From Locks Well we moved further up the coast to Venus Bay, a 100 square kilometre expanse of sea water connected to the ocean only by a small narrow channel squeezed between two rocky headlands. We hiked the short South Head Walking Trail and saw pods of dolphins effortlessly surfing the large breaking waves speeding towards their demise on the cliff faces.
Back at our hired cottage in the tiny Venus Bay township, Geoff and I made up some more surf fishing rigs while Lee Tuan took a bag of flour and packet of yeast from the cupboard and conjured up some pizzas ready to be popped into the oven on our return from Mt Camel Beach, a nearby salmon fishing spot. We were last here about 15 years ago with three children in tow and all five of us were up before five and on the sand before the first light of day peeped over the dunes. We all have pleasant memories of the good fishing that morning and we hoped to repeat it now. But this time it was well into the sunny afternoon before we were standing on the water’s edge at Mt Camel casting the first pilchards into the surf. The fish here were fortunately smaller than those at Sheringa and Locks Well and just as plentiful and hungry, quickly seizing the baits and lures we threw. But as soon as our bag was full we were drawn like a salmon to a pilchard back to the cottage where the pizzas and red wine were waiting. But not before 32 freshly caught fish had to be scaled and gutted at the fish cleaning station down near the town’s jetty, overseen by a court of patient pelicans that looked on longingly. We didn't let them down. Over the following days we returned to Mt Camel Beach several times before dusk when the salmon came out to play and feed, and we left each time with a plump bag of assorted fish. A very welcome change from our usual piscatorial frustrations.
On Tuesday we hired a small boat and motored out on Venus Bay in search of King George Whiting, considered by many to be Australia’s finest table fish. Its flesh is white and fine and delicately flavoured. Heavy-handed culinary treatment is not the way to bring out the best in this fish. Lee Tuan has just the recipe:
Ginger Infused King George Whiting
In a cooking pot place four whole King George Whiting on a mesh or slotted plate above a small amount of water. Cut a clump of ginger into matchstick size pieces. Place most of the sticks on the fish and cover with tomato slices. Drop the remainder of the ginger sticks into the water. Cover the pot with a lid and steam the fish gently for 15 to 20 minutes until the eyes (the fishes', not yours) turn white and pop out. While the fish are steaming, finely chop some garlic and fry in a small amount of mild olive oil until golden. Drizzle the oil over the fish when it is finished steaming and serve the dish immediately with steamed Thai jasmine rice and steamed spinach, and a glass of cold Eden Valley Riesling. Heaven can wait.
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South Australia’s far west coast on Eyre Peninsula is an eight hour drive from Adelaide. With a sparse population and hundreds of kilometres of rugged coastline, the region still offers good fishing opportunities for keen shore-based anglers like us. Along with my sister and brother-in-law we hired Oaklands Cottage, a basic but very comfortable fisherman’s haunt located on a sheep station run by friendly owners and perfectly located just five minutes away from beautiful Locks Well ocean beach. Winter is a good time to come here; the weather is relatively mild and schools of Australian Salmon frequent many of the beaches at this time of year during their annual 3,000 kilometre migration along the south coast of the continent towards Western Australia.
Locks Well and Sheringa Beaches in particular are favourite haunts of the migrating salmon and we fished both of these with surprisingly good results. We were on the sand at Sheringa with our first pilchard baits splashing into the cold ocean water before dawn. The fish lurking in the pounding surf were large and hungry and we caught 9 pounder after 9 pounder until our arms and shoulders ached and our primeval urges were fully satisfied (for the moment at least). We kept as many of the smaller fish as we could possibly eat over the next two or three days and released all the big ones to continue their own long westerly journeys, including one that had recently survived a shark or seal attack judging from the deep toothy gash on its side. Had it been a lucky or unlucky fish over the past week? By 9am the salmon action was fading and we moved on to a quieter beach nearby where we fished in deep blue-green pools near the shore, reeling in a few big King George Whiting and parrot fish. We would eagerly have swapped some of the salmon for more of the much better–eating whiting but were still very happy with the weighty bag of fish we hauled back to the car.
We also did some night fishing off the jetty in the nearby town of Elliston, hoping to catch squid but we caught none. On the way back to the cottage we had an unwelcome wildlife encounter when a kangaroo jumped out from the dark in front of the car, instantly extinguishing both itself and our car's front left headlamp in the now-dented bodywork. Ouch all round!
The following day we fished at Locks Well Beach, a beautiful expanse of white sand that runs along the bottom of a cliff, and access to which is via a steep 288-step wooden staircase. Going down is relatively easy but the climb back up with the fishing gear and a sack full of fish is tough going. Like Sheringa, Locks Well turned on the action for us and we continued to haul in and release large salmon well after we had enough smaller fish in the bag for eating. Salmon, mullet and tommy ruffs, the most common catch here, don’t freeze well so there’s no point keeping more than can be eaten within a few days. Needless to say, we’re now eating fish for breakfast, lunch and dinner while closely observing each other for the onset of involuntary flapping of the feet, the first sign of Omega-3 overload.
The Australian Salmon is a great fighter when hooked but unfortunately the eating qualities of the larger specimens are not good. The smaller ones, however, are quite OK; in fact, in Lee Tuan’s hands they become one of the tastiest fish dishes you could ever hope to enjoy.
Lee Tuan’s Crispy Spicy Australian Salmon
Take an Australian Salmon about 30cm long (one for each person). Create a pocket on both sides of the fish by cutting down along the backbone. Grind and blend together a clump of ginger, lemongrass, dried whole red chillies, shallots and a few kaffir lime leaves until reduced to a paste. Add a third of a teaspoon of shrimp paste and stir in thoroughly. Fry the mixture in a small amount of vegetable cooking oil, then stuff both pockets (the fish’s, not yours) with the paste. Sprinkle both sides of the fish liberally with finely ground salt, then shallow fry in vegetable cooking oil. Don’t turn the fish until the eye turns opaque. Then turn and fry the other side for the same time. Serve immediately with steamed rice and steamed green vegetable, and cold crisp white wine.  |  | |
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From Locks Well we moved further up the coast to Venus Bay, a 100 square kilometre expanse of sea water connected to the ocean only by a small narrow channel squeezed between two rocky headlands. We hiked the short South Head Walking Trail and saw pods of dolphins effortlessly surfing the large breaking waves speeding towards their demise on the cliff faces.
