Crayfish tipped to hit $120/kg by Christmas

A mainstay of Aussie Christmas lunches is tipped to hit an eye-watering price this year, but there’s good news on some other staples.

Mandy Hall enjoys an affordable Christmas table at Adelaide Central Market. Picture: Supplied

Crayfish could cost as much as $120/kg this Christmas, echoing the sky-high prices of 2019 when crays reached $130/kg.

But ham prices will remain steady for the festive table, sellers say.

Currently, new-season SA cooked and frozen crayfish are retailing for $89.99 at both Angelakis Bros and Cappo’s Fish Market at the Adelaide Central Market; $77.80 at Samtass (Richmond) and $79.50 at The Fish Factory (Richmond).

Alex Knoll, seafood operations manager at Angelakis Bros, said high demand would likely result in increased cost.

“Prices are going to be a little bit up from previous years,” Mr Knoll said.

“We’re still waiting to get final pricing from the fishermen. What we predict over the coming weeks is that they will start to come up … I think we’ll be looking at $120/kg.”

Crayfish prices at Angelakis last year remained at $89.99. Mr Knoll said individual fishmongers could be more expensive than supermarkets because of the volume at which supermarkets could sell.

“We’re a lot closer to the fishermen and we support the industry, all year round,” he said.

“And there’s the creation of jobs. We go and we take the product, clean the product, fillet the product, so there’s a lot more in the chain of what we do.”

Tim Cartwright, chief executive of Drakes Supermarkets, said they had secured stocks with Ferguson’s Australia to keep prices consistent with last year’s $69/kg.

“It’s a heavy investment but that’s what we’re looking to do across the board, whether it’s crays, ham, cherries or prawns,” he said.

The supermarket is currently selling crays for $65/kg for orders placed by December 13.

Ham prices vary greatly, from supermarket cuts to boutique, specialty items. Drakes is selling Australian bone-in ham for $8.50/kg.

Barossa Fine Foods has increased its smoked ham legs from last year’s $14.99 to $15.99.

At Goodwood Quality Meats, its in-house smoked whole hams retail for $19.99, which is “the same or very similar to last year”.

“We are a boutique ham; we do it all on premises,” said butcher Luke Leyson.

“We found that hams have slightly gone up, just like everything else in the world, but in comparison to other proteins it’s quite reasonable.”

Feeding eight for just $100

Planning ahead, sticking to a shopping list and buying in-season local produce makes for an affordable Christmas lunch, the Adelaide Central Market says.

The Market has enlisted food consultant Mandy Hall to create new festive recipes that won’t break the bank, culminating in a menu that costs $100 for eight people.

“This year people are certainly feeling it; between finance and time pressure, sometimes there’s overwhelming dread and unrealistic expectations around feeding people on Christmas Day,” she said.

“When I designed the menu I was looking for elements that could be done ahead of time, I wanted to bring colour, seasonality and affordability.

“We checked and double-checked to make sure we could bring it together for under $100, shopping around the various market stalls ensures you can pick up ingredients at really low prices.”

Mandy Hall’s Affordable Christmas Menu

Charred Peach, Basil and Cheese Crostini

Approx. 20 servings

Ingredients

1 baguette

Olive oil to brush slices & peaches

120g spreadable cheese – I have used goats cheese.

3 or 4 ripe but firm peaches – you can use any seasonal stone fruit, pick the cheapest.

Basil leaves – for use in cheese spread and for topping

Method

To make Crostini:

Preheat oven to 200 degrees c

Slice the baguette into 1 -1.5 cm slices, brush both sides with olive oil and place on a non

stick or baking paper lined oven tray, bake for 10 minutes or until crisp. Check these regularly

to make sure they don’t burn. Remove from the oven and let cool. You can make these 2

days in advance and store in an airtight container.

To char the peaches: over a medium flame, heat a suitable grill pan, slice and gently toss the

peaches in oil. Place the peaches onto the heated pan and grill on each side until the peaches

have some gentle grill marks (1-2 minutes), remove from the pan and set aside.

Cheese spread: place cheese into a bowl, using a fork, soften until it becomes smooth and

easily spreadable, if you’re not using pre herbed cheese, add some to the cheese by using 1/4

of the basil leaves, cut into fine ribbons and mixed through. Season with salt (be careful

because the cheese may be salty already) and black pepper. Mix and set aside.

To assemble: spread some of the cheese mixture on each Crostini and top with a slice of

peach, garnish with more basil and a sprinkle of black pepper. If you have any honey at home

in the pantry, you can drizzle each peach slice with the tiniest bit of honey before garnishing

with basil.

** Keep the peaches at room temperature before serving, they remain full of flavour and

super juicy.

** keep the stalks from the basil to put with the potatoes on the roasting tray.

Whole Butterflied Garlic & Rosemary chicken with jus

Roasted Chicken with Lemon, Garlic and Herbs

If you haven’t brined a chicken before, I would really encourage you to try. Using ingredients that you most likely have at home, brining is a sure-fire way to have the juiciest, most tender, tastiest Roast Chicken

Brining is a process to marinate the chicken in a salty solution (brine), the chicken is completely submerged in the brine for a period of time before roasting, this tenderises, reduces cooking time and adds flavour and moisture to the bird – once you start, you’ll never look back!

