Identification & Biology: The King George whiting is a sillaginid fish, and resembes the other fish in this family. It has an elongated, slightly compressed body with a tapered head. It is distinguished by its first dorsal fin, which has 12 – 13 spines, and its second dorsal fin which has a single spine and a number of soft rays. The color of the King George is pale golden brown to olive on its topside with rows of brown spots running the length of its body, which fades into white on the bottom. The King George is a bottom feeder, which is evident by its terminal mouth and body shape, and uses vibrations to hunt prey.

Range & Habitat:The King George whiting is found in the coastal waters of Southern Australia. It is most commponly found in tidal bays, estuaries and creeks along the mainland and scattered throughout the nearby islands. Juvenile whiting tend to travel in schools while adults are more prone to a solitary lifestyle.

Market Description: Of the several whiting species found, King George Whiting is the largest and most renowned. It would have to be considered as one of the best table fish around, and South Australia is most fortunate to have the densest concentration of King George Whiting, in Australia.The fish themselves freeze very well, and the fish are very easy to scale and fillet. King George Whiting can be caught all year round, winter usually seeing the largest congregation of them in the gulf waters, while early summer can land you a catch off lower Yorke peninsula.

Recommended Preparation: Whitings are prized for their sweet, delicate flavor. They are versatile fishes that can be prepared in a number of ways including steaming, baking, barbecuing and grilling, with frying the most common. Careful handling is required because of their soft and delicate texture.

Fried whiting fillets are fantastic served with chips. Smaller whiting are delicious deep fried whole.

Steamed whiting fillets with the rib bones carefully removed have a well-earned reputation as an ideal food for invalids and children because they contain very little oil and are easily digested. Butterfly fillets are also popular as there are few bones.

Complementary flavorings for whiting are the herbs dill, basil, chives, parsley and tarragon. When whiting is grilled or barbecued, a salad of grapefruit, orange, lime and lemon, with a citrus and olive oil dressing, will complement the flavor wonderfully. Other suitable sauces and condiments are lemon and herbed butters or buerre blanc. Crusts of cumin, coriander and ground turmeric are also tasty.

Kilojoules

362 (86 Calories)

Cholesterol

41 mg

Sodium

70 mg

Total fat (oil)

0.6 g

Saturated fat

32% of total fat

Monounsaturated fat

21% of total fat

Polyunsaturated fat

47% of total fat

Omega-3, EPA

43 mg

Omega-3, DHA

57 mg

Omega-6, AA

42 mg