Serves: 4

Difficulty:
Ingredients

20 yabbies (prawns, shrimp or squid)
100g rice flour or breadcrumb
5g salt
10g Alpine Pepper
80g rocket (arugula) or mizuna leaves
2-3 litres vegetable oil
skewers

Method

Start out by freezing your catch for 2 hours immediately before the preparation.

Begin by heating up vegetable oil in a deep pot on the stove. Take a lot of care when deep frying and watch the protruding handle on some pots since bumping it can splash the oil and lead to a fire. I like to use vegetable or peanut oil as the plain flavours don’t over-power the subtle flavours of the seafood. (Vic tells me that they also have a higher smoke point than olive or other nut oils so you reduce the oxidation of the fats and this makes them better for deep frying.)

Remove the head from each yabby and peel off the shell by snipping the edges of the shells with kitchen scissors. You can reserve the shells and heads, roast them and make a delicious stock or bisque (not needed for this recipe) so freeze everything but the tail meat for up to a few weeks until
you need it.

Depending on the size of each yabbie, you may need 5-6 smaller tails per skewer or 2 – 3 larger ones. Mix the salt & pepper with the rice flour and coat the skewered yabbies generously.

Before you cook the yabbies, you’ll need to test the heat of the oil. As we demonstrated on the show, you can do this by placing a skewer in the heated oil. If bubbles come out of the end of the
skewer, the oil is hot enough. Lower the yabbies into the hot oil, they will need only 2-3 minutes to cook and the coating should be golden brown. Drain on paper toweling to soak up any excess oil.

Styling

Arrange the skewers as shown or simply stack them and serve with a small salad.

Dining Downunder Cookbook
This Australian recipe of Salt and pepper yabbie skewers is included in the Dining Downunder Cookbook which can be purchased online at the Dining Downunder Online Shop. Also available online is a wide range of native Australian herbs and spices, sauces, syrups, infused oils and bush tucker ingredients such as wattleseed and paperbark rolls.

Episode: Margaret River and restaurant Vat 107

Recipe By: Benjamin Christie

Late at night down in Chinatown, many restaurants serve up this treat using either fresh prawns or squid in their own unique salt and Szechwan pepper blends. I thought yabbies would bring sweetness to the dish giving it a further dimension. Nowadays, most fish shops and seafood markets in Australia have live yabbies available or you can catch your own in farm dams and most of our larger inland rivers. Try this recipe with chicken strips as well.

Other recipes from this Episode

• Paperbark smoked duck with Illawarra plum sauce
• Ricotta figs and macadamia nuts

Other Episodes

• The Three Sisters and the Post Office Restaurant in Leura
• The Cowrie Restaurant Terrigal Beach
• Swiss Grand at Bondi Beach Sydney
• Redgum Restaurant at Boronia House Mosman
• Margaret River and restaurant Vat 107
• Lillipilli in the Rocks
• Hydro Majestic Hotel in the Blue Mountains
• Feast Restaurant on Avoca Beach
• Crowne Plaza Newcastle
• Buderim Ginger and Bistro C in Noosa on the Sunshine Coast

Serves: 6

Difficulty: 

Ingredients

800g self raising flour
250ml milk (approximately – this changes with the humidity so plus or minus 50 ml)
a pinch of salt
50g Riberry Confit
100g blue cheese

Method

1. pre-heat the oven (and the camp oven, if you’re using one)
2. Sift the self raising flour and salt into a bowl
3. add milk to the flour and salt to make a soft dough without over-working the mix, it should be just incorporated and as airy as possible
4. add the riberries and coarsely broken up blue cheese to the dough
5. shape into a round loaf
6. sprinkle a little flour to the camp oven to check the heat and lessen the damper sticking or use a floured, shallow, 25cm round, cake tin if just oven baking
7. bake at 180°C for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the loaf makes a hollow sound when tapped or put the heated lid on the camp oven and either bake in the oven or place the camp oven onto hot coals and add more hot coals onto the lid; if there’s a wind blowing replace the coals regularly and pile up some extra hot coals on the lee side as this will cool off and make the baking un-even; also turn the camp oven to help distribute the heat

Styling

Serve hot or warm with or without butter and either pull apart to rough chunks for dunking or slice it up for spreading.

Notes
Damper was the mainstay of the early settlers in Australia. They used water, bi-carb and a coarse flour occasionally ‘stretched’ with flour milled from wild seeds or nuts. But Aborigines have been cooking this way for tens of thousands of years before them and they tool to wheat flour damper readily instead of collecting and milling the far more nutritious wild seeds (it was back-breaking, laborious work). To cook in, the settlers carried heavy, cast iron camp ovens* whereas the Aborigines had developed quite sophisticated baking methods using nothing more than an open fire, hot coals and the heated ground under the fire.