Start at 24 hours before roasting. To brine you’ll need salt, water and some additional herbs and spices if you have them at home – they are optional, of course they create even more flavour, but they are not completely necessary.

Brine

2 litres of water

1/3 cup of cooking salt

1⁄4 cup honey or sugar

The rest listed below is optional – great if you have it but you can do without.

1 lemon quartered

1 small onion – sliced

Any herbs that you have at home or can cheaply buy – parsley, rosemary, thyme, bay leaves – I use a 2- 3 sprigs of

each.

6 garlic cloves – smashed

1 TB black peppercorns or cracked black pepper if you have it.

Pour about 1/3 of the water into a large pot, add all other ingredients, bring to the boil and then gently simmer for 3-4 minutes.

Remove from the heat and add the remaining water (cold) to the pot. Allow the entire pot to completely cool before you use – this is very important, don’t put the chicken into a warm brine – it’s not safe.

Turn the chicken upside down (breast facing down) submerge the chicken into the brine, and place it into the fridge for at least 12 hours, 24 hours is best.

Roasting

1-5 -2 kg chicken

Olive oil

Salt and pepper to season

If you have any spare lemon or herbs you can insert these into the cavity of the chicken prior to roasting.

Remove the chicken from the brine and pat it dry, insert any herbs or lemon, tuck the wings under the chicken to lift it and tie the legs. Place on a rack in a baking dish.

Sprinkle with a very small amount of salt, drizzle with olive oil and season with cracked pepper, set aside whilst you preheat your oven. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees.

Turn down the oven down to 190 degrees, place the chicken in the oven and roast for approx. 1 hour, turn the dish at the halfway mark to make sure the chicken is evenly browned.

To test if the chicken is done you can prick the thigh meat and ensure the juices run clear or use a thermometer – insert the into the joint between the leg and thigh, 75 degrees Celsius is done.

Remove the chicken from the pan, set aside for 10 minutes to rest – you can loosely cover with foil.

Use the juices in the pan to drizzle over the chicken or turn into a gravy – remember the juices will be quite salty so you won’t need to further season. You can use the additional lemon and herbs in the cavity and place back into the pan to make the gravy if you wish.

Crispy Smashed Potatoes

Ingredients

12 medium potatoes – washed not peeled

Salt & Pepper

Water

Olive oil

Finely chopped chives - optional garnish

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees

Bring a large pot of water to the boil, add salt to season the water (a little bit salty is great, 1

tablespoon should do it)

Boil the potatoes until soft, around 30 minutes. Dry the potatoes and let them dry off.

Place potatoes on a cooking tray and using a masher, or mug, or fork – squish down the

potatoes until they are halfway squashed, don’t worry about tearing etc but try an keep

them in one piece. Let them sit for a few minutes to cool slightly and dry.

Drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper

Garden greens market salad

Again, this salad has been designed for you to utilise all the seasonal greens that you will

find on special at market – it’s a guide.

Look for the traders’ offers and see what’s going, as long as it’s fresh and crispy, it will taste and look beautiful.

You can use all sorts of greens from Bok Choy to lettuce it doesn’t matter, and if you find some cheap red radishes or cherry tomatoes, break the colour rule and throw them in too!

The addition of avocado makes things a little creamy and lush. If you have leftover bit of nuts or seeds in the pantry, give them a toast and toss them in too.

Ingredients and Method

Mixture of soft greens – equivalent size to 2 small lettuces

1 cucumber sliced thinly on the diagonal

3-4 spring onions sliced

1 avocado chopped

1 green chilli thinly sliced – optional

Handful cooked and cooled frozen peas – optional

Any seeds, fresh herbs you might have left over – optional

Salt & pepper to season

Put all salad ingredient into a large bowl, dress the salad seasoning, a squeeze of lemon and

drizzle of olive oil – simple yet perfect!

Festive Pavlova with seasonal fruits

This is a simple Pavlova recipe that can be adjusted to use whatever seasonal fruits you find

on special at the market – any fruit will work and look beautiful on Christmas Day.

Make the day prior.

Ingredients

6 eggs – whites only

320g caster sugar

3 tsp cornflour

1 tsp white vinegar

Topping

300 ml cream

Fruit as chosen

Method

Preheat oven to 150C

In a very clean bowl, whisk egg whites until soft peaks are forming, slowly add the sugar 1-2

tablespoons at a time until the whites are thick, glossy and sugar has dissolved, you should

be to lift the whisk, turn it upside down and the mixture remains. Once you have the

consistency, whisk in the cornflour and vinegar until combined.

On a piece of baking paper, trace a plate that is approx. 20cm in diameter, turn the baking

paper upside down and place it on a tray. Spoon mixture into the centre of the circle

outline, smooth the surface.

Using a small palette knife or spoon drag the meringue from

the bottom upwards into peaks.

Place in oven and reduce oven to 100C. Bake for 1 hour 15 minutes or until outside

of the meringue is crisp. Turn off oven and leave meringue in oven with the door ajar for at

least 5-6 hours or overnight, it should be cooled completely.

Beat cream in bowl until soft peaks form.

Top Pavlova with cream and fruit, if you have any mint or holly available to you – you can

use to decorate.