Spring is the season of picnics, barbecues, and relaxed long lunches. The weather is improving (though La Nina may put a slight dampener on proceedings this year), friends are gathering, and the seafood is abundant and high-quality.
We've collected a whole bunch of tips, tricks, recipes, and ideas to inspire you this Spring. Read on to take your seasonal entertaining to the next level.
Appetisers
Whether you're hosting a picnic or a long lunch, a few quick and easy appetisers are a must. Seafood is ideal for these as it's light, fresh, and often requires no cooking!
Sashimi is a great option for classy little nibbles... We love these Snapper Tartare breads for a quick bite, and you can never go wrong with a classic Tuna Tartare either. Salmon Blinis are another iconic appetiser, but you could also take them to the next level and make some Salmon or Ocean Trout Flatbread Rolls.
If you have some more time or just want to get a little more elaborate, Rice Paper Rolls are deliciously light and fresh, home-made Sushi Bites are great for kids, and Cocktail Abalone is super indulgent and classy.
Freshness Tips
If you are taking any of these dishes along to a picnic, there are a few easy ways to ensure your seafood stays fresh.
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Use a cooler bag and ice bricks to keep everything cold. If you don't have ice bricks, some ice cubes in a tied-up plastic bag work just as well, and can be moulded around items to make a chilled package.
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Keep any 'wet' items separate from 'dry'. For example, bring your Tartare mixture in a sealed container, separate from the bread it will be served on. This ensures that nothing gets soggy!
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Prepare any seafood elements as close as you can to the time you are leaving the house. As long as seafood is kept cold, it will last at least a day (often 2-3!), but for optimal flavour it's important to prep close to your eating time.
Mains
The key to Spring entertaining is keeping things simple, light and fresh. Nobody wants to be slaving away in the kitchen for hours while the sun is shining!
If you're hosting a lunch, big shareable platters are a great way to save yourself time plating up. A few big salads Рlike this Squid Salad, a unique Salad Ni̤oise, an Italian-inspired Bonito Salad, or this Prawn and Cucumber Salad Рwould work perfectly.
If you want to add something more substantial, try a big platter of seasoned prawns (like in this recipe or this one), some fish skewers (salmon works well, or a mixture of different fish), or a tumble of delicious barbecued octopus.
There are so many options here, but for Spring, we think focusing on sharing and self-serving is ideal, especially if you're entertaining a big group.
Drinks and Desserts
While this isn't our area of expertise, we have a couple of great partners at Sydney Seafood School that can help you out.
Our brand new Sundowner Sessions (hands-off cooking demonstrations for busy working foodies) feature fresh and zingy canned Gin and Tonics kindly provided by . These are a great way to treat your guests to cocktails without having to put them all together yourself.
Pepe Saya butter (which we've used in the School for years now) have a huge selection of incredible dessert recipes on their website... Our picks for Spring are their and ; light, fresh, and seasonal!
Styling and Table Dressing
One of our favourite people to look to for inspiration in this area is the incredible Lucy Tweed. An extremely talented food-stylist, recipe developer, and all-around crack up, Lucy knows everything there is to know about setting the perfect table.
is a treasure trove of inspiration, especially when it comes to light and bright springtime vibes... But if you want to dive even deeper, we strongly recommend booking into her upcoming class at Sydney Seafood School. She's hosting a 'long lunch', where she'll not only teach you how to make some deliciously simple seafood dishes, but will also impart her wisdom on setting the perfect table. It's not often you get to pick the brains of an actual food stylist for your next barbecue!
Book the class .
