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, a lamb lunch on Sunday and hot cross buns for snacking in-between.
Thanks to a good shake of soy sauce, umami is a major player in this lamb dish’s brilliance. It’s typical of Mark Best’s cooking; he's known for his clever, boundary-pushing flavours, a reputation that has endured even since his seminal Sydney fine diner Marque closed in 2016. Here, he offers a few twists – like ginger and chilli flakes – on a classic lamb dish, elevating it above a typical roast. The beetroot and chicory salad bring both texture and complexity.
It’s not farfetched to say Chiswick chef-restaurateur Matt Moran knows his lamb: he owns and operates a farm in NSW’s Northern Tablelands that produces lamb, as well as beef and pork. So it makes sense that the lamb shoulder at Chiswick has been a signature since the paddock-to-plate restaurant opened in 2012. The Chiswick lamb leans fairly classic, but a light brine adds extra moisture and depth of flavour. A mint salsa is a zingy taste on traditional mint sauce or jelly.
Another signature dish is Andrew McConnell’s slow-roasted lamb shoulder at Melbourne’s Cumulus Inc. One of the country’s best-loved dishes, it’s fall-off-the-bone tender and has a caramelised crust thanks to a herbaceous, spice-packed marinade.
Prefer 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.
Even if you eat meat on Good Friday, this spectacular fish dish by Scott Pickett (Estelle, Matilda, etc) might convince you to forgo the lamb this Easter. By wrapping the trout in paper – “en papillote” – you capturing all its juices and trap the flavour of the lemon, saltbush and thyme stuffed into the fish.
Stop your guests in their tracks by serving this scene-stealer: an entire snapper encased in a shell of salt. The salt isn’t just for looks, though: it ensures even cooking and seals in the moisture. Lino Sauro (Olio) brings the dish to life with a simple Sicilian salmoriglio, a condiment of lemon juice, oil and herbs.
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.
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 vegetable 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.
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.
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.
