Smoked Trevally Pie

Trevally
Like kahawai, trevally was for many years considered only good as bait. The flesh is relatively dark and quite oily, making it ideal for smoking. Filleted, the fish has a strong flavour that works well in pasta and other dishes where sauces might overpower the more delicate taste of other species. Trevally is also excellent grilled or barbecued as steaks, fillets or cooked whole. Where possible, leave the skin on – it helps keep the fish together and the fat under the skin keeps the flesh moist.
Trevally makes brilliant raw or marinated fish and is great in sushi or as sashimi. Trevally is best eaten fresh, as it does not freeze well.
Trevally can be caught seasonally around most of the New Zealand coast and quite often the schools of these fish can be seen gorging in krill on the surface. While this makes them relatively easy to find and catch for recreational fishers, unfortunately a commercial seine boat can hoover up whole schools in a single sweep.
Trevally are easy to fillet and are dealt with in the same way as you would a snapper. Removing the skin can be a little more difficult and requires a sharp knife run flat and firm between the skin and the flesh to remove in one piece. Because of its lack of ‘real’ scales, some people cook their trevally fillets with the skin on.