• Cast iron camp ovens also often broke on the rough roads and to address this, a ringer from Bedourie Station developed a much lighter, pressed steel one, now known as a Bedourie oven.

Dining Downunder Cookbook
This Australian recipe of Riberry and Blue Cheese Damper is included in the Dining Downunder Cookbook which can be purchased online at the Dining Downunder Online Shop. Also available online is a wide range of native Australian herbs and spices, sauces, syrups, infused oils and bush tucker ingredients such as wattleseed and paperbark rolls.

Episode: Hydro Majestic Hotel in the Blue Mountains

Recipe By: Benjamin Christie

The best feature of the camp oven is that to clean it, all you do is burn off any residues and dry-wipe away the charcoal. Pack the oven in a Hessian bag and its ready for next time.

Other recipes from this Episode

• Japanese pumpkin frittata served with bush tomato chutney
• Wattleseed pancakes with riberry confit
• White bean cassoulet

Other Episodes

• The Three Sisters and the Post Office Restaurant in Leura
• The Cowrie Restaurant Terrigal Beach
• Swiss Grand at Bondi Beach Sydney
• Redgum Restaurant at Boronia House Mosman
• Margaret River and restaurant Vat 107
• Lillipilli in the Rocks
• Hydro Majestic Hotel in the Blue Mountains
• Feast Restaurant on Avoca Beach
• Crowne Plaza Newcastle
• Buderim Ginger and Bistro C in Noosa on the Sunshine Coast

Serves: 4

Difficulty: 
Ingredients

1 large Japanese pumpkin
3 large zucchini
1 large eggplant
3 large red capsicums
6 eggs
250ml cream
1 bunch wild rocket
1 pkt bush tomato chutney
1 set Cherikoff herbs and spices

Method

1. rub the pumpkin with oil and sprinkle with salt; place in the oven 180°C for 30-40 minutes
2. while it is cooking slice the vegetables and char grill them until soft, turning often
3. whisk the eggs and add the cream and Alpine Pepper
4. scoop the seeds from the pumpkin and season the inside flesh with Fruit Spice – this really brings up the fruity notes of pumpkin and adds a lot to the finished dish
5. begin layering the vegetables using a different spice on each layer – I used Australian Wildfire Spice, Red Desert Dust, Lemon Myrtle and Rainforest Rub on the layers
6. pour in your egg mixture and place in the oven at 180°C for about 20-30 minutes
7. test if it is cooked by lightly shaking the tray; if the centre doesn’t wobble it is ready or you could use the old trick of sticking a skewer in the centre if it comes out clean it’s done
8. wash the rocket in cold water and shake dry
9. Cut a slice of the Fritta and serve with bush tomato chutney on the side.

Notes

Check the pumpkin every 15 minutes and if it starts to crack turn the oven down because if it springs too many leeks the egg mix will just form an omelette all over the baking tray. I’ve had it
happen

Dining Downunder Cookbook
This Australian recipe of Japanese pumpkin frittata served with bush tomato chutney is included in the Dining Downunder Cookbook which can be purchased online at the Dining Downunder Online Shop. Also available online is a wide range of native Australian herbs and spices, sauces, syrups, infused oils and bush tucker ingredients such as wattleseed and paperbark rolls.

Episode: Hydro Majestic Hotel in the Blue Mountains

Recipe By: Mark McCluskey

This is one of the few dishes where Vic would agree to using more than one or two of his seasonings but because you eat through the slice of frittata in layers, each mouthful stands alone in flavour – even the pumpkin.

Other recipes from this Episode

• Riberry and Blue Cheese Damper
• Wattleseed pancakes with riberry confit
• White bean cassoulet

Other Episodes

• The Three Sisters and the Post Office Restaurant in Leura
• The Cowrie Restaurant Terrigal Beach
• Swiss Grand at Bondi Beach Sydney
• Redgum Restaurant at Boronia House Mosman
• Margaret River and restaurant Vat 107
• Lillipilli in the Rocks
• Hydro Majestic Hotel in the Blue Mountains
• Feast Restaurant on Avoca Beach
• Crowne Plaza Newcastle
• Buderim Ginger and Bistro C in Noosa on the Sunshine Coast

Serves: 4

Difficulty:
Ingredients:

Salad:

1 packet vermicelli glass noodles (rice or mung bean)
20 green prawns or shrimp, no heads or tails, peeled and de-veined
10ml olive oil
15ml light soy sauce
200g snow peas shoots, chopped
100g bean sprouts
80g snow peas, coarsely chopped
50g macadamia nuts, coarsely chopped
50g shiitake mushrooms, coarsely chopped

