Australia Day Family Dinner*

"On Australia Day the nation celebrates what's great about Australia and being Australian: 

the freedom to live as we wish, 

believe in any religious faith without persecution, 

laugh whenever the moment calls, 

wear the latest fashion trends, 

and most importantly, eat whatever we want!"

Most Australians will attend an organised community event, lay on the beach with friends to soak up the sunshine, have a barbeque in the backyard or watch the evening fireworks. For my family, it means another excuse for everyone to get together to eat (with an ever so slight intention of celebrating our national day)!

Tonight Dad was faced with a daunting task: to cook a meal for our family dinner that would survive the Critics, that is, my grandparents and relatives (all of whom are chefs!). Amongst the raw ingredients were a box of Uni (sea urchin), fresh lemons plucked from our lemon tree, two pots of vegetables mom had prepared earlier and two slabs of red atlantic salmon.

Uni Soup

Salmon Sashimi 

with Shallots to Garnish; Soy Sauce & Wasabi Condiments

Sydney Rock Oysters

Served with a Few Drops of Fresh Lemon Juice

Vegetables

Left: Roasted Japanese Pumpkin with Black Bean

Right: Winter Melon with Shredded Pork

Tiger Prawns

Marinated with Soya Tomato Sauce

Quail

Pan Fried in Soya Marinade and Garnished with Shallots

Steamed Coral Trout

with Ginger and Shallots in Soy Sauce

So what did the Critics say?

Uni Soup- should add more ginger to offset the fishy taste of the Uni.

Salmon Sashimi- temperature was not cold enough, but would be ideal if there was a bed of ice underneath and glad wrap over it to line the plate.

Sydney Rock Oysters- perfect. Very fresh!

Roasted Pumpkin- Pumpkin roasted perfectly but marinade was slightly too sweet, next time less brown sugar.

Winter Melon- plain by itself but a nice complement to the other flavoursome dishes.

Tiger Prawns & Quail- good, no complaints

Steamed Coral Trout- maybe a minute less in the steamer would have been perfect, as meat on the back did not separate from the bone entirely. 

And what did I say?

Although I completely agree with the Critics, 

overall the food look and tasted delicious!!

A job well done once again Dad!*