Freshly caught flathead fillets

One of the things I love to do is fish. Just like hunting, I know where my meat has come from, the circumstances in how it was harvested, and the environment it lived in.

One of my favourite fish is flathead. They are typically caught along sandy shallows between coastal reefs, and are very abundant in numbers here in Oz.

This beast was caught earlier this year, and boy did she give me a good fight. After hours of getting nothing on the soft plastics, she took the lure and me for a ride. After 2 runs from the boat, I landed her on a 1-3kg bream rod with 1500 reel, and measured 65cm from head to toe, which was my new PB flatty! At this size, the flathead have changed sex and reproduce, so for the good of the eco-system I released her to fight another day.

For those who care, the soft plastic was a 3 inch Z-Man Minnowz in Pinfish.

However, luckily for me I caught a further two that afternoon, so sea to plate they went!

My favourite way to cook them is simple... Seasoned with salt and pepper, placed on a BBQ hotplate, and finished with a squeeze of lemon, that's it! I also make some home-made potato chips and serve with steamed broccolini and beans. If this fish is available in your area, it is well worth spending the time catching them fresh. Once you eat these the same day as they are caught (compared to buying flathead from the fish shop) you won't look back!