Tailor

Also known as Chopper (small fish), greenback (big ones), bluefish

Blue-green across the back fading to silver flanks, a deeply forked tail and a large mouth packed with triangular cutting teeth — the teeth alone separate tailor from almost anything else in a Perth wash. The usual mix-up is with Australian salmon, which turn up in the same white water: salmon have tiny teeth, a longer more pointed head and rows of dark gold-brown spots along the upper flanks. Snook are also toothy but are long, thin sea pike rather than a deep-bodied fish. Size-class names: small ones are 'choppers', big ones are 'greenbacks'.

Yes — good eating, but only if you treat them right. Bleed and ice tailor the moment you land them; the flesh is oily and turns fast in the sun, and a tailor left on the sand for an hour is a bait fish. The flesh is off-white with a grey streak down the lateral line, moist and full-flavoured rather than delicate. Smaller choppers are the sweeter eat; big greenbacks are coarser and stronger, and most people are happier smoking those. Cook fresh the same day — pan-fry or grill the fillets, or barbecue them whole — and trim out the dark lateral strip if you want a milder result. Don't bother freezing; it goes soft and rancid quicker than almost anything else in the esky. Leftovers make superb strip bait for mulloway.