GEOFF’s Stuffed Coorong Mullet, Family-Style, with Currant, Caper & Herb Stuffing…
⏱️ Enjoy with your favourite beverage | 5 min read
Coorong mullet – officially Yelloweye Mullet – is one of the most underrated fish in South Australia. Wild-caught from the Coorong lagoons, it’s highly sustainable, locally sourced, and affordable in a way that premium fish rarely is. The flesh is mildly sweet and clean that comes from a diet of microcrustaceans and vegetation within the lagoon system, and there’s nothing muddy or strong about it. It takes on this stuffing well because the richness of the flesh holds its own against the currants and anchovies without being overwhelmed. This is a family-style dish for me now – I lay all twelve fillets over the stuffing on one tray and run the Fan Grill, which gets the whole lot done at once rather than working through them in batches on the teppanyaki plate. That said, when it’s just the two of us, I still reach for the teppanyaki – the fold-and-cook method suits a smaller serve.
GEOFF’s Stuffed Coorong Mullet, Family-Style, with Currant, Caper & Herb Stuffing…
Butterflied Coorong mullet fillets, grilled skin-side up over a currant, caper and herb stuffing on a single tray — a family-style, one-hit version of GEOFF's Coorong mullet.
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- 1. Make the Stuffing:Strain the currants from the verjuice and set aside. Reserve the soaking liquid.2. In a mixing bowl, combine the strained currants, toasted pinenuts, capers, anchovies, garlic, lemon zest, parsley, dill, and olive oil. Mix well. The anchovies will soften into the mix – don’t worry if they don’t look fully combined. Season lightly with salt and pepper, keeping in mind the capers and anchovies are already salty.3. Prepare the Fish:Pat the fillets dry with paper towel on both flesh and skin sides. If you have time, lay them skin-side up on a wire rack over a tray in the vegetable crisper for several hours or overnight. Dry skin is the difference between a fillet that blisters and one that steams. Season the flesh side of each fillet lightly with salt and pepper.4. Cooking Method A: Fan Grill:Preheat the oven on Fan Grill at 220°C. Spread all of the stuffing in an even layer across the tray – this is the trivet the fillets sit on. Lay all 12 fillets skin-side up across the stuffing in a single layer. Brush the skin with olive oil and season with salt flakes. The stuffing heats from below while the skin blisters from above.5. Place the mullet tray on shelf position 4 (second from top). Grill for 8 minutes, or until the skin blisters and lifts at the edges. The stuffing will have softened and darkened slightly at the base – this is what you want.6. Remove from the oven and rest for 2 minutes. Plate 2 fillets per person and spoon stuffing from the tray alongside or beneath them to serve.Cooking Method B: Teppanyaki Plate on Induction or Gas1. Spoon approximately 60-70gm of stuffing onto the centre of the open flesh of each whole butterflied fish. Fold the fish closed, skin-side up -the weight of the fish holds the stuffing in place.2. Heat the teppanyaki plate on induction setting 7 (gas: medium–high flame) until hot. Brush the plate lightly with oil.3. Place the stuffed mullet skin-side down on the plate. Cook for 2-3 minutes – don’t move them. The skin will release naturally when it’s ready. You’ll hear the sizzle settle and the skin will turn pale gold at the edges.4. Reduce to induction setting 5 (gas: medium flame). Carefully turn each fish onto its stuffing side for 2 minutes to heat the stuffing through. Rest for 2 minutes off the heat before plating.
Nutrition
Notes
Serving Suggestions
- Drizzle a little of the reserved verjuice soaking liquid around the plate just before serving – it cuts through the richness and ties the dish together.
- Cooking vegetables or chips alongside: place the vegetable tray on shelf position 2 and run Fan Grill throughout. Vegetables take around 30 minutes depending on how they’re cut – slide the mullet tray onto shelf position 4 with about 8 minutes to go.
- A simple green salad with fennel, rocket, and lemon vinaigrette – the bitterness balances the sweet currants.
- Wine: Pair with a chilled Clare Valley Riesling.
Notes
- Coorong mullet is generally sold butterflied (whole fish split open along the belly, backbone removed, skin on) or as a whole gutted fish. For the Fan Grill method, separate the two fillets at home by cutting along the belly join. For the teppanyaki method, keep the butterflied fish whole and folded around the stuffing. Ask your Fair Seafood or your local fishmonger to butterfly it cleanly and it saves fifteen minutes of prep.
- Dry-ageing the fish: lay fillets or whole butterflied fish skin-side up on a wire rack over a tray, uncovered, in the vegetable crisper for at least 4 hours or overnight. This is the single most effective thing you can do for blistered, crispy skin. Short on time? Pat thoroughly dry and rest at room temperature for 30 minutes before cooking.
- Tommy ruff, Australian herring, or sardines work equally well with this stuffing. Smaller fillets will need 6–7 minutes under the Fan Grill rather than 8.
- If anchovies are a concern for guests, swap for an extra 5gm of capers and a small pinch of sea salt flakes. The depth won’t be quite the same, but the stuffing still holds.
- Verjuice substitution: a dry white wine or white wine vinegar diluted 50/50 with water works if verjuice isn’t available.
- The stuffing can be made up to 24 hours ahead and kept covered in the fridge. Bring it back to room temperature before using.
- Cooked fillets are excellent cold the next day or two, straight from the fridge. No reheating needed – the stuffing firms up and the flavours deepen overnight.
- Raw stuffed mullet (whole butterflied, folded around stuffing) can be individually wrapped and frozen for up to 1 month.
- Thaw overnight in the fridge before cooking. Do not freeze cooked fish — the flesh loses texture.
