Stars of the sea
Our sumptuous seafood is a true Aussie festive favourite, writes Jessica Galletly
AUSSIE barramundi is back, as are the everpopular prawns and salmon on this year’s festive table.
Australia’s warm summer climate makes seafood a star at lunch or dinner, and can even take the place of a whole hot bird.
With Christmas just 12 days away, now is the time to decide just what seafood to serve – and how.
Seafood searches on taste.com.au spike dramatically in December as cooks seek out the perfect recipe to feed the family or impress guests. Seafood salads are on trend, says taste.com.au digital editor Laura Simpson.
“Fish and seafood are becoming sought-after salad ingredients,” Simpson says. “Both salmon salad and prawn salad were among the fastest rising salad searches on taste last December, and salmon salad is once again rising in popularity this year.”
Taste food director Michelle Southan loves barramundi because it’s a great all-rounder – it works barbecued, grilled, roasted or pan-fried.
“Australian-grown barramundi has a great thick flesh so it’s perfect for Christmas lunch. The secret is to not overcook it – flake it with a fork to see if it’s ready. It’ll keep cooking once you take it off the pan so allow for that when you test it,” she says.
The beautiful thing about using salmon in a salad is that a whole fish, or even a side fillet, goes a long way. Simply cook to your liking and flake over other ingredients.
And the choice of flavour options is endless. From former MasterChef star Marion Grasby's crispy salmon and chilli caramel salad, to a fresh and healthy quinoa, pea, apple, mint and salmon combo, it’s easy to find something to suit your day’s spread.
Southan loves to cook a whole side of salmon with a yoghurt and tahini dressing.
For crispy skinned salmon, she says dry the fish completely. Sprinkle with salt and set it aside for at least 30 minutes. Then scrape off the salt with a blunt edge of a knife and pat dry again.
“A really hot pan is essential for getting the skin to go crispy, so preheat a frying pan on high,” she says.
“Cook skin side down for 3-4 minutes until the skin is golden and crispy. Gently flip the fish over and continue cooking for a further 2-3 minutes, or until it’s cooked to your liking.”
But for sheer indulgence at Christmas, shellfish is a perennial favourite.
“Shellfish remains a big winner this entertaining season,” Simpson says. “We see oysters surge in popularity in December.”
Southan says cooked prawns are a must and make up a simple platter, quickly. They can be dressed up with supermarket dips such as tzatziki, pesto — even guacamole goes really well with prawns.