Presented by Fair Seafood
Cooking seafood for a crowd doesn’t have to mean standing at the cooktop preparing individual portions. Sometimes the best approach is to put a beautiful piece of fish in the oven, let steady heat do the work, and bring the whole thing to the table.
In this workshop at the Adelaide Central Market, expert home cook Geoff Staples demonstrates oven-baking a half-side of fish as a generous centrepiece for family and friends. You’ll explore how to choose the right fish, prepare it for even cooking, judge when it is ready and allow it to rest before serving.
The emphasis is on understanding the fish rather than relying solely on a cooking time. Along the way, Geoff will look at the flavours and accompaniments that make baked fish work, from fresh herbs and dressings to crisp textures and simple sides. His baked Ōra King salmon demonstrates the same philosophy: impressive enough for entertaining, but straightforward enough to make at home. There may also be oysters along the way, giving you another simple way to start a shared seafood meal.
One fish, one table, plenty of people and less time spent in the kitchen.
About the series
Across four seasonal workshops, expert home cook Geoff Staples will explore the decisions that make seafood work: how to build flavour from the parts that are often discarded, how gentle heat can transform fresh seafood, how to cook a larger piece of fish for the table, and how raw, cured and lightly cooked seafood can become the centrepiece of a summer celebration.
Each demonstration is built around practical cooking, real ingredients and techniques that can be taken home and used in your own kitchen. The emphasis is not on complicated recipes or expensive equipment, but on understanding what is happening to the seafood as it cooks — and learning to recognise the visual and textural cues that tell you when it is ready. Working with Fair Seafood‘s range of traceable and responsibly sourced seafood, the workshops will also reflect the reality of buying seafood: species and availability change with season, weather and supply.
From Goolwa Pipis and poached fish to seafood stock, baked fish and a Christmas table of gravlax, crudo, prawns and abalone, each workshop offers a different way to look at seafood.
Understand the ingredient. Understand the heat. Let the seafood tell you what it needs.
About Geoff Staples
Geoff Staples is a South Australian home cook, photographer and the Home Cook Ambassador for Fair Seafood. Through AG63, he explores seafood, cooking and the stories behind our food. Geoff believes the best meals start with great produce, thoughtful cooking and a connection to the people who catch, grow and supply it.