Tag Archives: crayfish

Cephalopod, Cooking with Local Ingredients, Crustacean, Fish, Indonesia

Dwayne’s Chilli Seafood

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While cruising Indonesia we were lucky enough to visit a tiny fishing village on the island of Panebangan. The people were exceptionally friendly and welcomed us with huge smiles and a large bunch of bananas! It was at this village, the following morning, that we were invited onto a fishing boat for breakfast. Dwayne watched how the fisherman made chilli fish and it has since become Dwayne’s signature dish! This is great for when I don’t feel like cooking…. i.e. “I’d really love your chilli fish for dinner tonight Dwayne!”

Dwayne has made this a couple of times for dinner. Once he used fish and squid and the other time he used crayfish.

It’s simple and tasty. This is how he does it…

  • fresh chillies, chopped
  • fresh garlic, chopped
  • asian shallots, chopped
  • salt

Dwayne preparing his chilli fish

Blend all the above ingredients with the mortar and pestle.

Blending up the chilli and other ingredients

Add oil to a pan and heat.
Add the spice mix, fry until fragrant.
Add the seafood (fish or what ever you want) and fry it for a while.
Then add some water and let it simmer for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasional.
Season with salt as needed.

Serve with steamed rice.

Fish and squid with chilli sauce

Crayfish and roe in Dwayne's chilli sauce

For the full story of Panebangan check out “Karamata and Surrounding Islands“

Dwayne with his chilli crayfish

Guess what we are having for dinner tonight!

Cooking Our Catch, Crustacean

Dwayne’s Barbecued Crayfish

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Dwayne caught and cooked the crayfish.

SPICY CRAYFISH RISOTTO made with a crayfish caught on the Great Barrier Reef

It was while sailing the Howard Group of Islands in the Great Barrier Reef that we caught our first crayfish. We arrived there after lunch, shortly after catamaran ‘Miss Polly’, and jumped straight into the beautifully inviting water for a snorkel. Dwayne bagged an approximately three kilo crayfish. Yay!

Gerry and Polly from ‘Miss Polly’ joined us on the beach, for a cook up, where we all enjoyed crayfish until we were full and still had some left over!

Polly and Gerry

To cook it,  Dwayne simply cut the tail down the centre and washed it in the sea.

Dwayne’s Barbequed Crayfish, Queensland, Australia

He then spread it with garlic and butter…

barbecue crayfish over a fire on the beach

…and cooked it on the BBQ over a small fire.

Char grill crayfish tails over a fire on the beach

We enjoyed a few drinks and a bonfire while we waited for it to cook.

Great Barrier Reef Island

Fire on the beach cooking crayfish.
We cooked the head/legs of the crayfish on hot coals.