Oamaru Cooks — Seared Salmon Cakes

Stephen Le Corre and his Salmon

The 14th Annual Oamaru Wine & Food Festival took place this past Sunday at the Oamaru Public Gardens. One of the highlights of the event is the opportunity to watch some of the area’s leading chefs demonstrate some of their signature dishes. The first demonstration was by Stephen Le Corre, Captain of the NZ Culinary Team and tutor at the Aoraki Polytechnic, who prepared one of the most ambitious dishes of the day, producing “Seared salmon on smoked fish cake with spicy potted shrimps, served with wilted spinach and basil butter sauce”. Each element of this dish was prepared at the portable kitchen in windy and chilly conditions, using unfamiliar (to him) equipment. But the resulting dish was excellent and one that anyone could reproduce at home to impress their family or friends.

If you’re interested in making the dish, here’s the recipe, courtesy of Chef Stephen and the Aoraki Polytech:

Seared salmon (4 portions)

• 4 140-g salmon fillets
• salt and pepper
• 30ml oil
• 20g butter

1. Season the salmon with salt and pepper.
2. Heat the oil and butter in a frying pan then add the salmon.
3. Fry for 3-4 minutes then turn and fry for another 3-4 minutes.
4. Drain and serve.

Potted shrimps (4 portions)

• 80g peeled, deveined prawns
• 30g butter
• Pinch cayenne pepper
• Pinch ground mace
• Pinch nutmeg
• Pinch paprika

1. Gently fry the spices in butter.
2. Add prawns and gently warm through.

Basil butter sauce (4 portions)

• 125ml water
• 125ml white wine vinegar
• 50g shallot, finely chopped
• 200g butter, diced, cool
• 5mls lemon juice
• 1 tsp chopped basil
• salt and pepper

1. Reduce the water, vinegar and shallots to about two tablespoons.
2. Cool slightly and gradually whisk in the butter cubes until creamy.
3. Whisk in the lemon juice and season to taste.
4. Pass the sauce through a sieve and then stir in the basil.

NOTE: Do not overheat or the sauce will split.

Smoked fish (Yield: 200g)

• 225g white fish fillets
• 10ml lemon juice
• 20g brown sugar
• 10g sea salt
• 2 tbs manuka chips

1. Brush the fillets of fish in lemon juice and then coat with brown sugar and salt. Leave to stand in the fridge for 20-30 minutes.
2. Place a layer of foil in the base of a pan and top with the manuka chips and then another layer of foil.
3. Rinse fillets under cold water and dry thoroughly with paper towel then place on a wire rack above the wood chips.
4. Seal the pan with foil and pierce a small hole then place over a medium heat. Cook until the smoke has stopped and the fish fillets are firm.
5. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.

Smoked Fish Cakes  (4 portions)

250g floury potatoes, peeled, boiled and mashed
200g smoked fish, flaked
2 spring onions, cut in 1-cm lengths
1 tsp chopped coriander (cilantro)
1 tsp chopped parsley
1 tsp Dijon mustard
salt and pepper
25ml oil
25ml butter
100g flour
2 eggs, beaten
200g fresh bread crumbs

1. Mix the fish, mashed potatoes, herbs, mustard, onions and seasoning.
2. Split into four even sized cakes and shape with a little flour.
3. Coat with flour, egg and bread crumbs.
4. Fry the fish cakes in butter and oil until golden and heated through.

Wilted Spinach (4 portions)

• 250g fresh spinach, washed and stalk removed
• 1⁄4 lemon, juiced
• 40g olive oil
• sea salt and ground pepper

1. Heat the oil in a pan until very hot.  Add the spinach and seasoning, then turn until just wilted.
2. Squeeze over the lemon juice and remove from the heat.
3. Drain excess moisture and serve.

Oamaru and the British Antarctic (Terra Nova) Expedition

Oamaru’s harbour may not seem very big or important today, but 100 years ago it was a bustling port, with ships coming and going regularly, taking New Zealand lamb, wool and gold to Britain and bringing manufactured goods back. But in 1913 a particularly important vessel arrived in port, the centenary of which will be a major cause for commemoration in town.

In the early 20th Century, the age of exploration was focused on the world’s extremes, and nothing was more extreme than the South Pole. Several teams sought to be the first to claim the honour of being the first to reach this landmark, with the British, Norwegians and Americans among the most assiduous. Robert Falcon Scott–whose name would become associated with several geographical features of the Antarctic, was captain of the Terra Nova, which set sail from Cardiff in 1910, seeking to be the first to reach the geographical South Pole. Unfortunately, when Scott reached the Pole in January 1912, he found that he was not the first–his Norwegian rival Amundsen had got there in December 1911! To make matters worse, Scott was to perish during the journey back to the coast from the Pole, along with all the members of his party.

