When it comes to seafood, freshness is everything, and at JJ Seafood, the journey from the ocean, or river, to the farmers market is about as short as it gets.

The family fishing business has been operating around Ballina for more than 35 years, with John and his crew fishing both local ocean waters and the Richmond River. With a fleet of six boats, different vessels are used for different types of fishing, allowing them to follow what is locally available and in season.

At this time of year, the catch can include snapper, pearl perch, flathead and jewfish, alongside locally caught prawns and other seasonal seafood. What appears on the stall depends very much on what has been caught, meaning customers are buying seafood that reflects the season rather than produce that has travelled long distances to get there.

Sustainability is also an important part of the operation. Fishing in local waterways is tightly regulated, with restrictions around fishing times and minimum size limits. Undersized fish are returned to the water.

For some ocean species, John uses fish traps rather than dragging nets across the sea floor. The traps remain stationary and include escape panels that allow smaller fish to swim out – helping reduce the impact on both juvenile fish and the marine environment.

And when seafood is this fresh, cooking can stay beautifully simple. Just a little bit of olive oil, a squeeze of lemon and your choice of herbs, with seasoning, is all you need.

Prawns can go straight onto skewers or into pasta, while firmer fish that absorb flavour work beautifully in curries and stews.

It’s a genuine boat-to-market food story: locally caught, seasonal seafood, handled by the people who caught it and sold fresh to the community each week.

Find JJ’s Seafood at New Brighton Farmers Market every Tuesday from 7am-11am and Mullumbimby Farmers Market every Friday from 7am-11am. Please note if it’s rough seas, bad weather or a poor catch, this will affect their attendance.