Brisbane’s best restaurant dishes you can recreate at home right now

Brisbane’s dining scene is having a moment and now, some of its standout dishes are coming straight into home kitchens.

Chef and food writer Sam Parish is bringing restaurant-quality recipes to everyday cooks, showcasing the bold flavours and creativity shaping the city’s food culture.

From a fresh, flavour-packed smoked ocean trout salad to a layered dessert with white chocolate and strawberries, these dishes are designed to impress without feeling out of reach.

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Hot Smoked Ocean Trout With Fennel, Green Chilli Mayo & Watercress

Serves: 20 (shared plates; 1 plate serves 3 pax)

Preparation time: 1 hour

Cook time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

Salad

• 400g hot smoked QLD rainbow trout
• 1 red onion, thinly sliced
• ½ medium bulb fennel, shaved
• 60g young ginger, finely sliced
• ½ bunch spring onions (white part only), finely sliced
• 2 pots watercress, picked and cut
• ¼ bunch coriander, picked
• ¼ bunch Thai basil, picked
• 2 limes, segmented
• 50 ml fish sauce
• 50 ml lime juice
• Crispy shallots, to garnish

Green Chilli Mayonnaise

• 2tsp coriander seeds
• 2tsp fennel seeds
• 2 large green chillies
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2tbsp rice wine vinegar
• 2 egg yolks
• 400 ml canola oil
• ½ bunch coriander
• Salt, to taste

Method

1. Break up the smoked trout into bite-sized pieces, removing any bones and bloodline.
2. Shave fennel and red onion thinly on a mandolin and wash well.
3. Finely slice the chilli, spring onion, and ginger.
4. Pick and wash all herbs and cut the watercress.
5. Segment the limes.
6. Combine fish sauce and lime juice.

To make the green chilli mayonnaise

1. Toast coriander and fennel seeds in a dry pan until fragrant.
2. Place in a blender with chillies, garlic, vinegar, and egg yolks.
3. Blend until the mixture warms slightly.
4. With the motor running, slowly drizzle in the canola oil to form a thick mayonnaise, loosening with a little hot water if necessary.
5. Increase speed, add the coriander, and blend until bright green.
6. Adjust seasoning and transfer immediately to squeeze bottles.

To serve

1. Spread a base of green chilli mayo onto each plate.
2. Toss the trout with the salad ingredients and dress with fish sauce and lime juice.
3. Arrange neatly on top of the mayo.
4. Garnish generously with crispy shallots and serve immediately.

Pane Carasau Millefeuille with White Chocolate and Strawberries

Serves: 6

Preparation time: Overnight for namelaka, plus 1 hour preparation time

Cooking time: 10 minutes

Ingredients

• 6–8 sheets pane carasau (found in good Italian grocers)
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp icing sugar
• roasted macadamias and basil leaves to serve

White chocolate namelaka

• 2g gelatin sheets (or 1 tsp powdered gelatin)
• 60g whole milk
• 100g white chocolate, finely chopped
• 100g thickened cream (to mix)
• 200g cold thickened cream (for whipping later)
• ½ tsp vanilla paste (or seeds from ½ vanilla pod)

Macerated strawberries

• 250g fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced
• 2 tbsp caster sugar
• 1 tsp lemon zest

Method

White chocolate namelaka (make 1 day in advance)

1. Soak gelatin in cold water. Heat milk to just below a simmer, remove from heat, add geletin and stir to dissolve. Pour hot milk over white chocolate, let sit for 2 minutes, then whisk until smooth and melted. Add 100g cream and vanilla, mix well.
2. Whip remiaing 200g cold cream and vanilla in a bowl until soft peaks form. Fold through white chocolate mixture. Cover, and refrigerate overnight.
3. The next day whisk briefly to soft peaks then transfer to a piping bag.

Crisp pane carasau

1. Preheat oven to 160°C. Brush carasau sheets with olive oil, sprinkle with icing sugar, and cut into rectangles. Bake 8–10 minutes until golden and crisp. Cool completely.

Macerated Strawberries

1. Combine strawberries with sugar and lemon zest. Leave 20–30 minutes to soften and release juices.

To Serve

1. On a serving plate, layer crisp carasau with piped namelaka and macerated strawberries. Repeat for 2-3 layers, finishing with carasau on top.
2. Garnish with extra strawberries, roasted macadamias, basil leaves and dust with icing sugar. Serve immediately.

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