Sydney is blessed with some of the freshest seafood money can buy.
But a beautiful ingredient we can always add to our cooking pot is a good dose of love.
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Throughout our cooking lives, Mysaucepan and I have drawn inspiration from reading cookbooks, using the freshest of seasonal produce, listening to and observing our mothers and grandmothers in the kitchen.
Fancy restaurants may capture the imagination of fine dining but some of our fondest food memories come from humble, age-old family recipes. The ingredients are simple yet their freshness combine to produce the most heart-warming meals we so fondly love.
And I believe there is an intangible element in the heart of every family recipe that makes it so special. We can cook with the best and most expensive of ingredients but when our senses are connected with their flavours, the results are often magical.
Just as I play the piano with my heart, cooking is no different. Following a recipe to a tee is like reading the musical manuscript as you play. The flavours may flow like the music but the food can also taste mundane just as the music may sound robotic.
When ingredients are at their best, they deserve respect and the way to honour this obligation is by cooking from the heart. Touch and smell the freshness to imagine its transformation into beautiful aromas and flavours. Just like a pianist who interprets the works of the great composers, the most revered of Michelin-starred chefs in the world are mere conduits in bringing out the best in each ingredient to create something special.
With this in mind, we want share with you some recipes we have cooked, not just with the freshest of ingredients as it seems, but also with our hearts.
Flavours from the heart
Fresh scampi
It’s an early Saturday morning and Mysaucepan and I are in the Sydney Fish Market to check out the fresh seafood.
The freshness of these scampi is unmistakable just by looking at the vibrant shades of red and orange on their gleaming glass-like shell. A razor sharp horn between two beedy black eyes protrudes from its head shell. They are not cheap and at $70.00 a kilogram, these beautiful crustaceans cost about $6 each.
We grab our load of seafood and head home to spend a blissful afternoon in the kitchen to prepare dinner for friends this evening.
2011 Louise Jardot Chablis
KC & Molly brings a 2011 Louise Jardot Chablis while Drama Queen arrives with a bunch of beautiful stargazer lilies.
This chablis has citrusy aromas with pear flavours on the palate. Oak is subtle and the finish is crisp and dry.
Chawanmushi, tomato water, sea urchin, roe
Chawanmushi, tomato water, sea urchin, roe
I have drawn inspiration for a chawanmushi from our dinner at LuMi Bar & Dining where head chef Federico Zanellato re-created the Japanese chawanmushi with an Italian slant using tomato water, diced tomato, parmesan and tiny strips of fresh basil.
I have delicately steamed these chawanmushi ramekins in a large pan at the lowest possible heat level. Just as love sometimes does, delicate egg custard calls for patience because gentle steaming is the only way to ensure a custard sets softly. Because love can never be rushed, steaming at a higher heat may cook faster but will also solidify egg custard, rendering its texture more like a fritata.
Once chilled, I add a little decadence with fresh sea urchin and flying fish roe.
I resist garnishing this chawanmushi with finely diced chives and/or bonito flakes for sake of presentation. One thing I have learnt from my late grandmother‘s recipes is food may not necessarily need to look good for it to taste good.
It’s a simple gesture but my suggestion is to eat this chawanmushi slowly by scooping with a teaspoon or Chinese porcelain spoon. Put on calming music and whether its breakfast, lunch, dinner or an afternoon picnic by the water’s edge, you will feel the love of your cooking just as much as you will enjoy the velvety smoothness of egg custard caressed by flavours from the sea.
Deep sea bream, scampi and octopus sashimi
Adding sauce vierge to fresh scampi, deep sea bream and octopus
We had lunch at beautiful Cottage Point Inn a couple of weeks ago and were mesmerized by head chef Guillaume Zika‘s beautiful entree of line-caught snapper carpaccio.
Chef Zika used a white peach sauce vierge to add more sweetness to finely bits of diced strawberries and finger lime, adding a tangy, popping finish to each sliver of fresh fish.
