I get asked all the time about the ingredients I use, both for special occasion cooking, on-camera, entertaining in www.sydneystudiokitchen.com and weeknight dinners. Seafood is often my go-to ingredient for so many different cooking occasions – it is quick and easy enough for a weeknight dinner but also special enough for more impressive dining. Try one of these when next seeking dinner inspiration. I have met all of these producers through my friend, seafood guru John Susman from Fish Tales. I can certainly attest to the quality, sustainability credentials and ethical farming methods they use. Most have won delicious magazine produce awards too.
Yarra Valley Caviar
These luminous pearls are hand milked by the lovely folk at Yarra Valley Caviar. The salmon are antibiotic and chemical free and live in pristine, oxygen-rich water at the base of the Rubicon River in Victoria. At spawning time the fish are naturally anethesied with clove oil before being returned to their watery home after milking. They are the only people in Australia and possibly the world to do this. The eggs are literally bursting with flavour. Once only available to chefs, we homecooks can enjoy them too.
Serving tip: Spoon on top of grilled or steamed fish, gently stir through smoked salmon pasta or, for a retro canape, serve little savoury pikelets topped with crème fraiche and caviar. This recipe is from Lyndey Milan’s Taste of Australia TV series and DVD (www.flamedistributionstore.com) and the accompanying cookbook which won Best TV Chef Cookbook in English at the Gourmand Wolrd Cookbook awards.
Kinkawooka Mussels
I think scrubbing mussels is one of the most tedious kitchen jobs. Thankfully you don’t need to with Kinkawooka Mussels. Preparation for the pot simply involves removing any stray bits of beard remaining – grab the hair-like strand, give it a good tug and you are good to go. From Port Lincoln in South Australia, these small black Mediterranean-style mussels have high sustainability credentials and clean, sweet flavour.
Cooking tip: Mussels pair well with just about any flavours. I tend to go either French – eschallots, white wine, garlic and tarragon or Asian – lemongrass, ginger and coriander. Either way, keep your eye on them as they’ll be cooked in only a very few minutes. I like to use a big pot with a glass lid so I can watch the action and remove from the heat and serve just as the shells pop open. And don’t waste a drop of that precious juice!
Or how about my paella which uses both these mussels and the amazing Cloudy Bay clams?
Cloudy Bay Clams
We have our friends across the ditch to thank for these native surf clams. These babies live in a surf zone, off the north coast of the south island of New Zealand, in water up to 10m deep. Unlike other species, these clams aren’t gritty. After harvest they undergo seawater aeration to eliminate all the nasties before arriving for packaging and despatch.
Cooking tip: Go Spanish! Cook sliced chorizo with garlic, a big pinch of smoked paprika and a little chilli, add clams with white wine and sherry, cover and cook for a few minutes until the clams ‘crack’ open. Serve with bread to mop up the juices.
North Queensland Cobia
This is the most amazing fish I have had the pleasure to cook with and eat in many, many years. Last year it won the RAS of NSW President’s Medal
Located at Alva Beach in the Far North Queensland, the farm is made up of 68 ponds which are fed by the warm waters of the Coral sea. A specially designed high protein diet has been developed for the Cobia, free of hormones, genetically modified and land animal materials. With clean, sweet flesh and a firm grain, the cobia is suited to a wide range of culinary preparations. From Sashimi to roasted or poached, the Cobia retains its moisture. The thick layer or fat under the skin of the Cobia makes it an ideal fish for crispy skin preparations.
Cooking tip: Cooking Cobia needn’t be difficult – it should be cooked though, but not overcooked and the skin should be crisp like crackling. I score the skin first and season with salt. Then melt some butter (or use olive oil or a combination of both) and place it skin side down into a hot pan. When the skin starts to smell toasty I flip, turn the heat down to low and cook until the flesh is opaque and beginning to flake. Depending on the thickness of the fish, I sometimes cover the pan to hasten the process. Most importantly, the fish should be rested uncovered for five minutes before serving. If the skin looses its crackle, flash it skin side down in a hot pan for a few seconds to crisp it up again.
Fraser Isle Spanner Crab
The World Heritage listed Fraser Island is home to the Spanner Crab, a unique and delicious crab caught using the world’s most sustainable crab fishing practices. Caught using specially designed mesh ‘dilly’ traps, Fraser Isle has zero by catch and zero impact on the environment. The Fraser Isle Spanner Crab gives a sweet, clean, rich flavour with a firm texture.
Serving tip: For a quick dinner, toss crab meat through al dente linguine with a squeeze of lemon, a few fried capers and snipped chives or for a Deep South inspired canape, bind crab meat, softened onion, celery, capsicum, a pinch of cayenne pepper and fresh breadcrumbs with egg yolk, form into little balls and fry until golden. Serve with remoulade – a fancy way of describing flavoured mayo; I like to add chopped cornichons and capers to good quality mayo.
Do you have a favourite seafood? And how do you like to prepare it?
