Season one of Zak and Tamar's Fishy Bits brought us approachable, affordable everyday seafood. Now, season two - Zak and Tamar's Sprat Summer - steps boldly into exploring the full potential of summer seafood cooking. It's built around the idea that seafood isn't just a meal: it's a way of bringing people together.
When Zak Olsen (Moana New Zealand) and Tamar Wells (Seafood New Zealand) sit down to talk about the new season, filmed in November 2025 in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland, they're still buzzing from filming - partly from exhaustion, but mostly from pride. They joke, they kid, they interrupt each other and they both have very strong conflicting opinions about parsley. But beneath the banter sits a clear, shared belief: seafood should be accessible, exciting and far less intimidating than people think.
At the centre of Sprat Summer is the backyard barbecue. "It's all about going beyond the traditional Kiwi barbecue," says Zak, "and showing how diverse seafood is for summer cooking." Instead of sticking to the tried-and-true sausage-and-steak lineup, the pair explore what's possible with a whole fish and work their magic with often-overlooked species, creating a fully seafood-based barbecue experience with dishes ranging from delicate crudo to hearty salads built to feed a crowd.
"These are meals that you cook when you have people over, your aunties or your mates," Tamar adds. "None of it is single-serve, unless you want it to be. It's all dishes for when everyone's coming around and you want to make something a little bit special but still easy."
One of the strongest themes this season is reducing waste and making use of the whole fish - whether it's something you've caught yourself or a surprisingly affordable whole trevally from the supermarket.
"We wanted people to see that every part of a fish has a purpose," Tamar explains. "Just like you'd use different cuts of meat from a cow for different things, you can do the same with fish."
This philosophy also led the duo toward lesser-known species and cuts, all provided by Moana New Zealand: kahawai instead of snapper for the whole-fish dishes; gemfish instead of hāpuku; kingfish instead of tuna; and pōrae, which even Tamar hadn't tried before. These are the fish people often catch or see at a local fish counter and then hesitate over: What do I do with these fish? Sprat Summer offers a colourful, fun and friendly answer to that question.
Season two also came with a more polished kitchen setup (thanks to Blum New Zealand) and a Broil King BBQ (from Aber Living), some extra cameras and even a director to wrangle the action. The result? A production that feels a little more elevated without losing the slightly
chaotic homemade charm that is Zak and Tamar cooking together.
Even though Zak likes the wrong parsley and Tamar still juices citrus in a way that terrifies everyone, they both agree that the season was a success.
"These dishes are still quick," Zak says. "Nothing takes more than about 30 minutes. But they're celebration dishes. The kind of food that makes someone say, 'Whoa, you made that?'
Ask them for their favourite dish and they will both talk at once, however, the usual bickering and banter stops and the pair become almost sentimental. Tamar lights up describing the "ta-ta-ta-ta" (tartare tartare), the raw fish hors d'oeuvre that made Zak's entire face dissolve
into bliss. Zak swears it's one of the best seafood dishes he's ever eaten (a statement that made Tamar genuinely well up). The crudo also gets reverent praise, and the blackened fish is spoken about like a cherished family member. With these two, food is a treasure to be shared.
There were plenty of memorable moments during filming too: porous benchtops and a leaking fish bin, needing to pause filming while Tamar cried over chopped shallots, and even a dramatic fish-bone choking incident. "Honestly," Zak laughs, "the gagging was a highlight."
Will there be a third season? Both are hopeful and already discussing ideas. They want to gather favourite traditional recipes from fishers and give them a "glowup" - think classics like crumbed fish with creamed corn. They want to keep experimenting, keep celebrating, and keep showing people that good seafood is for everyone.
Whether season three happens or not, they're still sending each other dish ideas forever more. "We're friends now," Tamar says matter-of-factly. "It's official."
Find these recipes and more online at seafood.org.nz/spratsummer
Watch Zak and Tamar work their magic on the Seafood NZ YouTube channel: youtube.com/@NZSeafoodIndustry
