Bait to Plate

Kev Collins

Well known Restauranter and co-owner of Fish D'vine & The Rum Bar in Airlie Beach. When Kev's not working he's out fishing in the amazing food bowl of the Whitsundays and Great Barrier Reef Marine Park or in his tinnie in the estuaries crabbing! His blog imparts wisdom, tales and info on all things fishing and food.

A taste of the Wintersundays

August 20, 2020  /  Kevin Collins

There are times when being a fisherman and spending timer at sea transcends the costs involved in owning a boat, and, opportunities to do things with seafood that restaurants just can’t do. Or if they could, guests could just not afford.

So, it is with the little i-phone video I shot of “pocketing” a Coral Trout going viral (as at today over 130,000 views) I have just spent a few magical Whitsunday winters days and nights moored in one of my favourite bays in glass calm conditions.

I am, first and foremost a “hunter gatherer”, always have been and think I always will be. The whole process of setting up my “live aboard” was to have it as a home base while I used my little Cross Country 4.2 tender to explore, to fish, to crab and to beachcomb and being able to take advantage of this magical part of the world and all it has to offer, bait to plate.

The process of “pots set”, tick, “catch a couple of nice plate size coral trout”, tick……and yes I maybe make that sound a little easier than it actually is for most people, fishermen reading this blog will know how it’s done. Now it was on to the cooking.

1.       Pocket a coral trout….see the video on the Bait to Plate Facebook page.

2.       Clean, steam and take the meat from 2 mud crabs.

3.       Stiff whip 1 eggs white and season with salt, pepper and lemon juice

4.       Add crab meat.

5.       Stuff into coral trout

6.       Squeeze into a fish BBQ press/rack

7.       Grill over a bed of coals from a campfire at sunset

8.       Add a splash of crisp white wine (in a glass for down your throat, not over the fish

9.       Enjoy.

Doing a few quick sums. The whole Trout cost (wholesale) about $35 each, the crabs about the same so just the raw ingredients comes to about $100…add wages, overheads, GST and suddenly realise this will NEVER be a dish that can appears on the restaurant menu, but hey, sometimes you just need to be a fisherman.

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