Orange Roughy

Orange Roughy (Hoplostethus atlanticus)

Photograph by Thor Carter

Nutrition Facts

per 100g of raw product

Cooking Ideas

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

Its medium-thickness, white, boned-out flesh and mild flavour have made orange roughy one of Australia s most popular fishes. Baked, grilled, poached, steamed or shallow fried, orange roughy is ready for almost anything. Take care however not to overpower the extremely light and delicate flavour of this finfish with other flavours.

A very versatile fillet, orange roughy has a remarkably long shelf life and the oily flesh allows some latitude in cooking time it can be cooked for longer than usual without noticeable loss of flavour.

Frying it in a herb crumb mixture will be more suitable than a batter, although if you want to try deep frying, the light delicate texture of a tempura will not overpower the subtle flavours of orange roughy. When baking orange roughy, try surrounding it in a light citrus and butter mixture, blended with parsley and pepper. The whole can be encased in foil.

Steaming or grilling is ideal for this species and a good orange, lemon and caper meuniËre or buerre blanc will marry well. Alternatively, just drizzle a mixture of lemon, lime, grapefruit and orange juices over the cooked fillets.

Flavour

Mild, Delicate flavour

Oiliness

Very High

Moisture

Moist

Texture

Medium to firm

Flesh Colour

Pearly white

Thickness

Medium fillets

Bones

Bones are rarely seen, as only fillets are available.

Price

Orange roughy is a high-priced finfish.

Suggested Wines

As this is an oily finfish with only a mild flavour intensity, the choice of white wine to complement it needs a little concentration. With poached, steamed or fried orange roughy the lighter flavours from young semillon and sauvignon blancs grown in cool regions are appropriate.