Dressing

80ml lemon aspen syrup
15ml white wine vinegar
2 to 6 chillies (depending on their heat and size), de-seeded and finely chopped
1 tablespoon Buderim minced ginger
¼ teaspoon Lemon Myrtle

Method:

Salad

1. Place the vermicelli noodles into boil hot water; turn the heat off and allow them to sit for 3 to 4 minutes then strain and cool with cold water
2. marinate the prawns with olive oil and light soy sauce
3. place the prawns on to a hot char-grill for about 3 to 4 minutes, turning once done
4. roast the macadamia nut pieces in a dry pan on the barbecue while constantly tossing them until the fines begin to darken; transfer them to a large mixing bowl to cool

Dressing

1. To the lemon aspen syrup, add enough of the vinegar to lessen the sweetness and give a suggestion of tartness
2. add some of the chopped chilli
3. grate a knuckle of ginger on a slab grater and squeeze a teaspoonful of the juice into the dressing
4. allow the mix to stand for the flavours to infuse

Styling:

1. Once all the prawns are cooked, combine all of the ingredients, including the dressing in the bowl with the toasted macadamia nuts
2. toss well and place on to a large serving plate and dust with Lemon Myrtle to finish.

Dining Downunder Cookbook
This Australian recipe of Ginger prawn and noodle salad is included in the Dining Downunder Cookbook which can be purchased online at the Dining Downunder Online Shop. Also available online is a wide range of native Australian herbs and spices, sauces, syrups, infused oils and bush tucker ingredients such as wattleseed and paperbark rolls.

Episode: Buderim Ginger and Bistro C in Noosa on the Sunshine Coast

Recipe By: Benjamin Christie

The lemon aspen syrup may be the only challenging ingredient in this dish. For a substitute, try a mix of 10ml lemon juice, 80g palm sugar and 70ml (¼ cup) of water.

Other recipes from this Episode

• Alpine peppered pineapple with wild fruit yoghurt
• Tasmanian salmon with soy Alpine Pepper dressing

Other Episodes

• The Three Sisters and the Post Office Restaurant in Leura
• The Cowrie Restaurant Terrigal Beach
• Swiss Grand at Bondi Beach Sydney
• Redgum Restaurant at Boronia House Mosman
• Margaret River and restaurant Vat 107
• Lillipilli in the Rocks
• Hydro Majestic Hotel in the Blue Mountains
• Feast Restaurant on Avoca Beach
• Crowne Plaza Newcastle
• Buderim Ginger and Bistro C in Noosa on the Sunshine Coast

Serves: 5

Difficulty: 
Ingredients

1kg cleaned baby octopus
250ml red wine (a rough Shiraz or blend is fine or try some port for a sweeter finish)
250ml olive oil
2 teaspoons of Red Desert Dust

Method

1. combine the octopus and the wet ingredients in a pot
2. cover and simmer for 2 hours or until tender
3. strain the octopus and place onto a hot BBQ hotplate
4. char-grill until crispy
5. season with half the Red Desert Dust and cook briefly to blacken the spice
6. remove from the hotplate and re-season with the remaining spice

Styling

Serve hot or cold with a green salad and Wild Rosella and Wasabi Dressing

Char-grilled baby octopus Email this recipe to a friend

Dining Downunder Cookbook
This Australian recipe of Char-grilled baby octopus is included in the Dining Downunder Cookbook which can be purchased online at the Dining Downunder Online Shop. Also available online is a wide range of native Australian herbs and spices, sauces, syrups, infused oils and bush tucker ingredients such as wattleseed and paperbark rolls.

Episode: Australia Day on Sydney Harbour

Recipe By: Benjamin Christie

Calamari rings or slices of large octopus can be used as well. Try seasoning with a few different spice mixes for interest e.g. Rainforest Rub, Wildfire Spice, Alpine Pepper or Oz Lemon but do this to finish as the aromatics will be cooked off if these spices are heated too much.

Other recipes from this Episode

• Mud crab and smoked kumara gnocchi
• Paperbark smoked barramundi
• Soused sea perch fillets
• Sydney Salad
• Wild rosella and wasabi dressing

Other Episodes

• The Three Sisters and the Post Office Restaurant in Leura
• The Cowrie Restaurant Terrigal Beach
• Swiss Grand at Bondi Beach Sydney
• Redgum Restaurant at Boronia House Mosman
• Margaret River and restaurant Vat 107
• Lillipilli in the Rocks
• Hydro Majestic Hotel in the Blue Mountains
• Feast Restaurant on Avoca Beach
• Crowne Plaza Newcastle
• Buderim Ginger and Bistro C in Noosa on the Sunshine Coast

