For New Years this year I headed out to Hardwicke Bay with fifteen of my favourite people.

Hardwicke is a tiny bay out near the bottom end of the Yorke Peninsula of South Australia. The tip of Yorke’s my favourite part of all the world I’ve seen so far. If you’ve ever been to Yorke you know what I’m talking about. Think golden wheat fields, white sands and turquoise oceans. Also, fantastic fishing all along the coast. We had the boat prepped, the beers on ice and were ready to catch a feast. In the end more than just a few got away and sunburn and beer got the better of us but we had our feast.

Crab Linguine Aglio Oglio with Chilli and Fresh Tomato

Ingredients

• 500 grams crab meat
• 500 grams linguine
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 red chilli
• Handful of chopped parsley
• 2 large tomatoes
• Splash of brandy
• Splash of white wine

Method

1. Start by filling a tall pot with boiling water.
2. Remove the stem part of the tomato then lightly score an x in the bottom.
3. Dunk the tomato in the boiling water for thirty seconds. Then rinse in cold water for thirty seconds. The skin should peel off. Cut it in half, remove the seeds and slice the tomato thinly.
4. Now it’s a very quick process so have everything at the ready.
5. The linguine should take around ten minutes to cook.
6. Get a pan on the stove nice and hot.
7. Throw the linguine in the tall pot of boiling water with a pinch of salt.
8. Wait ’til the pasta is half-way cooked, then get started on the crab.
9. Into the pan throw the garlic and chilli with a healthy splash of olive oil. Quickly toss the pan to stop it burning.
10. Then in with the crab. Let it go for 30 seconds, then hit it with a good splash of brandy. It should flame up nicely.
11. Once that settles – the pasta should be nearly done – add about half a cup of white wine and another splash of olive oil. Toss it some more. Add the cooked pasta, the tomato slices and the parsley, all the time tossing the pan as you go.
12. Season with salt and serve.
13. For heavens sake don’t let anyone put cheese on it. That is punishable by death.

Cucumber Olive Saganaki Salad

Ingredients

• Two cucumbers
• Half a red onion
• Handful of pitted black olives
• 8 slices of saganaki cheese cut half a centimetre thick
• Half a bunch of chopped dill
• 2 tablespoons of Greek yoghurt
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• Juice of a lemon

Method

1. Cut the cucumbers lengthways. Run a teaspoon down centre to remove the seeds. Then slice the cucumbers on an angle at about half a centimetre thick.
2. Thinly slice the red onion.
3. Toss this with the olives.
4. Whisk the dressing up in a cup.
5. Dress the salad.
6. Now for the whiting. It’s a pretty easy fish to fillet. You just need the right knife. I got mine from my auntie for my 21st and it’s had a hell of a workout since. It’s easily my favourite knife in my collection. It’s handmade in Finland and has lasted me over 5 years which means for normal people it’s indestructible. The King George Whiting is always best cooked the simplest way. Lightly floured and fried in olive oil and a little bit of butter. We already spent days getting the boat ready. Then drove for three hours and sat in the sun for four hours to catch it. The last thing you wanna do is over complicate things.
7. Once you remove the whiting from the pan, fry the saganaki and throw straight on top of the salad.
8. So just get a fry pan on the burner on a medium heat. Lightly flour the whiting.
9. Olive oil into the pan.
10. Throw on the fish.
11. Put in the knob of butter. If it starts to darken turn the pan down.
12. Squeeze in the lemon juice. Season.
13. Let it go for a minute, flip the fish. Cook for another minute. Bam it should be lightly browned and perfectly cooked.

I’ve never really been one for New Year’s resolutions. I understand the idea. The whole new year, new you bullshit. It’s not true though is it? There is no new you. You can work on some of the stuff that might make you a shitty person but not chain smoking durries, eating burgers or drinking a couple of bottles of wine all on your own doesn’t mean you have found the secrets to life. Your just depriving your self of things you love. I mean I get it for Americans. They just finished scoffing themselves all Christmas, it’s the middle of winter. Yeah, sure, put down the cheese, put the cork back in the bottle, the moment the clock strikes 12.01. But in Australia the new year is early summer and I just finished work for the year and wrangled five days off starting New Year’s Eve. What, I’m gonna stop the party now? Or decide to get fit? Not today or the rest of this week but soon man, soon, I promise…

Nah, not buying it. There are two months left of summer. Light the barbecue, open another bottle and save the resolutions for next year.

Images by The Adventure Handbook, words by Rough

Rough uses the Gasmate Twin Burner Stove