastic wrap.

Step 3

In a small saucepan on medium heat, simmer the cod in milk for 10 minutes, until the cod is cooked. Remove the cod from the milk and place on a plate, reserving the milk. Once the cod is cool enough to handle, remove and discard the skin and bones and break the flesh into flakes.

Step 4

In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic and anchovies and their oil. Saute for 5-6 minutes until the onions have softened.

Step 5

Add the flour to the onion mixture and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, for 2–3 minutes until smooth. Pour in the reserved milk a little at a time, mixing it into the flour. Once all the milk is mixed into the flour, cook the sauce for 10 minutes, stirring continuously, until it is thick and the flavour of raw flour has been cooked out.

Step 6

Add the flaked cod to the mixture, stirring in well. Remove from the heat. Break in the eggs one at a time, mixing them in well. Add the chives and lemon zest and mix well. Season to taste.

Step 7

Pour the mixture into the prepared tray and allow to cool. When cool, chill in the refrigerator for several hours.

Step 8

Heat the olive oil in a wok or deep-frying pan to 170C. Using two tablespoons, shape the mixture into quenelles. Carefully lower the bunuelos into the hot oil, frying six at a time. Fry for three minutes until golden and crisp.

Step 9

Remove the bunuelos with a slotted spoon, drain well and place on a plate covered with paper towel. Season with sea salt and a dusting of paprika. Serve immediately.

Makes 24