Here at home, we are using a lemon sauce vierge dressing that adds a tangy edge to sweet strawberry and combines well with basil and crunchy bits of diced zucchini.
Deep sea bream, scampi and octopus sashimi
We decide on three types of seafood to give contrast to its raw freshness ~ sashimi of deep sea bream, scampi and octopus.
The flesh of deep sea bream is firm in contrast with sweet and silky soft scampi. Octopus adds a gentle chew while tangy lemon sauce vierge, fragrance of fresh basil and bursts of sweet strawberry bring this entire dish to life. I retain the scampi heads and empty body shells as decoratives.
We had just as much fun creating this dish as our friends thoroughly enjoyed its flavours. Thanks chef Zika for the inspiration!
Prawn toast with mayonnaise, coriander and mint
Lacing Japanese kewpie mayo on deep fried prawn toast with sesame seeds
Prawn toast is a big favourite when we were kids.
When Mysaucepan and I first tasted Dan Hong‘s creation at Mr. Wong, we were keen to re-create this recipe at home from his cookbook Mr. Hong.
Garnishing prawn toast with spearmint, coriander and shallots
Hong is a talented chef, combining his Vietnamese heritage with exposure as a chef in cosmopolitan Sydney and food odysseys around the world.
French influences in Vietnam may have inspired the use of thick baguette slices laced with kewpie mayonnaise and a creamy prawn mousse deep fried to a crisp and crunchy golden brown.
Dan Hong's prawn toast with mayonnaise, coriander and mint
Garnished with a trio of spearmint, coriander, shallots, then drizzled with the tangy-sweet pungency of nuoc cham, this must surely be the king of all prawn toast recipes.
Grilled king prawns with herb butter
Fresh king prawns
I marvel in amazement whenever I see these fresh king prawns in Sydney Fish Market.
They are ginormous and smell like the sea. So fresh and wholesome, I could not find a single dark blemish on their heads as hard as I try.
Fresh king prawns stuffed with herb butter
Herb butter occupies a very special place in our freezer and we have a ready supply at any time because of its sheer versatility. We use herb butter for grilling fresh whole fish, rib-eye steaks, tossing a spaghetti vongole with a splash of chardonnay or simply slather into a baguette to make garlic bread.
I slit these prawns lengthwise along the head and body with kitchen scissors and stuff them with a pinch of salt, pepper and generous scoops of herb butter. Drizzle some extra virgin olive oil over these bad boys and they are ready for the oven.
Grilled king prawns with herb butter
After just ten minutes at 200 degrees Celsius, these bad boys are sizzling with fragrant aromas of parsley and butter.
Verticle tasting of Grosset Polish Hill riesling
2007 & 2012 Polish Hill Grosset siesling
Thelonius and Monk brought a 2002 & 2007 Polish Hill Grosset riesling respectively to complement the seafood though a verticle tasting is obviously inevitable.
These wines are some of the best interpretations of the riesling varietal that Australia produces each year.
The 2007 has lemony notes with a dry and tight finish that lingers on. It’s a beautiful drop for seafood though it conjures images of Darth Vader for its steely mouth-feel and a hollow middle palate.
Baby barramundi, lemon thyme sambal
Baby barramundi, lemon thyme sambal with crispy ginger
After marinating a couple of baby barramundi with sambal belachan, fresh slices of lemon and thyme, I toss them into the oven for about twenty minutes.
Garnished with a squeeze of lemon juice, shallots, coriander and a clump of crispy deep fried ginger, I believe barramundi cooked this style will touch the heart of every food seafood lover with a penchant for exotic Asian flavours.
