Sure, gift-giving is an exciting part of Christmas but for many people feasting is much more important. “To me, Christmas is food,” says Nathan Johnson, executive chef of Merivale’s Ivy dining precinct (including Bar Totti’s, MuMu, Uccello and Jimmy’s Falafel).

Johnson is behind the food line-up at Sydney Loves Cooking: Festive Feast, a festival that leans into all things yuletide – think DJ spinning (some) Christmas tunes, a bad Christmas sweater professional photo shoot, and the kind of food you might find in Aussie homes on December 25: platters of fresh prawns, oysters and tuna sashimi, as well as glazed hams, summer berry trifle and mango pavlova.

“This is a fresh take on the Christmas party,” Johnson says. “We are not breaking holiday traditions. We’re extending and embracing them.”

The Festive Feast, presented by Coca-Cola, takes place on Bennelong Lawn from 4pm on Saturday, December 16, and comes with views of the Opera House, Harbour Bridge and Sydney’s sparkling harbour. Also on the menu is confit salmon and sides such as potato salad and Johnson’s versatile heirloom tomato and watermelon salad with feta, chilli and mint.

“This is a great summer dish [with] the right amount of sweet and spice to balance out Christmas lunch. It’s also great for most Aussie summer barbecues,” he says.

We took the opportunity to ask another Merivale chef for a dish they like to cook at this time of year. “Christmas is all about indulgence,” says celebrated executive chef at Mr Wong, Ms G’s and The Establishment, Dan Hong. “That’s why I love to cook mud crab. We have some of the best mud crabs and seafood in the world.”

He says you might think crab is a tough dish to tackle, but it’s not if you follow this hack. “Get the fishmonger to kill, break down [cut up into pieces] and clean the crab so all the dirty work is already done. It’s imperative to use live crabs as crabs deteriorate quickly once dead.”

The recipe includes another clever tip: nailing that thick XO sauce consistency they get in restaurants.

Nathan Johnson’s heirloom tomato and watermelon salad with feta, chilli and mint

This recipe calls for Calabrian preserved chilli, which uses chillies crushed and preserved in olive oil and vinegar. Johnson says you can get jars of it from supermarkets and specialist grocery stores and suggests using Muraca Le Specialita. And if you don’t have white balsamic vinegar, substitute it with white wine vinegar or rice wine vinegar.

INGREDIENTS

• 180g red heirloom tomatoes, cut into large wedges
• 150g watermelon, cut into 3cm dice
• 80g yellow nectarine, flesh cut into 2cm slices
• 2 sprigs mint, leaves whole
• 60g Greek feta, roughly crumbled
• sea salt
• 20ml olive oil

Chilli dressing

• 50g Calabrian preserved chilli, drained
• 60ml white balsamic vinegar

METHOD

1. Combine the tomatoes, watermelon and nectarine in a medium bowl.
2. Drizzle over 1 tablespoon of the chilli dressing and gently stir to coat.
3. Mix gently with ½ the mint and a pinch of salt.
4. Carefully place the salad on a serving plate and scatter the feta on top.
5. Finish with the rest of the mint, another pinch of sea salt and a splash of olive oil.

Serves 6

Dan Hong’s mud crab with XO sauce

There are many recipes for XO and you can make your own XO, but Hong says that’s a lot of work. Instead, buy a jar of Golden Century’s XO sauce, found in speciality stores (such as Haymarket’s IGA Thai Kee).

INGREDIENTS

• 1.3kg mud crab, cleaned and cut into pieces
• 2 tbsp chopped garlic
• 1 tbsp chopped ginger
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh chilli
• 3 tbsp XO sauce
• 750ml chicken stock
• 3 tbsp oyster sauce
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 5 tbsp cornflour, mixed with a little water to make a slurry

• 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine (Chinese cooking wine)
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 2 spring onions, finely sliced
• leaves from ½ a bunch of coriander
• steamed rice or Chinese fried bread to serve

METHOD

1. In a large wok, stir-fry the garlic, ginger and chilli until fragrant (about 1 minute) over high heat.
2. Add the XO sauce and toss for 30 seconds.
3. Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil, stirring along the way.
4. Season by adding oyster sauce and sugar to taste.
5. Add the pieces of crab to the wok and cover with a tight-fitting lid. Turn the heat down to medium and braise the crab for about 8 minutes, or until fully cooked.
6. Remove the crab from the sauce and turn up the heat until the sauce is boiling. Add the cornflour slurry, stirring until the sauce thickens to a gravy-like consistency.
7. Return the crab to the wok and stir to coat with the sauce.
8. Turn the heat off and add a splash of Shaoxing wine and the sesame oil.
9. Serve on a large plate garnished with spring onions and coriander leaves, and with steamed rice or Chinese fried bread to mop up the sauce.

Serves 4

Sydney Loves Cooking: Festive Feast presented by Coca-Cola takes place on
Saturday, December 16 from 4-8pm on Bennelong Lawn, The Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney. Tickets are $80 a head and are available at goodfoodevents.com.au.