CLEAN AND GREEN Is the industry commitment to see businesses continue to prosper with sustainable fishing in some of the world’s most pristine waters. Clean Green Program Update — Certified Sustainable Wild Caught The start of the season always brings pessimistic press about low catches, climate change and poor yields, but as any old–timer in the Southern Rocklobster industry will scornfully tell you, “the start to the season is always slow!” The determination of Southern Rocklobster Limited fishers to stay CLEAN AND GREEN and support sustainability in what is a generational business with a huge capital investment simply makes good sense. Our Rocklobster fishers mostly inherited their businesses from their fathers and grandfathers, and want to deliver a buoyant and prosperous industry to their children and their children’s children. Best practice is nothing new to the fishers of Southern Rocklobster Limited who have voluntarily imposed catch limits on themselves for many years. Certified CLEAN AND GREEN Southern Rocklobster is way ahead of its time and our uniquely transparent tagging system allows the chef to track their Southern Rocklobsters from the moment they are caught. Unlike so many of the fishing processes of today, Southern Rocklobster fishers do not stay at sea for days at a time and Southern Rocklobsters are not held for long periods in ice slurry. The fishing period is very rarely more than eight hours, and the Southern Rocklobsters, when caught, are stored in open seawater tanks until the fish are loaded on shore. They are minimally held in seawater tanks and they are dispatched to their final destinations within a matter of hours. Add to this Southern Rocklobster Limited fishers fish in some of the few remaining pristine fishing grounds in the world today. WILD CAUGHT and CLEAN AND GREEN says it all!

Our land. Our Plan. Our Future

Two years on from the first time we started to use the ice slurry green meat extraction method, we have made a few improvements to the original highly experimental technique. Any task done on a regular basis undergoes some tweaking. The section of our food service manual has been updated with the method and timings, both of which we have now been using for almost a year.

Basically we have pretty much got the green meat extraction down to a fine art and during the season can attain the speed and efficiency that is only gained with repeating and repeating a process in the kitchen. The raft of recipes that the green meat has opened has been tremendous and the gelatinousnature of the green meat means that it bonds easily to form a single mass.

To read the revised ice slurry green meat extraction method click here

Thai Street Food
David Thompson
Photography by Earl Carter
Published by Lantern, H/B $100

Thompson unraveled the intricacies of Thai food for millions of devoted cooks with his first book Thai Food. He could have easily banged out any number of books between its release in 2002 and now, but has chosen instead to work steadfastly towards another book of epic proportions, further explaining the cuisine to which he is so intrinsically entwined, and taken on the street food of Thailand.

Thompson never allows for dumbing down and dedicated cooks and professional chefs will most likely find themselves looking for ingredients they have never heard of, and most likely never seen or tasted. For most of us this second epic book will be another journey into the Thai kitchen. Street food, particularly in Asia and China, comes in waves according to the time of day, and Thompson has cleverly captured the ebb and flow of the street life that goes with that food – that single spot that will rotate three, perhaps four times during the hours of a day, shared by different stall holders and totally different food. Add to the wonderful text and recipes, the beautiful images of Thompson’s long–term photographer and friend Earl Carter. This new book is another fine example of Thompson’s uncompromising style. Carter’s images add a charm to the book, but also drive a longing to travel again and wander the streets, to eat things never before tasted, to risk a little. If you are a traveller and have never had the courage to enjoy the soul of a cuisine, the food of the people Thompson’s absolutely brilliant book may inspire you!

for the soup base
1L dirty Southern Rocklobster stock, seasoned to taste with sea salt and white pepper
200g fresh coconut meat, cleaned weight, finely chopped in a Thermomix or Mycook

Method Bring the stock to the boil, mix in the coconut with a stab mixer. Allow to cool sufficiently to be handled and then drain the stock into a sieve that is covered with a double layer of muslin. Squeeze out the coconut meat and refrigerate the infused stock until ready to use.

for the soup
50g diced Chinese turnip, peeled weight
20g fresh shitake mushrooms, finely sliced
3 medium oyster mushrooms, shredded
30g enoki mushrooms, rough chopped
dill sprigs
3 x 30g slices of green Southern Rocklobster tail meat
3 garlic flowers
6 green almonds, finely sliced

other
3 egg yolks

Method
Before finishing the soup, divide everything between the three warmed bowls to allow it to come to room temperature. Whisk the coconut infused stock together and take out a small amount and mix the egg yolks into it. Heat the stock mass, and as soon as it comes to the boil, whisk in the egg yolks then immediately remove from the heat. Whisk the soup to get a good froth.
Pour over the other ingredients at the table.

tip — you can buy frozen, cleaned and grated young coconut meat at some Asian grocers, but it is not as good as fresh.

notes — Megachef fish and oyster sauce are superior products made by traditional methods. Neither have that very unpleasant searing salt and MSG flavour of most other brands. They are expensive but the rewards are immediately evident.
The Yamato Japanese seasoning soy is considered the ‘Rolls Royce' of the soy and has an exquisitely balanced flavour.