News of Scott’s fate was not to be learned, however, until 10 February 1913, when the Oamaru harbour watchman caught sight of a ship that refused his instructions to identify itself. When two crewmen of the ship rowed to shore, they insisted on speaking only with an official, whereupon they phoned their NZ agent to announce to the world that Scott and his party had died during their expedition, causing shockwaves felt all across the world.

In 2013 Oamaru (along with other spots connected with the Scott expedition) will be commemorating the centenary of the Terra Nova’s return. Details of the commemoration will be released as the anniversary approaches.

Oamaru Video

This wonderful video by the people at PassitOn shows a good sampling of the sights, sounds, and personalities of Oamaru and the surrounding area. You’ll see the Moeraki boulders, Yellow-Eyed and Blue penguins, Annie’s Victorian Tea Rooms, Michael O’Brien’s bookbindery, the Criterion, and more! We hope you enjoy it!

Edit: The link is no longer working! I’m working on getting permission to load the video here. Or you can visit the filmmakers’ website (www.passitonfilms.org) and view it there.

 

Oamaru’s Star & Garter Restaurant

Oamaru is the proud home of the Star & Garter restaurant, one of New Zealand’s oldest restaurants, serving continuously for 100 years! Unlike many other restaurants in the area, the Star & Garter is open seven days a week, from 10am until late, including public holidays (and they don’t charge a surcharge on those days!).

The menu of the Star & Garter is full of traditional Kiwi delights, from excellent fish and chips, to lamb’s fry, to soups and salds, and everything in between. And their prices are very reasonable, especially when you consider the size of the portions. On the walls of the restaurant you can view countless photos of wedding parties that have taken place over the years here, and there’s even several Steampunk items on display. As though all that were not enough to entice diners here, the welcome from Lisa and her team is always friendly and welcoming, so there’s really no reason not to pop in.

The Star & Garter is located just around the corner from the Oamaru i-Site information office, on Itchen Street at the edge of the Victorian Historic Precinct. And here’s a wee video of the restaurant to further whet your appetite:

Star & Garter Restaurant

Penguin Report for 2 February 2012

It was a good evening for penguin viewing last night! During the one hour that the counting takes place, 169 blue penguins made their way ashore! Thanks to the Oamaru Blue Penguin Colony for sharing their counts with us each morning!

Waitaki Valley Wines Win Acclaim

Jim Jerram of Ostler Wines

Despite the fact that New Zealand has really only been producing wine for export for around twenty years, some regions have already become world-renowned for the quality of their output. Sauvignon Blanc from Marlborough and Pinot Noir from Central Otago have both earned well-deserved reputations, and command high prices in the wine shops of the world. On the North Island, Hawkes Bay produces excellent Syrah (aka Shiraz across the ditch), Cabernet Sauvignon, and Viognier, which also have become sought after by wine lovers around the world.

The beautiful Waitaki Valley, located just up the road from Oamaru, is New Zealand’s newest wine-producing area, or appellation, having been planted within the last ten years or so. But already this region, which is distinguished by cool winters and warm summers, has begun to draw attention for the extraordinary quality of its wines. In particular, Ostler Wines, founded by Dr Jim Jerram and his brother-in-law Jeff Sinnott in 1998, has won a number of awards for its wines, for their exceptional Pinot Gris, Riesling, and Pinot Noir. Most recently, Australian Gourmet Traveller Wine awarded their Audrey’s Pinot Gris 95 points. Ostler has recently released a new rose wine that looks set to bring them even more acclaim.

Waitaki Valley is also home to multiple-award winner Kurow Village and Pasquale wineries, the former producing a wide range of approachable wines that run the gamut from Riesling and Pinot Gris to several Pinot Noirs, and the latter producing a premium range that includes Italian-style Pinot Grigio and Gewurtztraminer, and even a Limoncello made from owner Antonio Pasquale’s lemons grown on the North Island.

The wines of the Waitaki can be sampled at the Vintner’s Drop, a tasting room set up by Jim Jerram in the village of Kurow along the Waitaki Valley, or at Birdlands Wine Bar in Oamaru’s Historic Precinct, as well as at Pen-y-bryn Lodge.

Penguin Report for 1 February 2012

The Oamaru Blue Penguin Colony releases a daily report on the number of blue penguins to return to their nests during a one-hour period after the arrival of the first penguin onto shore. During the evening of 1 February 2012, 135 penguins were counted.

If you are in the Oamaru area, and interested in visiting the Oamaru Blue Penguin Colony, they have hourly guided tours from 10am to 4pm, during which you can visit the “Blue Wing” nesting area and peek into the birds’ nests (through a one-way glass partition so  you do not disturb the penguins), and an evening guided tour just before the evening viewing session takes place in the main viewing area. For tickets and more information, please contact the Colony directly.