The Recipes ~ Flavours from the heart
Chawanmushi, tomato water, sea urchin, roe
Ingredients
- 6 hen eggs
- 6 ripened tomatoes, hand-squeezed, water extracted and sieved
- Half cup water
- 6 teaspoon cooking oil
- 12 slivers of sea urchin
- 6 teaspoon tobiko or flying fish roe
- 2 teaspoon of salt to taste
Method
- Combine eggs, tomato water, water, salt and whisk until it becomes a smooth and even consistency;
- Heat water in a large pan until boiling then turn heat down to the lowest level;
- Pour mixture into 6 cups / ramekins and place ramekins into the pan so the hot water comes to the level of the egg mixture in the ramekins;
- Cover pan tightly and steam at lowest heat level for twenty minutes or until egg mixture begin to solidify;
- When egg mixture begins to solidify (it should be delicate and wobbly when ramekin is shaken lightly), remove from the pan, let cool and place in the fridge to chill for at least two hours to firm;
- When ready to serve, spoon in sea urchin and fish roe.
Deep sea bream, scampi and octopus sashimi
Ingredients
- 200 gm sashimi grade deep sea bream, kingfish or white flesh fish of your choice, thinly sliced
- 3 sashimi grade scapi, tail meat removed and sliced in half, head and body shells retained
- 200 gm sashimi grade octopus, thinly sliced
- 4 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 3 teaspoon brown suger
- 2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- S and black pepper to taste
- 6 baby basil leaves, 4 large basil leaves thinly sliced
- 5 large strawberries, diced into very fine cubes
- 1 zucchini, diced into very fine cubes
- Salt and pepper to taste
Method
- Arrange fish, scampi and octopus on a large platter, use the scampi head and empty body shells as decoration;
- Whisk olive oil, lemon juice, sugar, apple cider vinegar, salt and pepper to create dressing;
- Sprinkle strawberry, zucchini, basil over the fish;
- Drizzle dressing over the seafood and serve immediately.
Prawn toast with mayo, coriander and mint
Ingredients
Prawn mousse
- 500 gm banana or green prawns, shelled and processed into a smooth paste
- 1 egg white
- 1 tablespoon sesame seed oil
- 3 teaspoon sugar
- 2 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoon thinly diced coriander stalks
Baguette
- 1 large baguette, sliced diagonally
- 5 tablespoon sesame seeds
- 5 cups vegetable oil for deep frying
- Japanese keypie mayonnaise
Dressing
- 1 handful coriander leaves
- 1 handful round or spearmint leaves
- 1 handful julienne shallots
- 4 – 5 tablespoons of nuoc cham*
Grilled king prawns with herb butter
Ingredients
- 12 large king prawns, de-veined and slit lengthwise
- 200 gm unsalted butter, semi hard from the fridge
- A handful of parsley leaves, finely chopped
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- 2 – 3 wedges of lemon
Method
- Herb butter – Combine chopped parsley leaves and butter in food processor and process until it becomes a smooth and consistent paste;
- Sprinkle salt, black pepper and spoon a little of the herb butter mixture into each prawn. Wrap any remaining herb butter with cling wrap and roll it into a sausage like package, then place in freezer to firm it up;
- Drizzle some olive oil over each prawn, then place into a 200 degree Celsius charbroiler and grill for 10 – 15 minutes until the prawn shells start to blacken and blister;
- Remove from grill, squeeze lemon juice over the sizzling prawns and serve immediately.
Baby barramundi, lemon thyme sambal
Ingredients
- 2 baby barramundi, cleaned, scaled and gently scored on each side
- 200gm ginger, finely julienne and deep fried to crisp golden brown
- 4 teaspoon finely julienne shallots as garnish
- 12 slices of lemon
- 10 sprigs of fresh thyme
- 2 large pieces of banana leaf (or use baking paper as alternative)
- 4 tablespoon sambal belachan*
- Process one small brown onion in a food processor until a rough paste is formed. Avoid pulsing onion into a puree as it will become watery and not usable;
- Combined the mash of 12 dried red chillies (softened from being soaked in cold water) with 1 tablespoon of roasted belachan (fermented shrimp paste) into a rough paste;
- Heat 5 tablespoon of cooking oil in a saucepan until gently smoking then add 2 tablespoon of the onion paste and sautee until gently soft and fragrant;
- Add the chilli and belachan paste to the onion mixture and sautee until all ingredients are combined. Drain any excess oil, then set aside and let cool.
