15 Easter Recipes To Get You Through the Long Weekend and Beyond

It’s time to think about what we’re going to put on the table over a four-day feasting weekend. To help you plan your menus, we’ve rounded up recipes for a seafood-heavy Good Friday, roast meats for the rest of the weekend, plenty of sides and (of course) hot cross buns. Plus, visit our round-up of lamb recipes that’ll make magnificent Easter lunch centrepieces.

Andy Allen’s barbeque whole snapper

Three Blue Ducks chef and Masterchef judge’s centrepiece has just six ingredients and a straightforward preparation method. That means less time toiling over a hot stove and more time chatting with your guests.

Francois Poulard’s pan-fried snapper

Impress on Good Friday with a low-touch pan-fried snapper on a bed of pumpkin, Persian feta and chickpeas. While the fish itself is treated simply, the rest of the dish – including a sumac-spiked lemon and pomegranate molasses dressing – brings a Middle Eastern flavour to festivities.

Meatsmith’s simple roast leg of lamb

The best quality leg of lamb you can find, a little oil, a bit of salt and a hot oven is all you need to make this Easter show stopper. Serve it with the Swedish potato dish Jansson’s temptation, as well as a fresh green salad.

Shane Delia’s baked salmon with tarator, burnt butter and pomegranate tabouli

Add a dose of theatre to Good Friday with this high-impact salmon dish from Shane Delia. Despite its good looks – helped along by ruby pomegranates, tahini sauce and coffee-infused burnt butter – it’s surprisingly easy to cook and eat.

Circl’s butterflied rainbow trout with egg, horseradish and mustard

Bring a Scandi element to your Easter table with this good-looking trout dish from Melbourne wine house Circl. The clincher here is the herbaceous, egg-loaded emulsion that garnishes the fish. (The speedy cook time also doesn’t hurt.)

The Town Mouse’s roast chicken

Like poultry on your Easter table? Melbourne restaurant The Town Mouse closed in 2018, but its legacy lives on in this roast chook that’s so juicy it's the base of its own gravy and has a perfectly crispy skin thanks to a pan-roasting technique. Bonus: it doesn’t take too long to cook.

Annie Smithers’s pot-roasted chicken

For a fantastic alternative, try this French-style beauty from Annie Smithers, chef-owner of farm-to-plate diner du Fermier in Trentham, Victoria. Its burnished golden-brown skin enrobes juicy flesh; the Dutch carrots cooked alongside offer another nod to Easter.

Ester’s roasted prawns

Easter weather can be unpredictable – maybe it’ll be barbequing temperature, maybe the autumn chill will have already set in. Hedge your bets with prawns, and if the weather’s bad (or, really, even if it’s glorious outside), you can do them a la Ester: roasted with tamari and brown butter for what chef-owner Mat Lindsay calls “super umami” flavour.

Mike McEnearney’s roasted root vegetable salad

Carrots at this time of year aren’t just for the Easter bunny; they’re also a very important side, and pair brilliantly with lamb. Mike McEarneny (Kitchen by Mike) serves them in a salad of roasted root vegetables where they rub shoulders with celeriac, parsnips, butternut pumpkin and other veggies pulled from the dirt. The whole shebang is elevated with a herbaceous salsa verde given an extra-salty kick with anchovies and capers.

Scott Pickett’s brussels sprouts with pancetta

Looking for a comforting Easter Sunday side that’ll pair well with lamb? Pull together Scott Pickett’s brussels sprouts. They’re gnarly and caramelised on the outside, gooey and soft – almost fudgy – on the inside.

Samin Nosrat’s focaccia

The Salt Fat Acid Heat author spent years perfecting her best ever golden, chewy focaccia. The result? A low-effort, sky-high bake that’s worth the extra time in the kitchen. If you add one bread to your Easter table this year, make it this one.

Jock Zonfrillo’s Italian baked eggs

The late chef and Masterchef judge’s comforting recipe is for the morning of (or after) the big lunch. Any combination of cheeses and Mediterranean herbs will get you over the line. Simply omit the speck for the vegetarian version.

Brickfields’s hot cross buns

While you could buy hot cross buns, you can instead very smugly make them yourself. Sydney bakery Brickfields makes one of that city’s best takes on the fruit-studded buns, adding in non-traditional cranberries and very traditional orange zest.

Chez Dre’s double-chocolate hot cross buns

Maybe you’re after a newer wave of hot cross bun, headily and heavily loaded with chocolate? Melbourne bakery Chez Dre ’s double-chocolate hot cross bun is for you. The chocolate side is covered with both white and dark chocolate, but the spice and orange means it doesn’t entirely stray from tradition.

Julia Busuttil Nishimura’s apple and ricotta frittelle

If you’ve had it with hot cross buns, make this sweet Italian snack instead – a simple batter dolloped into hot oil and deep fried for a soft, moreish finish. This version is loaded with ricotta, rum, green apple and sultanas and takes just a few minutes to fry up.