FINGER LICKIN' FRIDAY

Whole roasted fish with salsa verde

When I was a kid, we lived in Tropical North Queensland, in a little town. Most Friday afternoons, we would pile into the family cruiser and make the journey east to our unit at Wonga Beach. Living just south of the amazing Daintree River provided my brother and I with the most wonderful childhood; playing all day on the beach, discovering caves, dodging jellyfish in the water, climbing trees (and breaking limbs in the process), trekking alongside reefs at low tide and encountering the venomous snakes we disturbed whilst exploring. Thinking back, it is amazing to think that we weren't taken by crocodiles or bitten by angry snakes, but (being young) we were oblivious to the danger. Amongst my favourite memories of our time up north, is the fishing trips. Dad and I would wake up relatively early, jump in our little tinny and fish just offshore around the reefs for a few hours. And a few hours was all we needed, because we'd catch five to seven fish most trips.

Since moving to Brisbane, we mainly fish from shore, with the occasional off-shore trip. When Dad returned from a recent fishing trip with a couple of sweetlip, I was reminded of those old days when my hand-line (baited up by Dad) reeled in a heap of parrotfish, cod, coral trout and sweetlip. I was excited to cook Dad's fresh sweetlip like we used to - roasted whole with salt, pepper and lemon. Having plucked a bunch of fragrant basil from the garden that morning, I figured a salsa verde would make the perfect accompaniment. Salsa verde is essentially a dressing of herbs, lemon juice and capers, and it goes deliciously with flakey pieces of fresh fish. The days are still beautifully warm which means that this fish is just perfect for lunch this weekend.

FINGER LICKIN' FRIDAY

Jerky Pork Knuckles

I've wanted to cook pork knuckles ever since I saw how much Josh enjoyed one at Oktoberfest last year. That day, I opted for a schnitzel instead but after months of hearing about the goodness of a pork knuckle, I decided that it would be the perfect meal to make in celebration of moving into our new apartment.

As per usual, my visit to the butchers was less than ideal. It's not my favourite place to be, but I survived, having picked up a small pork knuckle for myself, and one that weighed almost 2kg for Josh. (They were surprisingly cheap, too.) We got home and as I washed the knuckles and patted them dry, my fingers ran over clumps of silky, soft hairs. I froze... And then spent a minute imagining how lovely and fat this pig was before I bought two of its legs home. Thankfully, Josh jumped into action and found a disposable razor to use. We shaved piggy clean and gave her another wash and dry. The jerk seasoning is so easy to make, just whizz everything up, rub it all over the knuckles and bake. After three and a half hours in the oven, the meat melts off the bone. It's sweet thanks to the honey, fragrant thanks to the spices, and just a tiny bit hot thanks to the chilli. Serve with sauerkraut or mashed potato, and a good splash of gravy.