When Lynda Sloan made the seachange from Adelaide to Port Stephens two years ago she was unaware of the abundance of fresh seafood caught daily by commercial fishers and the exceptional reputation of the Bay's chefs.
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And within weeks of taking up a position in the industry at a fish retail outlet in Nelson Bay, Lynda soon recognised the need for a quality seafood recipe book.
"I would have customers coming in daily asking me how to best cook this or that fish and what is the best method of cooking, in a pan or on a barbecue, which are the best fish to smoke or grill," she said.
"I even had customers ask what ingredients are best served with certain fish, but because I was new to the industry I struggled with my responses ... and it was then that the idea of a Bay community seafood cookbook came to me."
Lynda immediately began discussing the merits of a high quality, hardcover cookbook with experts in the field: the Bay's fishermen, the chefs and the business community.
Included in that small group of enthusiasts were Nelson Bay fisherman Greg Finn, who supplies a range of restaurants with his catch, and Lemon Tree Passage chef Ludovic Poyer ,who with wife Mandy runs the renowned waterfront restaurant The Poyer's.
Other collaborators over time have included Bay photographer Stephen Keating and the Port's fishing guru John 'Stinker' Clarke. She said that at least two Aboriginal artists have also been approached for their contributions.
"The mere mention of a community seafood cookbook for the Port Stephens region was met with the positive feedback. In fact, many said it was a long time coming for the Bay."
Lynda said that the publication would focus on simple, easy ways to cook with seafood and that every recipe showcased in the book would be Port Stephens based. She said there would also be information and photographs detailing fish habitats and seasons.
"I hope to also focus on some of the under-utilised fish species and shellfish with the various chefs and will be inviting the local artists to submit original works that can be used throughout the publication."
Lynda's next mission is to get the community on board. "I want to invite Port Stephens residents to submit their own seafood recipes, those that have tried and tested and that never fail. And I plan to seek local business support to help commercialise the cookbook."
She is proposing to launch the cookbook in August 2021 [subject to the coronavirus pandemic restrictions] as part of the seafood festival, with plans to have some of the featured chefs cooking their favourite recipes at the launch event.
Anyone interested in assisting Lynda Sloan on the project can contact her by email at seafoodcommunity@gmail.com.