Paella by the Bay: Learn Seafood Techniques with David Coumont at Sydney Fish Market

At the Sydney Fish Market in Glebe, a three-hour paella masterclass puts you at the stove beside North Bondi Fish's David Coumont, translating seaside market choreography into a pan of saffron-scented rice. The class meets in the Sydney Seafood School inside the new fish market at 1 Bridge Rd, Glebe NSW, where stainless steel benches face floor-to-ceiling windows looking out over Blackwattle Bay. You’ll learn hands-on techniques for handling prawns, squid and mussels, and the regional Spanish ingredients and timing that make paella sing. This evening starts with a market briefing: how to select shellfish by smell and shell condition, why squid texture changes with heat, and how rice varieties affect the socarrat. Students work at shared benches of three to six, guided by David Coumont and the Seafood School instructors. The workshop emphasizes practical skills — knife technique for clean deveining, safely preparing shellfish, layering sofrito and stock, and coaxing a proper crust without burning. Practical notes about food safety, leftover storage and sustainable sourcing are woven through the session. The setting is part cooking lab, part waterfront classroom. Blackwattle Bay and the wider Sydney Harbour basin lend maritime context: the very produce you cook began its supply chain here. The experience is accessible — wheelchair friendly and suitable for cooks aged 12 and up — and intentionally communal: benches, shared pans and tips traded between neighbors replicate a convivial Spanish kitchen. Why book this trip? It’s a chance to turn market visits into measurable skills. You leave with a recipe, tasting notes and the confidence to replicate paella at home, plus insider tips on sourcing and storing seafood. Bring enclosed shoes and a container for leftovers; the class is all-inclusive otherwise. Local culture seeps through the details: the market’s new precinct brings restaurateurs into teaching roles, and a Bondi chef’s approach blends local seafood with Spanish technique, producing a paella that reads like Sydney’s coast on a plate. For photographers, the kitchen’s bay-side light and plated close-ups make for rewarding images; for food-lovers, it’s an efficient way to learn from a working chef without booking a restaurant table. Practicalities: the session runs about 180 minutes, allow extra time to locate the Sydney Seafood School within the market, and note that occasionally recipes or ingredients may change with availability. If you have a group of seven or more, contact the school to arrange a bench. This is a hands-on, urban culinary adventure that turns market abundance into a shared meal. Expect to walk away with practical plating tips, leftover reheating methods, and a sharper nose for freshness — plus a new recipe that will reliably bring seaside flavor to your next dinner party, all beside the water in a kitchen.