GOOD FOOD NEEDN’Tbe complicated.
It’s the underlying premise of everything
Rick Stein puts on the plate, and the results
are a sheer joy to eat.
That belief has been the driving force
behind his Australian restaurant, Rick Stein
at Bannisters, in Mollymook for the past
nine years, where he has celebrated
best-in-class Aussie seafood. Now he’s
doing the same a few hours north of
Sydney at a new Port Stephens outpost of
the same name. “The menu is driven by
what quality produce we get access to on
any given day,” says Stein. “Not only is
Port Stephens beautiful, with all its
amazing inlets, it’s got some of the best
seafood in the world.”
With glorious options such as kingfish,
pink ling, flathead, prawns or mussels, the
aim of any good cook, says Stein, is to try
to keep it as simple as possible and let the
produce reveal its true nature.
“As far as I’m concerned, I find it difficult
cooking seafood, but it’s also so incredibly
wonderful. And knowing exactly what you
should do is the great challenge. The
Japanese have always been thoughtful and
intellectual about cooking, and incredibly
SERVES 4-6(^1) / 4
21 / 2
(^1) / 2
(^1) / 2
1 tsp dried oregano
250g skinless ling fillet, pin-boned,
cut into 4cm pieces
20 pot-ready mussels
2 squid tubes, cleaned, thinly sliced
(^1) / 2 loosely packed cup flat-leaf parsley
leaves, chopped
6 slices sourdough
Place prawn heads and shells and fish stock
in a saucepan over high heat and bring to
the boil. Reduce to a gentle simmer and
cook, partially covered, for 20 minutes to
infuse. Set aside.
Meanwhile, combine vinegar and sugar
in a small saucepan over high heat and
bring to the boil. Cook, stirring
occasionally, for 4 minutes or until
reduced to 2 tsp, then set aside.
cious.co