A festive menu for an Aussie summer

• Classic squeeze of lemon
• Ponzu sauce
• Mignonette made with red wine vinegar, shallots and mountain pepperberries
• Ginger vinaigrette made with freshly grated ginger, rice wine vinegar, a little sugar, a dash of green onion oil and thinly sliced spring onions
• Thai nahm jim dressing. Make a paste of red chilli, garlic, coriander stems, palm sugar and a little salt. Add fish sauce and lime juice to taste. It should be hot, sweet, sour and salty.
• Tempura oysters (if you feel up to the task) with a blob of Japanese mayo and a dash of miso hot sauce

Salty Yuzu Spritzer
This is a perfect drink to serve before it all kicks off – lightly boozy and effervescent, and extremely refreshing with a touch of citrus salt to whet the appetite. In a shaker with ice, add 60ml gin, 60ml yuzu juice, 1-2 generous pinches of yuzu salt. Shake well. Strain into a highball glass with fresh ice, top with cold soda water and garnish with shiso (or mint) and a final sprinkle of yuzu salt.

Cured Kingfish with Wakame and Ponzu
This low effort, maximum impact main is delicately cured and served with a bright, citrusy ponzu dressing, lots of fresh herbs and crispy fish skin ‘crackling’. Get the recipe here.

Japanese-Style Potato Salad
It's not a Christmas in summer without potato salad, and a Japanese version fits in perfectly with the flavours of the cured kingfish. Mix the soft, squishy cloves of a whole head of roasted garlic with Jimoto Fresh Yuzu & Chilli Dressing, mayonnaise, salt and pepper. Fold this sauce through diced potatoes that have been boiled and cooled, then top with fried shallots and bonito flakes.

Quick-Pickled Cucumbers
A balance of sweet and tangy, these cucumbers are still slightly crunchy and are a refreshing side you can whip up in minutes. Using a vegetable peeler or knife, cut four cucumbers into long thin ribbons and mix with a teaspoon of salt. Let sit for 10 mins, then rinse off the salt and squeeze out excess liquid. Make a dressing of rice wine vinegar, toasted sesame oil, grated fresh ginger, soy sauce and a little sugar and toss with the cucumber strips. Garnish with dried chilli flakes and toasted sesame seeds.

Butter Lettuce Leaves
Their tender, cup-like structure serves as a vessel for a little bit of everything on the table, much like a Korean ssam wrap. Take a lettuce cup, pop in some fish, potato salad, pickled cucumber, drizzle on some extra ponzu and top with crumbled fish skin crackling.

So, as we prepare to embrace an Aussie Christmas, let's kick off a new tradition—one that celebrates the flavours of the fresh, amazing quality seafood we’re so lucky to have access to, the warmth of the sun, and the company of those we hold dear. Cheers to a silly season that's relaxing and filled with amazing food.