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 Steven Snow was feeling inspired when he returned to his Byron Bay restaurant, Fins, to cook for the First Lady of East Timor, Australian Kirsty Sword Gusmao. He told his distinguished guests he was keen to share one of the more interesting Peruvian dishes he’d tried – guinea pig. With a mischievous grin, he added that he’d scoured Byron Bay’s pet shops for the key ingredient. There was a palpable sigh of relief when platters of local seafood, for which Fins is renowned, appeared from the restaurant’s kitchens.
 Eight months later, Snow’s South American sojourn continues to have a profound influence on his cooking, at Fins and at home. “Everywhere I go, I absorb ideas by osmosis and come home and adapt those ideas to our seafood,” he explains. “South American food is basic, but I like a cuisine that has soul and strong flavours.”
Not surprisingly, the laid-back chef felt right at home as he sampled the exotic wares and took in the sights. “The people are irreverent, with a real sense of fun. But steeped in lots of traditions and there are so many worlds in the one place.”
After surfing, Snow would return to Brazil’s beaches, where the food would literally come to him, from the buffalo mozzarella cooked on portable coal fires and oysters shucked to order, to the ubiquitous caipirinha (lime, sugar, cachaca and ice).
 He loved the seafood in Chile and on Easter Island, much of it served raw, such as sea urchin and razor clam salads, and octopus sashimi. Even abalone is cheap and in the Santiago fish market. At night, he’d head to rustic seafood restaurants and bars with live music by “amazing 75-year-old men”, where he’d tuck into tapas. Empanadas – even a curried pipi version – were available everywhere.
Snow has been a peripatetic traveller over the years, visiting (and cooking in) Portugal, France, Vietnam, Fiji and Morocco, among other places. The menu at Fins has long boasted Portuguese, Moroccan and Asian influences, but more recently South American flavours have come to the fore. “A lot of Brazilian food has a Portuguese influence, so I already understand it. Brazil is festive and fun, and it comes through in the food.”
Dende oil, an orange palm oil essential to Brazilian food, is a new ingredient added to his repertoire. “It has a really strong flavour and adds an orange colour.” It features here in the hot and spicy moqueca, a sambal-like sauce coating seafood pulled from local waters.
 When Vogue Entertaining + Travel joined Snow’s family and friends for a casual lunch at his Possum Creek home in the Byron hinterland, it was an afternoon of lively flavours and rapid banter, especially from his children, Mitchell and Samuel, who share their father’s laconic wit. Snow’s partner, interior designer Lisa Gole, and Fins manager Kristy Christie, sous chef Phil Woolaston and his wife, Robyn, joined them, along with fishing partner Andrew Davis.
Davis returned the favour the following day, hosting an expedition on his boat on the pristine blue waters off Byron Bay, where Snow landed a sizeable cobia (black kingfish) and Woolaston enjoyed the thrill of a marlin dancing on the ocean’s surface before a flick of its head released the hook and it, too, returned to roam the planet.
(makes about 24)
2 medium potatoes
400g salted cod, soaked for at least 24 hours
(although 48 hours is better) in at least 3 changes of cold water
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 medium onions, peeled and diced finely
½ cup cream
½ cup grated parmigiano reggiano
salt and freshly ground black pepper
plain flour, seasoned with sea salt and white pepper
1 egg beaten into 1 cup of milk
1 cup Japanese breadcrumbs (panko)*
vegetable oil, for deep frying
saffron mayonnaise, recipe follows
Boil the potatoes in their skins until tender, then drain and set aside. Drain the salted cod and place in a saucepan with enough cold water to cover. Bring to a simmer and leave to cook gently for about 15 minutes or until the fish flakes easily from the bone. Remove the skin from the potatoes (you may need rubber gloves if the potatoes are hot), and puree in a food processor. Drain the salted cod and set aside until cool enough to handle, then flake the flesh from the bone into a bowl and mash with a fork.
