A Sunshine Coast Christmas, paella-style
By Matt Stoeckel, Visit Sunshine Coast CEO
Every Christmas, I usually stick to the classics. But last year I decided to throw tradition to the wind and dusted off my giant paella pan for our street Christmas party.
It turns out, nothing brings neighbours together quite like a sizzling pan the size of a beach umbrella filled with colour, spice and the unmistakable sweetness of fresh Mooloolaba prawns.
It was a hit – so much so that I think we may have accidentally invented a new annual tradition.
Now, I’m no chef. Anyone can pull it off, and you can cook it for four or 40 people. The secret isn’t complicated technique, it’s great ingredients. And there’s no better place to source them than right here on the Sunshine Coast. Our prawns, reef fish, and local produce do most of the heavy lifting. So, if you’re looking to freshen up your festive menu this year, give this simple Coast-inspired Christmas Paella a go.
Sunshine Coast Christmas Paella
Serves: 10 | Prep time: 15 minutes | Cook time: 30 minutes
- 1kg Mooloolaba prawns
- 500g mixed local seafood (reef fish, calamari, crab)
- 2 cups paella rice
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 red capsicum, sliced
- 3 cloves garlic, chopped
- 4 tbsp spoons tomato puree
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1.5 litres seafood stock (more if needed)
- pinch saffron (optional, but glorious)
- olive oil, lemon, salt
Method:
- Sauté onion, capsicum and garlic in olive oil until soft and fragrant.
- Add rice, tomato puree, paprika and saffron. Stir to coat.
- Pour in stock and bring to a simmer. Do not stir once the stock is added.
- Add seafood in stages: fish first, calamari halfway, prawns last. Cook until all seafood is just done and liquid is absorbed.
- Garnish and serve directly from the pan.
A stress-free prawn wrap
By Ashley Robinson, chairman of the Sunshine Coast Falcons and Sunshine Coast Thunder Netball
We used to sit through traditional hot Christmas lunches where everybody stressed out when we were kids.
Now, we do the opposite.
We have a kilo of tiger or Mooloolaba prawns, Camembert cheese, lettuce, sweet chilli and a wrap and you are all done.
The ultimate yuletide ham
By Brendan Hogan, Wishlist CEO
Christmas in Country Victoria is a long way from the scenes on cards and in the movies.
There are no snow-capped mountains, no kids hurtling down the slopes in sleds and no sleigh bells – just the low, flat, dusty wheat-and-sheep plains stretching out under a summer sky. But we had our own traditions.
One of the most important was the Christmas tree. It was rarely a pine – more often a branch hacked off a gum tree, dragged home and decorated with whatever tinsel and baubles we had. The base was a classic: an empty kerosene or petrol tin, wrapped lovingly in gift paper to make it look suitably festive.
And despite the heat, our family tradition was always a hot Christmas lunch. Six kids, mum and dad and often extra relatives squeezed around the big table and the kids’ table. The wood stove was roaring so mum could roast the chicken and lamb, complete with all the vegetables, finishing with her unforgettable plum pudding and custard.
In the past 30 years, of course, Christmas has mostly been a Queensland affair. With that came a shift in tradition. Out went the heavy hot lunch and in came the Australian coastal classic: cold ham and prawns. Over time, I’ve settled on my ham recipe.
Brendan’s Christmas Ham Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 whole leg of ham (on the bone)
- whole cloves
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup honey
- ¼ cup Dijon mustard
- ¼ cup orange juice
- zest of one orange
Optional: a splash of bourbon (or two)
Method
- Preheat the oven to 160°C.
- Run fingers under the rind to remove it, leaving the fat layer intact. Score the fat in a diamond pattern, pressing a clove in the centre of each.
- Make the glaze: in a saucepan, gently heat the brown sugar, honey, mustard, orange juice and orange zest until combined and slightly thickened.
- Baste: place the ham in a baking dish lined with foil and brush generously with the warm glaze.
- Bake: roast for 1.5-2 hours, basting every 20-25 minutes.
- Allow the ham to rest for at least 15 minutes before carving. Serve cold with prawns, salads and all the Queensland trimmings.
A Chrissy grazing table
By Rosanna Natoli, Sunshine Coast Mayor
My family has started a new Christmas tradition … and it’s a grazing table.
Bigger than a grazing board, this is a whole tabletop filled with deliciousness.
These days, there are so many dietary needs to consider. From gluten-free, dairy-free and sugar-free to vegetarian and coeliac, we have it all in our extended family and this kind of table makes it easy for everyone.
FYI, we wrap the table with Gladwrap first and then brown paper so the timber is protected and it’s an ideal base. We add interesting levels and combine savoury flavours with the occasional chocolate.
Choose cheeses to suit your tastes and your budget. Put cold meats in one section so they are easy to pop in the fridge to keep fresh.
Crackers, bread and grissini sticks provide texture and flavour, but just remember to keep gluten-free crackers separate.
Fruit adds colour, so scatter your favourites carefully. Fill gaps with nuts, chocolates and dried fruit pieces. You can even place decorations or tinsel in between the tasty morsels. It’s a joy to make, it’s creative, and everyone loves it.
Merry Christmas.
Festive food by the fridge load
By Sami Muirhead, Mix FM announcer
Christmas is my favourite time of year and while carols and my family are at the top of my very-favourite-things list, I am very enthusiastic about Christmas food.
Leftover ham on white bread for breakfast? Yes, please. Cold turkey with cranberry sauce? I worship at this altar of perfect flavours. Mangoes for morning tea devoured with reckless abandon? You betcha. And when else do you allow yourself to have two mangoes? Only at Christmas.
This year, my friend Kellie introduced me to an American chocolate treat called Peppermint Bark. It comes in a bright red tin that is as happy as Santa when he has finally sat down to a beer on Christmas night after circumnavigating the globe with those naughty reindeers. I also get silly at the thought of rum balls, Christmas cake and fruit mince pies (all the better if washed down with a Baileys on ice).
But for me, the ultimate celebration food at this time of year is the glorious prawn. Give me a Mooloolaba king prawn and I think I have won the lotto, because it does not get better than eating fresh food caught locally. My Dad and I only ever ate prawns at Christmas. It was our tradition and it was our treat.
Long after my dad joined the big surf break in heaven, I still peel my prawns the way he taught me: you peel them near the ocean and then walk down to rinse them in the salty waves.
Only in Australia!
And the best way to eat them? With your toes in the sand. Nothing beats eating a prawn roll on the beach with wet hair and the taste of saltwater and fresh air. The key to a killer prawn roll, in my opinion, is the choice of roll or bread.
I always go for white bakery bread. My cholesterol goes up just looking at it but it tastes so good. Brioche buns are also brilliant.
As my dear old dad would say after we ate a kilo of prawns and washed them down with cold bubbles: “Bravo!” And here is a bonus joke as my Christmas present to you: what do prawns say when they answer the phone? “Shello?”
Merry Christmas, everyone.
