Australians love their seafood. We've been talking it up to the rest of the world for years, throwing a truckload of prawns (or shrimp) on the barbie, kissing barramundi all over the shop and waving our lobsters under international noses. But do we really know what we're doing when it comes to cooking our little fishy friends?

As every Sydney-sider knows, one of the best places to find fresh seafood is the Sydney Fish Markets at Blackwattle Bay. It's the largest of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere and has more species of seafood on offer than any other market except Japan. Home to a colony of (well-fed and slightly smug) pelicans, it's also a great place to kick back on a sunny afternoon, with a plate of fish and chips in your lap, watching the enormous birds waddle lazily by. Few know that it's also home to one of the best cooking schools in Australia.

Since 1989, the chefs at Sydney Seafood School have been showing punters how to cook a lovely bit of fish, but they've also been showing us what to look for when buying seafood, how to tell if it's fresh, how to store it and how to clean it. Over 12,000 guests have come through the school to find out just what it takes to make the most of all those gorgeous goodies, like mussels, sashimi, octopus, crustaceans of any sort, sea-snails — you name it!

A terrific mix of people make their way to the school every week: men, women, locals coming straight from work, interstate visitors who want to make a day of it, and even those who fly in from overseas and plan their entire trip around a Sydney Seafood School session.

With only 40 people per class, it's a fun, relaxed and easy way to pick up plenty of tips on how to cook seafood on the barbecue (one of the most popular courses, by far), give it a Thai twist, whip up some chilli crab, tapas or salt and pepper prawns, add a dash of Morocco, construct the perfect boullabaise, and everything in between. So, it's worth checking out their program to see what's on offer.

Some of the big-name chefs who teach classes at the school include David Thompson from London's Nahm, and Christine Mansfield. Other leading Australian chefs who've graced the school's kitchens include Cheong Liew, Damien Pignolet, Neil Perry, Matthew Moran and Peter Doyle.

To start, you and your classmates enter a tiered auditorium with an overhead mirror to watch a demonstration of how a dish is prepared. After this, you go into the practical kitchen, pop your apron on and, after being sorted into teams of five, take your position at one of eight benches to recreate the dishes. The chefs and their helpers will be on hand to give you tips and a bit of guidance if you need it.

After you've slaved away over a hot stove (or marinating bowl or chopping board), you get to enjoy the fruits of your labour, by repairing to the casual dining area with the rest of your classmates to tuck into a seafood feast and a complimentary wine.

Wave goodbye with a Sydney Seafood School goody bag under your arm, and waddle home like the pelicans: very satisfied and, with all that extra information under your belt, a little bit cocky to boot.

Sydney Seafood School
Locked Bag 247
Pyrmont NSW 2009
Ph: (02) 9004 1111
More information.

YOUR SAY: Have you ever taken a seafood class? What did you think of it, and what great tips did you learn? Tell us below!