Serves: 4

Difficulty:
Ingredients

4 baby barramundi fillets, skinless
1 cup sugar
1 cup salt (common table salt is fine here)
2 teaspoons
Alpine Pepper
250g rainforest herb linguini
½ tablespoon butter
2 red capsicums roasted and peeled
100g snow peas
100g English spinach or warrigal greens
2 teaspoons Lemon Myrtle

Method

1. Combine the salt and sugar
2. in a deep tray, spread about a third of the mix, place the fillets on top and pack with the remaining cure mix
3. leave for 2 hours at room temperature or chill for 24 hours
4. when the barramundi flesh has firmed up and lightened in colour, rinse it in fresh water, drain and dry throughly on paper toweling
5. slice into thin pieces cutting across the fillets at an angle of 30°
6. prepare the pasta in salted boiling water for 11 minutes or until al denté, drain and add a dash of olive oil (Australian, of course)
7. top and tail the snow peas removing the string from the edges
8. blanch the snow peas and warrigal greens and refresh in iced water then drain
9. slice the capsicums into thin strips
10. heat up a wok add a little oil and a nob of butter, toss the pasta until golden then add the snow peas, greens and capsicums, dish up the 4 serves
11. to the hot pan, add the barralax slices, toss for about 1 minute; sprinkle with Lemon Myrtle and serve on top of the rainforest herb linguini

Dining Downunder Cookbook
This Australian recipe of Barralax on rainforest herb linguini is included in the Dining Downunder Cookbook which can be purchased online at the Dining Downunder Online Shop. Also available online is a wide range of native Australian herbs and spices, sauces, syrups, infused oils and bush tucker ingredients such as wattleseed and paperbark rolls.

Episode: Feast Restaurant on Avoca Beach

Recipe By: Mark McCluskey

Should it be barralax or gravamundi? Either is a corruption of the Scandinavian word for the process of dry curing salmon – but we wanted to make it our own using what is often considered amongst the best eating fish around. This dish needs to be prepared well ahead of time as the curing of the barramundi can take up to 24 hours.

Other recipes from this Episode

• Wattleseed pavlova
• Wine drenched lamb with Alpine Pepper mash

Other Episodes

• The Three Sisters and the Post Office Restaurant in Leura
• The Cowrie Restaurant Terrigal Beach
• Swiss Grand at Bondi Beach Sydney
• Redgum Restaurant at Boronia House Mosman
• Margaret River and restaurant Vat 107
• Lillipilli in the Rocks
• Hydro Majestic Hotel in the Blue Mountains
• Feast Restaurant on Avoca Beach
• Crowne Plaza Newcastle

Serves: 8

Difficulty:

Ingredients

10g Rosella Confit
90ml water
50g sugar
20ml umeboshi plum vinegar or good quality red wine vinegar
wasabi to taste

Method

1. In a small saucepan, combine the water and sugar and dissolve over medium heat
2. remove from heat and add vinegar
3. cool before adding rosella extract
4. take a tablespoonful of liquid and in a small bowl, mix this with the wasabi paste to make a slurry
5. add this back into the main mixture and taste
6. repeat with more wasabi, if necessary or desired

Dining Downunder Cookbook

This Australian recipe of Wild rosella and wasabi dressing is included in the Dining Downunder Cookbook which can be purchased online at the Dining Downunder Online Shop. Also available online is a wide range of native Australian herbs and spices, sauces, syrups, infused oils and bush tucker ingredients such as wattleseed and paperbark rolls.

Episode: Australia Day on Sydney Harbour

Recipe By: Benjamin Christie

Mark loves wasabi and I mean he loves wasabi, in fact, he loves anything spicy. When I prepared this dressing to accompany some freshly BBQd seafood he complained there wasn’t enough wasabi in it yet it brought tears to my eyes. I generally make a more tame version but if you’re game to try it really spicy and hot then add more wasabi. Some Alpine pepper also makes an interesting base flavour. Add about a half teaspoonful for this recipe. You can try using the powdered wasabi as well but I prefer the paste for the convenience of a tube.

Other recipes from this Episode

• Char-grilled baby octopus
• Mud crab and smoked kumara gnocchi
• Paperbark smoked barramundi
• Soused sea perch fillets
• Sydney Salad

Other Episodes

• The Three Sisters and the Post Office Restaurant in Leura
• The Cowrie Restaurant Terrigal Beach
• Swiss Grand at Bondi Beach Sydney
• Redgum Restaurant at Boronia House Mosman
• Margaret River and restaurant Vat 107
• Lillipilli in the Rocks
• Hydro Majestic Hotel in the Blue Mountains
• Feast Restaurant on Avoca Beach
• Crowne Plaza Newcastle
• Buderim Ginger and Bistro C in Noosa on the Sunshine Coast