The local restaurants bringing seafood to the fore.
Seafood dining takes on new meaning when integrity, sustainability and proximity to the marine environment are also on the menu.
Here are a selection of different ways to enjoy fresh seafood while in the Margaret River Region – eating fish has never felt so close to the source.
Lagoon offers refined seafood dining in a relaxed yet beautiful environment, just a stones throw from the shores of Yallingup beach. Chef Ben Jacob plans the menu based on what’s fresh that day, and it’s highly recommended to go for the ‘feed me’ option which includes four courses designed to share. There’s also a kiosk serving up more casual fare, perfect for taking over to the beach for a picnic.
The squid salad at Brewhouse is legendary, with the plate piled high with chilli salt squid, fresh shredded salad and a Vietnamese-style dressing. Other delicious seafood options include Fremantle sardines on rye, and the pot of chilli tomato mussels served with fresh bread. With room to spread out and great beer brewed on-site it’s no wonder this is a local favourite.
Chef Miki’s unique handling of seafood sees its union in a Japanese born and trained chef whose romance with the Margaret River Region is going on two decades, and counting. At Miki’s Open Kitchen, watch from your seat at the bar and see how Japanese technique lifts the known flavours of local seafood into a new and unique culinary expression.
Origins Market in Busselton is a wonderland of fresh produce, and here you can select from a myriad of ways to get your seafood fix. Get Shucked are serving up the freshest of oysters daily, shucked live in front of you. Pair with a glass of bubbles at the Tavern for an indulgent afternoon. Or if you would prefer to cook up a storm, Augusta Seafoods has the best selection of everything you need for a seafood feast.
The Geographe Bay view of Equinox restaurant is magnificent. So beautiful. At the foot of the Busselton Jetty, seafood is naturally on offer for both lunch and dinner. A smoked salmon salad. Classic fish and chips. A seafood tapas-style board. It’s hearty and fresh.
The local fishmonger is a community institution, providing accessibility to the best seafood the Margaret River Region – and the broader coastline of Western Australia – has to offer. At Chris’ Sea To You Seafood, buy everything from dhu fish, to goldband snapper, to Shark Bay prawns. Fish comes whole or filleted, shiny-scaled and glossy-eyed.
Clancy’s Fish Pub is a classic family pub with a serious seafood focus, tucked beneath the tall gums that are signatures of the Margaret River Region. Think Shark Bay broken scallops linguini, a classic beer battered fish and chips, the must-do seafood platter, or a bucket of Exmouth prawns with creamy cocktail sauce. Seafood here is sourced from local and Australian waters.
Spice and seafood form a happy marriage at Blue Manna Bistro, where chef and co-owner, Coby Cockburn, cooks up a punchy roster of local fish and shellfish driven by his romance with South East Asian spice. The fact that Cockburn’s business partner is a fishmonger means this menu is, quite literally, coming to you straight off the boat.
With freshly shucked Australian oysters all year round, Rustico at Hay Shed Hill’s mix of locally and nationally sourced seafood is a commitment to presenting a taste of the ocean between the vines. Their 5 course degustation menu is a wonderful way to spend an afternoon.
Classic fish and chips with a twist is the Squidlips ethos. Battered gummy shark – that old Aussie classic isn’t off the menu, but plenty of sustainably fished, West Australian caught fish nudges in for those looking for something different. Whiting. Goldband snapper. Even Barramundi. Squid is dressed how you like it.
Respect for the Margaret River Region environment is behind the seriously sustainable ethos at Arimia. Chef, Evan Hayter, commits to literally cooking from his own pond – trout and marron farmed in their dam are prepared simply, and with dedication to zero-waste: bones are used in stocks, ensuring no part of the flavour (or the animal) is lost.
Great pub grub with a tapas-style approach is The River’s trademark. Fish tacos take on a little bit of zing with kimchi aioli, famed Fremantle sardines are given simple treatment with use of quality oil and a mixed heirloom tomato salsa. Larger seafood dishes will take you from Japan (squid okonomiyaki), to Italy (prawn spaghetti), and then back again with a classic south west fish of the day.
Taste of the Bays by South West Cruises is a deluxe dining experience on the water, cruising from Dunsborough to Bunker Bay. Once onboard, a decadent 7 course seafood degustation commences, with West Coast Rock Oysters, South West Blue Swimmer Crab, line-caught local fish, Abrolhos Island Sea Scallops, and Manjimup Blue Ridge Marron all on the menu. Available over the summer months.
