“I can’t THINK!!” I wailed dramatically, as I ran back and forth between the table of fresh produce and the pantry, trying to decide what to make for the Huon Salmon Mystery Box Cook-Off. “I can’t perform under pressure!!!” So, it seems my recent trip to Tasmania to spend a weekend with the wonderful folk of Huon Salmon was an eye opener not just about salmon farming in Australia, but also myself. Specifically, that I can’t cook under pressure. And that I will therefore never be on one of those TV reality cooking shows. Can you imagine?? I’d be flapping around like a lunatic, always the one with the messiest work station, dropping things, food flying everywhere as I chop manically, pots banging and clanging…. OK, so it might make good TV viewing. But it would be bad for my blood pressure!! 😂 These work trips I take. They are not junkets, they are not fancy tours where I’m pampered and swan around with a posse. Nope, the schedule is full, early starts and late finishes. I’m a guest of the client and more importantly, I’m there to learn. And cutting through the enormous amount of information I absorbed over that weekend, here’s the core of what I came away with: Huon Salmon is the freshest in Australia And that’s not a marketing speel. It’s because Huon Salmon are the only salmon farmers in Australia who have a dedicated team that harvests through the night so their salmon is first to market. Every other salmon farmer harvests during the day, which means they are sitting overnight on ice before being transported to the markets. PS Just for some context, Huon Salmon is based in Tasmania which is the southern most island state in Australia with a climate similar to Scotland. i.e. COLD. The salmon love it. The harvesters are seriously rugged up.
Many Australians may well remember that ethical salmon farming was brought to the attention of the public when the Four Corners TV show aired an investigation into salmon farming in Australia. Overcrowding, chemical colouring and suffering natural environments were revealed and the public was shocked. I mean, we’re talking about Australia’s favourite fish here! I’m not going to name and shame, but let me say this: The founders of Huon Salmon, Frances and Peter Bender, have been extremely vocal about ethical salmon farming. To the point of controversy within the industry and their peers. They’re the good guys. They’re the Tassie local farmers who are fiercely protective of the beautiful Tasmanian natural environment. They’re the ones who have so much pride in producing the best and the freshest salmon in Australia that they decided to harvest the salmon in the middle of freezing cold winter nights, when temperatures can drop to zero degrees, just to minimise the hours between the time the salmon leaves the water and ends up at the markets.
And if you need further proof, here is another cool fact: Huon Salmon is highly prized by the Japanese and we all know that the Japanese know their fresh fish!! Truly, it’s believed that because Huon Salmon are raised in a stress free environment, the flesh is softer. While you and I may not have a refined enough palette to know, let me tell you that the sushi masters in Japan certainly know. It’s pretty cool to think that I may have seen sushi chefs buy Huon salmon when I visited the famous Tsukiji Fish Markets in Tokyo! 😂 (Another pretty cool fact: Huon Salmon harvested in Tassie in the wee hours of the morning land in Japan that evening. Pretty cool, huh?)
So, getting back to the opening dramatics, in between a tour of the Huon Salmon Farm and my endless questions, we* had a Mystery Box Cook Off. We were given a table of selected produce and whatever was in the pantry, unlimited Huon Salmon (oh my oh my, it was a Salmon Lovers’ Dream!) and we were given the challenge of making a feast for the midnight Salmon Harvesting Team using what we were given.
- We, being Chef Massimo Mele, Lyndi Cohen of the Nude Nutritionist (you might recognise her from the TODAY show!), and Gastrology (Melbourne’s leading restaurant reviewers – no photos, no names, anonymity is their thing!) Me, I lost the plot. Chef Massimo was laughing as I ran back and forth across the kitchen, so much activity happening at my work station yet nothing was being produced because I didn’t actually know what I was going to make. And I’m so embarrassed to admit – Mama came to the rescue. Yep, I used her Teriyaki sauce recipe to make Teriyaki Salmon. 🙂
And here’s our romantic dinner with 14 Salmon Harvesters. 🙂
“I WANT A REPLAY!!!!” I really want to be that poised, Nigella-like cook who can produce an array of dishes without a bead of sweat, without my cheeks turning red, without my hair mysteriously turning into frizz midway through cooking. Alas, such is not the case. And yes, at the end of the Cook Off, I may have declared “I want a replay!”. I lay in bed at the hotel that evening, thinking of all the other things I could have made. And I decided to redeem myself by having my own little Cook Off. So on the way home, I picked up some fresh Huon Salmon and nothing else (oh wait – I got some treats for Dozer too. 🙂 ) Went home and challenged myself to make something fabulous using just what I had. Here’s what I came up with – Lemon Honey Glazed Salmon. The salmon is dusted with a seasoned flour for extra flavour + to make it slightly crispy and give the sauce something to really cling onto. The sauce is sweet, but not too sweet (there’s only 2.5 tbsp of honey in it) and balanced out by the tang from fresh lemon. I made this 3 times in 2 days. The homeless man at the dog park had it for lunch and dinner 2 days in a row and he loved it. I think you’ll love it too. – Nagi xx
More fish recipes!
PS Australia! Remember to ask your fish monger – “Is that Huon Salmon?” It’s available Australia wide, and I haven’t noticed a price difference between Huon Salmon and other brands. Huon Salmon is prized by Australian restauranteurs, and it’s the freshest salmon available in Australia. N x
Today’s Lemon Honey Glazed Salmon recipe is brought to you in partnership with Huon Aquaculture, growers of the freshest salmon in Australia, prized by our best restauranteurs and by the Japanese. They are strong advocates of ethical salmon farming and fiercely protective of the natural environment in which they operate.
WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT
Lemon Honey Glazed Salmon recipe video!
LIFE OF DOZER
Always hovers close by when I’m cooking salmon. I swear, it’s the smell. It drives him crazy – he LOVES it.
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