Heat the olive oil in a frying pan over high heat, add the onions and garlic and sauté until golden, add the cod and cook for 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium and add the potato puree and cook for a further 10 minutes, stirring occasionally and lifting the residue from the bottom of the pan. Add the cream, stir to combine, then add the parmigiano and season to taste. Some of the mixture may stick to the bottom of the pan, but use this, as it will add flavour. Remove from the heat. Shape tablespoonfuls of mixture into balls the diameter of a 20-cent piece. Roll each ball in flour, then in the egg mixture, then the breadcrumbs. In a large heavy-based pan or wok, heat enough oil for deep-frying until hot but not smoking. Cook the balls in batches until golden. Drain on paper towels. Serve warm with saffron mayonnaise.
*Coarse breadcrumbs, available from Asian food stores
(makes about 2 cups)
Whisk 2 egg yolks, ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard, 1 tablespoon saffron vinegar* and 1 tablespoon water together in a small bowl with a wooden spoon until a smooth paste forms. Slowly add 250ml vegetable oil and 70ml olive oil in a steady stream, whisking continuously until thick and emulsified. Season to taste with sea salt and freshly ground white pepper.
*20 threads of saffron steeped in warm white vinegar for 20 minutes
(serves 4)
500ml extra virgin olive oil
500ml vegetable oil
2 sprigs thyme
3 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
15 white peppercorns
1 fresh long red chilli
1 fresh octopus, approximately 450-500g after cleaning
(ask your fishmonger to clean it for you)
Dressing:
25ml lemon juice
2 teaspoons lime juice
1 teaspoon Japanese soy sauce
1 clove garlic, peeled and chopped finely
5mm piece ginger, grated finely
3 black peppercorns
½ long red chilli, seeded and chopped finely
25ml extra virgin olive oil
Salad:
1 corn cob with husk still on
8 yellow teardrop tomatoes, halved
200g purple congo potatoes*, steamed, peeled and sliced
1 small red onion, peeled and sliced thinly
¼ cup each loosely packed coriander and flat-leaf parsley leaves
1 chorizo, diagonally sliced into 5mm slices
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
saffron mayonnaise, see recipe, left
2 whole limes, cut into 4 ‘cheeks’ (discard centre section)
Heart the oils in a deep saucepan until hot and smoking. Add the thyme, garlic, peppercorns and chilli, then slowly add the octopus (be careful, as the oil will spit). Turn off the heat and allow to steep for 30 minutes. Remove the octopus and drain on a wire rack. When cool, slice the octopus into bite-sized pieces.
To make the dressing, whisk all the ingredients in a bowl, then chill.
To assemble the salad, soak the corn cob in water for 20 minutes, remove and cook over a preheated char-grill until dry. Remove the husk, then slice off the kernels and place in a bowl. Add the tomatoes, potatoes, onion and herbs.
Char-grill the chorizo for 20-30 seconds on each side until coloured. Drizzle the salad with the dressing, add the chorizo and half the octopus. Toss to combine and stand for 2-3 minutes. Toss again and divide among four serving bowls, then top with remaining octopus. Serve with a dollop of saffron mayonnaise and a lime cheek.
*If unavailable, substitute kipflers or pink fir apples potatoes.
(serves 4)
180g black beans, soaked in cold water overnight, drained and rinsed
50ml extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped finely
1/3 carrot, peeled and sliced finely
1 small onion, peeled and sliced finely
3 coriander roots, washed thoroughly, sliced finely
1/3 leek, washed thoroughly, sliced into 1cm slices
1 x 375g can whole peeled tomatoes, crushed by hand
2 tablespoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 fresh bay leaf
1 teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon smoked paprika
1 tablespoon white wine
pinch of saffron threads, steeped in 150ml hot water for 20 minutes
1 litre chicken or vegetable stock
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
flat-leaf parsley leaves, to serve
Place beans in a saucepan with water to cover. Bring to boil and simmer until tender, about 45 minutes. Drain and set aside.
In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat, add the garlic, carrot, onion, coriander roots and leek. Cook on a medium heat until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, parsley, bay leaf and dry spices and cook for a further 5 minutes. Add the beans and white wine. Cook until the alcohol evaporates, then add the saffron water and stock. Simmer, uncovered, for a further 1 hour and season to taste. To serve, spoon into serving bowls and top with cracked pepper and flat-leaf parsley leaves.
