Christmas in the tropics

Since swapping the red dunes of the outback and his role as Executive Chef at Longitude 131° for the lush Daintree Rainforest to take on the twin role at Silky Oaks Lodge, Mark has quickly embraced North Queensland’s bounty of tropical produce. Here, guests discover a whole new style of dining in the tropics, where Mark’s innovative new menus delight guests in the Treehouse Restaurant. The kaffir lime is Mark’s current favourite ingredient, choosing fresh leaves to deliver an intense, spicy-citrus fragrance to dishes such as fish curry and crayfish salad and an invigorating twist to the classic gin and tonic.

A cool crayfish salad infused with spices and tropical aromas will be among the many shared plates on the table at the Treehouse Restaurant this Christmas. Mark says, ‘You can call this dish a salad if you like; I like to think of it as a succulent local protein dressed in zesty tropical abundance to be paired with a celebratory beer or sparkling!’. Mark has shared the recipe so you can try it at home.

Crayfish & Kaffir Lime Salad

Ingredients:

2-3 kg fresh crayfish

5 mandarins

1 stalk lemongrass (crushed with back of blade)

½ cup rice wine vinegar

8 litres water

5 kaffir lime leaves, finely julienned

2 cm knob galangal, peeled and crushed

4 cloves confit garlic

4 egg yolks

3 tbsp Dijon mustard

1.5-2 cups neutral vegetable oil

1/4 cup kaffir lime juice

10 Thai basil leaves

4 sprigs dill, finely chopped

10 pink peppercorns, crushed

1 tsp Murray River Pink Salt

2 tsp orange zest

Banana leaves for serving

Mustard greens

Method:

• Place the mandarins on a char grill, rotating when the sides start to darken and juice begins to burst from the skin. Remove once all sides are evenly charred and the mandarin is soft to touch.
• Place the mandarins in muslin cloth and tie the top to secure. Place in the bottom of a large pot and push down gently to release the juice.
• Add the lemongrass, water, rice wine vinegar and salt and bring to a boil. Reduce to a rapid simmer and continue to simmer for 15 minutes.
• Return to the boil and place the crayfish in the water to poach for 7 minutes.
• Remove crayfish from heat and allow to cool, before removing the crayfish meat and roughly shredding. Set aside.
• In a food processor, place the galangal, egg yolks, confit garlic and Dijon and process for 1 minute.
• With the motor running, slowly drizzle the neutral oil into the egg mix until a nice emulsion has been achieved, resulting in a silky texture.
• Add the lime juice, Thai basil and salt and process for a further 30 seconds.
• In a large bowl, place the crayfish meat, emulsion, julienned lime leaves, dill, pink peppercorns, salt, orange zest and gently fold until fully incorporated.
• Cut the banana leaves into large triangles and roll them to form cones.
• Spoon the salad into the leaves, resting them on the seam for better presentation and secure placement.
• Garnish with mustard greens and serve with a cold beer or lots of Champagne!