Method
- Slather a generous amount of sambal belachan on each side of the barramundi and also inside the cavity of the fish;
- Lace the fish on both sides with the lemon slices and thyme sprigs;
- Wrap the fish with the banana leaf and secure tightly if required with kitchen string;
- Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees Celsius, then bake the fish parcels for 20 minutes until fragrant aromas emanate from the banana leaf and sambal belachan;
- Remove the fish from the oven, unwrap the banana leaf and garnish with shallots and deep fried ginger;
- Serve hot with a squeeze of lemon juice over the sizzling fish.
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Deep sea bream, scampi and octopus sashimi
These recipes combine the inspiration of talented chefs and a dose of our own love and creativity in the kitchen. We believe fresh ingredients speak for themselves so we are careful to not over-cook or use too many different ingredients.
Their vibrant colours speak volumes of their freshness and, hopefully, the love from our hearts too.
So dear readers, how do you like to cook, following recipes to a tee or do you prefer Jamie Oliver’s style of a sprinkle of this and a dash of that with no apparent heed to uniformity?
The deep sea bream and octopus sashimi were purchased from Peter’s Seafood whilst green king prawns, scampi sashimi and baby barramundi were purchased from Nicholas Seafood. Both outlets are located within Sydney Fish Market.
Sydney Fish Market
Locked Bag 247
Bank street, Pyrmont 2009
New South Wales
Tel: +61 2 9004 1100
Trading hours: Every day from 7am – 4pm except Christmas Day
Go to www.sydneyfishmarket.com.au for find out more about trading hours, auction times and other events.
Peter’s Seafood
Shop 4, Sydney Fish Market
Tel: +61 2 9552 2555
Nicholas Seafood
Shop 6, Sydney Fish Market
Tel: +61 2 9660 4255
What an incredible day of shopping, cooking, eating, drinking and laughing. Every single dish is well, like everything else you two do – perfect.
Dear Maureen,
The shopping and cooking were just as much fun as the eating, drinking and laughing
Simply damn delicious n stunning presentation….
Holy Moly! Look at the size of those prawns and that plate of Deep sea bream, scampi and octopus sashimi looks like a work of art
This all looks so good, food from the heart always tastes different to ‘functional’ food.
Dear Caroline,
I think there is a time for both food from the heart and ‘functional food’.
One of my favourite places in the WORLD – the Sydney Fish Markets – when we lived in Sydney we shopped there every week – lovely post – thank you.
Dear Rachel,
We love the Sydney Fish Market too though fresh seafood is so plentiful all over the city these days.
Wow, this is a fabulous meal with incredibly fresh, top-notch ingredients! Bravo!
I am literally speechless. When I saw the first pic of your sashimi platter, I had to pause to inspect it closely, I was fascinated by it.
Every single component of this carefully thought out feast so lovingly prepared is stunning. I honestly have no other words.
Oh, except I WISH I WAS THERE!!!
PS love that you draw inspiration from your fave restaurants!
Dear Nagi,
Thanks for your kind words.
We are lucky to have such beautiful ingredients to cook with, so every time we come across exciting dishes at restaurants, they inspire us to try and replicate them at home.
I wish I could play the piano; unfortunately I just have no talent for it. That’s the best looking prawn toast I’ve ever seen xx
Dear Charlie,
Talent may be innate but piano playing skills is certainly something that can be honed.
Save me from licking my computer screen. Fantastic post! So want the deep sea bream, scampi and octopus sashimi plate. It’s so colourful!
If we are talking seafood and Sydney Fish Market, you have my undivided attention. I have almost forgotten how gorgeous and big the prawns are back home and those fresh scampi are absolutely perfect! I loved all your dishes, I still can’t decide which one would be my favorite but the deep sea bream, scampi and octopus sashimi looks amazing. I am in love with this dish.