and
AUSTRALIA DAY
This year, these two occasions happen to fall on the same day. With no family obligations, I had plans to spend the day with friends - my other family you could say.
Today a group of us drove down to Mandurah with a plan to harvest some mussels and possibly crabs. We went to the old bridge and Long and his brother went diving beneath the jetty to scrape mussels off the pylons. I dropped a few crab nets into the water with a fish head tied to them...pulled them up five minutes later and had about four crabs!! They were undersized though so we threw them back into the water.
While we cleaned the mussels, we found several types of aquatic life – a few baby lobster/marron and fish that Benoit took home for his saltwater aquarium.
A couple of locals told us a spot on our way back where we might be able to get some oysters off the sides of the canals. We stopped there and had a look but the canals looked like they’d been cleaned not long ago. Next time perhaps.
We were all famished after our hard work so we popped into Maccas for a bite before the drive home.As we got going again, we saw some signs for seafood at bargain prices that we had seen when driving on the way there. Kong pulled up at the little trailer where there was quite a crowd coming and going. We bought some Sydney Rock Oysters - $20 for two dozen; Scallops in the Shell - $14 for two kilos; and a slice of fish for Benoit, which he didn’t end up eating because there turned out to be alot of food for dinner.
Back at Ivy’s parents’ place, we cleaned the mussels a final time – it was a family affair. We had the guys outside cleaning some, while Ivy and I cleaned some inside the kitchen. I cooked about three kilos with the help of Ivy’s Mum for us to eat that night. Ivy’s Mum blended some garlic and onion together to make a paste. I cooked the mussels in their outdoor kitchen. I swear, every ethnic family in Perth must have an outdoor kitchen. If they don’t, they must not cook much.
So, I fried the garlic and onion paste in some oil in a big wok, then added some chopped chillies and two cans of diced tomatoes. After the sauce simmered down, I threw in the mussels and put a lid on the wok, I stirred the mussels occasionally to get them coated in the sauce. When they started opening, I turned off the heat and served them with chopped spring onion.
I quickly threw together some Kilpatrick oysters – chopped bacon, Worcestershire sauce, tomato sauce and pepper. I had to improvise since we didn’t have BBQ sauce or Tobasco sauce. They still turned out beautifully.
Ivy’s Mum prepared a steamboat for us all. I absolutely love their square marble dining table. You can fit three people each side – perfect for a dinner party or just a cosy family dinner.
Back at home, I made myself a platter to unwind after a long, exhausting, fun day.
sundried tomatoes
pancetta
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