Not all types of fish are plentiful - so we should choose carefully.

WINTER is a great time for fish and all seafood, because the ocean currents are rich with nutrients and the cooler conditions much better for storing. So here are three warming ways with fish.

The first uses fish instead of chicken in a tangy, creamy Thai curry, adding pumpkin and green capsicum to up your vegetable count for the day.

The second uses pan-frying to get the skin crackling crisp, protecting the fish from over-cooking, and the third is for hearty, crumbed fish cakes, surely the fastest way to get fish into people who don't think they like fish.

These days, we also have to think about the fish we choose. There aren't plenty more fish in the sea, after all, and some of our favourite fish are being pushed towards extinction by destructive fishing methods and over-demand. It doesn't mean we have to give up eating fish, but it does mean we have to go for a bit more diversity. That's good news for the cook and the fish-lover, rather than bad news. By choosing more sustainable fish and seafood, we get to try something different, use our imagination, and help ease the situation rather than make it worse.

But how can you tell if the fish you buy is ethically and ecologically OK?

I know of only one plain, simple, independent guide to what is sustainable, what isn't, and why - Australia's Sustainable Seafood Guide put out by the Australian Marine Conservation Society, a national, not-for-profit organisation that has been working with local communities to protect coastal and ocean life for 40 years.

The guide divides the fish we know into three categories: Say No, Think Twice, and A Better Choice, making clear distinctions between wild and farmed.

To give you an idea, under Say No, it lists orange roughy, shark (flake), broadbill swordfish and southern blue-fin tuna. It suggests we Think Twice about wild barramundi, coral trout, dory and sea perch, and suggests (here's the good news) wild bream, squid, King George whiting, flathead and leatherjacket as Better Choices instead.

I will pass on their guidelines whenever I suggest fish for the recipes on these pages, so you can make your own choices.

Australia's Sustainable Seafood Guide is available for $9.95 online at

http://www.amcs.org.au or Freecall

1800 066 299.

Thai fish and pumpkin curry

Fish goes well with the creamy tang of a tamarind-flavoured Thai curry sauce. For a richer, soupier style, double the coconut milk. Bream, flathead and wild trevally are sustainable choices.

INGREDIENTS

250g pumpkin, skinned

600g chunky fish fillets, skinned

1 green capsicum

1 tbsp vegetable oil

2 tbsp Thai red curry paste

200g coconut milk

750ml chicken or fish stock

4 red shallots, finely sliced

2 kaffir lime leaves, finely shredded

1 red chilli, finely sliced

2 tbsp tamarind puree

2 tbsp Thai fish sauce

1 tbsp light brown sugar

pinch of salt

100g baby spinach leaves

METHOD

Cut the pumpkin into bite-sized chunks. Cut the fish into large chunks. Cut the capsicum into strips, discarding seeds.

Heat the oil in a heavy pan and fry the curry paste for 2 minutes, stirring. Add the coconut milk, stock, shallots, kaffir lime leaves and chilli, stirring. Add the pumpkin, capsicum, tamarind puree, fish sauce, sugar and salt, and cook for 20 minutes or until the pumpkin is tender. Add the fish and simmer for 5 minutes or until it is opaque.

Place half the spinach in four warm shallow pasta bowls and top with the fish and vegetables. Scatter with remaining spinach and ladle the sauce over the top.

Serves 4

Tip: Buy tamarind puree at Asian supermarkets. It's very handy when fresh limes get expensive. Some Thai curry pastes are stronger than others - supermarket versions are milder than the Thai brands.

Crisp-skinned whiting with white beans and bacon

This is the classic pan-fry technique that will give you a crisp skin - cook it 90% on the skin-side, then turn and cook briefly to finish it off. King George whiting and sand whiting are sustainable choices.

INGREDIENTS

3 tbsp olive oil

2 thick rashers bacon, chopped

2 celery stalks, finely sliced

2 garlic cloves, finely sliced

400g can of white beans (e.g. cannellini)

400g can of tomatoes, chopped

1/2 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp cayenne

2 tbsp finely chopped parsley

2 tbsp sage leaves

sea salt and pepper

4 fresh fillets whiting or gurnard

paprika, extra virgin olive oil to serve

METHOD

Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a frying pan and fry the bacon, celery and garlic for 5�minutes, then add the drained beans, tomatoes and their juices, paprika, cayenne, parsley and half the sage leaves and simmer gently for 15�minutes. Add a little sugar if the tomato tastes sharp, a little water if it gets too thick.

Heat remaining oil in a non-stick frying pan, and cook the fish, skin-side down, for 5 minutes, gently pressing it with an egg slice to ensure a crisp skin. Turn once, and cook briefly on the other side.

Serve the bean stew on warm dinner plates and top with the fish, a drizzle of olive oil, a dust of paprika, and remaining sage.

Serves 4

Salmon fish cakes

Originally designed to make a little leftover cooked fish go a long way, these are worth cooking from scratch.

INGREDIENTS

400g floury potatoes, peeled and chopped

600g fresh salmon or ocean trout fillets, skinned

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1 tbsp tomato sauce

1 tsp Dijon mustard

1 tsp capers, rinsed and chopped

2 tsp grated lemon zest

2 tbsp freshly chopped parsley

sea salt and pepper

250g fine green beans, trimmed

2 tbsp plain flour

2 eggs, beaten

150g fresh or dry breadcrumbs

1 tbsp butter

2 tbsp vegetable oil

1 lemon, quartered

METHOD

Heat oven to 180C. Cook the potatoes in boiling salted water for 20 minutes, then drain and mash. Set aside to cool. Bake salmon for 10 minutes, then remove and cool.

Shred the salmon with a fork and fold into the potato with the Worcestershire sauce, tomato sauce, mustard, capers, lemon zest, parsley, and plenty of salt and pepper. Divide into 8 portions, shape into patties (use a 7cm pastry ring for a good shape) and chill for 30 minutes.

Cook the beans in simmering salted water for 5 minutes, drain and season. Dip each fishcake into flour, then beaten egg, then breadcrumbs, until completely coated.

Heat the butter and oil in a frying pan and cook the fishcakes on one side until golden brown, then turn and lightly cook the other side.

Serve with green beans and lemon.

Serves 4

Tips: Use salmon or ocean trout with a good orange colour. Top but don't tail the beans, toss in olive oil, sea salt and pepper.

Use a 7cm diameter pastry cutter, lightly pack in the salmon mixture, then turn over and lightly press, for an even shape a la pic reference.

A mix of fine and coarse dry breadcrumbs gives a nice colour without burning.