Black Bream

Black Bream (Acanthopagrus butcheri)

Photograph by CSIRO

Nutrition Facts

per 100g of raw product

Cooking Ideas

Note: Cooking Ideas identified by dark bold text are relevant to this species

Gutting immediately after capture will increase shelf life.

The lining of the abdominal cavity and the white fat along the abdominal wall should be removed completely.

The sea bream  fillets seen in retailers  displays do not always come from the Australian species, but are more commonly cut from morwong or are frozen, imported fillets. Seabream  is the correct marketing name for some members of the emperor family (Gymnocranius spp). Bream are usually sold whole (or gilled and gutted).

Breams have a sweet and distinctive taste and are best served with contrasting flavours that are not too overpowering. This makes them best suited to grilling or baking whole, but they can also be cooked in fillet form and fried (either shallow or deep), poached or used in mousseline and quenelles. They are also often used as a plate finfish  in Chinese cuisine because of their oval shape and plate size.

When preparing bream, consider the flavours of capers, citrus, garlic, parsley and ginger, which marry well with these species or perhaps pepperonata can make an innovative addition to a bream dish. Another excellent method is to deep fry the bream whole and serve with a lime, lemongrass, chilli and coriander dressing.

Chefs preparing Asian-style cuisine can improve the slightly coarser taste of estuarine bream with strong soy sauce and Chinese cooking vinegar.

Flavour

Mild, Flavour sweet and distinctive

Bream from estuaries have a coarser flavour and are prone to developing tainted flesh if not bled and gutted soon after capture.

Oiliness

Low

Moisture

Moist

Texture

Soft to medium

Flesh Colour

White

Thickness

Medium fillets

Bones

Fine rib bones are present on the inner surface of the wings.

Price

Bream are medium-priced finfish.

Suggested Wines

Because breams are distinctively sweet, a fruit-driven, less acidic style of wine is a suitable accompaniment for many bream dishes such as whole grilled bream. Try a riesling from the Barossa Valley or a semillon from the Hunter Valley.