New Year’s Day BBQ
Happy New Year 2009 everyone! We welcomed the new year by throwing some snags and prawns on the barbie like a real aussie trooper. The first day of the new year proven to be a stinky hot one, it was so nice to spend our day in and around the swimming pool at the backyard, with nice cold beer in one hand. Big D also decided to make his signature fruit punch and served in a retro palm tree pattern drink jug.
Apart from the usual snags and steaks to throw on the barbie, I have also added some seafood to the diet. I bought some prawns and also a whole Barramundi. The prawns are so fresh and “bounce-off-the-teeth” tender, so I don’t really have to do much with them except just chuck them on the barbie and cook for few minutes. One who is allergic to crustacean, and the others just think peeling prawns is a fiddly task, so ended up no one touching them! WTH?! So I pretty much polished all the prawns up single handed! They are so missing out the pleasure of snapping the prawn’s head off and sucking out all the juicy goodness inside. That’s the best bit.
The Barramundi is a handsome fella! I decided to do a Sambal style grilled barramundi, so I marinated it with some ginger, chilli, lime, challots and also the “secret” ingredient – the Belachan paste. Belachan is not for the faint hearted, it will stink your whole house when cooking and the smell will linger for days. If you want to piss your neighbours off, use the Belachan!
It would be great if I could find some banana leaf and wrap the fish in it then grill on top of the BBQ. But aluminium foil will do for now and the fish still taste fantastic! The flesh is silky soft and nice texture, a little muddy taste blended so well with the hot and spicy sambal flavour.
We finished off with a nice bowl of fresh summer fruit and some lemon sorbet. I was so dehydrated and the fruit salad works like a treat. We pretty much spent the whole day eating, drinking, swimming, chatting, laughing, oh also bit of photographing at the billabong around the back of Big D’s house. What a great way to start the new year.
Have I set myself any New Year Resolutions? I’ll say how many New Year Resolutions I am going to break. 
But I do have a few wishes and hopefully will come true.
Amelie would also like to wish you all a prosperous new year, especially those who are single will soon be sharing a string of spaghetti with your new found love. At A Table For Two, you never dine alone.
A Table For Two (ATFT) is Billy Law's food blog that features best eats in Sydney and around the world with drool-worthy food photography to salivate your appetite. I also throw in a smidgen of my food and travel photography for good measure. Billy Law also happened to be a contestant on MasterChef Australia 2011. 
Belachan is good stuff, even if it is made from the evil prawn.
Wonderful Billy! All your pics are beautiful and really represent that casual summer dining feeling! Great stuff!
Peter G’s last blog post..Spanish Tapas
omg noone touched the prawns?! wth indeed! i would’ve been right alongside you ripping the heads off those prawns and sucking those tasty brains out with fierce enjoyment! fab photos as always – so Aussie summer – altho’ I can’t find the pic of Big D’s retro palm tree jug! I love retro!
Helen’s last blog post..Adriano Zumbo Patissier, Balmain
If I ever am gonna set my foot Down Under, it’s gonna be in summertime and with a BBQ in mind. That looks like an awesome bbq party and made especially awesome with your photography skills.
By the way, how did your folks get acquainted to the belacan? Love it?
pablopabla’s last blog post..Stir-Fried Lala Clams Home-cooked Style
Great BBQ! I am the type that would normally be too lazy to peel prawns but if noone else was digging in I would help polish them off hee hee. Mmmm perfect bbq weather!
FFichiban’s last blog post..Robertson Pie Shop – Robertson, south of Sydney
@yewenyi: yeah I am surprised you could take it with no trouble.
@Peter G: Thanks peter, I hope you had a great new year’s celebration too!
@Helen: I know…. no one touching the prawns! That’s so un-aussie! You have to make your way up here one day to go bargain hunting for retro stuff.
@pablopabla: No problem! Will definitely throw a prawn on the barbie if you make your way down here!
Belachan only stinks when it uncooked or while cooking, the finish end result is always marvellous! Don’t you think?
@FFichiban: tsk tsk tsk!
hey billy, im totally agree with you
:)
belachan is great once it’s cooked. but before hand, it smells like hell
once my maid made sambal with belachan
she stirred the belachan over the wok and the smell lingered everywhere
causing my clothes to stink for the whole day and my room for couple more days
yikes!! but of course, it’s all forgiven once i ate the sambal