Peruvian-style sashimi with hot eschalot oil and chilli
(serves 4)
Eschalot oil:
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
5 eschalots, peeled and sliced finely
Sashimi plate:
300g sashimi-grade firm white fish fillet, such as mackerel or blue-eye trevalla
20 leaves coriander
1 jalapeno or long red chilli, seeded and sliced crosswise very finely on the diagonal
1 bunch of chives, cut in 2cm lengths
sea salt and freshly cracked white pepper
1 lime, cut into quarters
30ml light soy sauce
vegetable oil, for frying
1 small potato, peeled and diced into 5mm cubes
¼ chinese cabbage, sliced very finely
To make the eschalot oil, heat the oil in a pan over low heat, add the eschalots and cook for about 10 minutes until golden. Set aside.
Place the fish in the freezer until it firms up, but do not freeze. Using a very sharp knife, thinly slice the fish into about 20 small rectangular pieces and lay on a chilled serving platter slightly overlapping. Top each fish slice with a coriander leaf, a slice of chilli and some chives. Season to taste. Squeeze the lime over the fish and spoon over the soy sauce. Heat some oil in a small frying pan and fry the potato over medium heat until golden and just cooked. Drain on paper towels.
To serve, scatter the potato cubes over the fish. Strain the eschalot oil and discard the eschalots. Reheat the oil and drizzle over the top. Place the cabbage in the centre of the platter, top with any remaining chilli and serve immediately.
(serves 4)
Moqueca paste:
1 tablespoon dende oil*
1 teaspoon each, ground turmeric and ground coriander
10 coriander roots, scrubbed and chopped finely
2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped finely
1 fresh long red chilli, seeds removed and chopped finely
Moqueca broth:
70ml dende oil*
1 large onion, peeled and sliced finely
4 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped finely
1 medium tomato, peeled and chopped finely
1 tablespoon fish sauce
300ml chicken stock
125ml tamarind water**
300ml coconut milk
12 mussels, scrubbed and beards removed, or pipis, soaked (mussels should remain closed after handling)
4 x 100g skinless, boneless firm fish fillets, such as mahi mahi, jewfish or blue-eye trevalla, each cut into 4 pieces
4 small squid tubes, sliced in half to open, then cut into 4
8 large green king prawns, peeled, cleaned and tails left intact
4 Balmain bugs, cut in half lengthwise, intestinal tract removed, then cleaned
1 bunch of bok choy, trimmed, leaves separated and blanched
To make the moqueca paste, place all ingredients into a mortar and pound into a smooth paste with a pestle. Alternatively, blend all ingredients in a food processor. Set aside.
To make the moqueca broth, place the dende oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and fry until softened. Add the moqueca paste and fry for 1 minute until fragrant. Add the tomato and cook for 1 minute. Add the fish sauce, then the chicken stock and tamarind water and simmer for 20 minutes. Add the coconut milk. Add the mussels or pipis and poach in the broth on a medium heat for 1 minute (discard any that do not open). Add the fish and cook for a further minute, then add the squid, prawns and bugs, and cook for a further minute. Finally, add the bok choy and stir through.
To serve, divide the seafood and broth evenly among 4 bowls and serve with steamed rice on the side.
*A heavy, orange-yellow palm oil available from Fiji Market (02) 9517 2054
**Pour 100ml hot water over 125g seeded tamarind pulp.
(serves 6-8)
9 egg yolks
1 egg
1-2 tablespoons Calvados
¼ cup raisins
Spice syrup:
2 sticks of cinnamon
6 cardamom pods
1 piece of cassia bark
2 star anise
3 tablespoons Calvados
1 cup sugar
½ cup water
¼ cup toasted almonds
Preheat the oven to 150c. Grease a 30cm x 20cm x 6cm baking tin and line the base with baking paper. In a bowl, beat the egg yolks and egg until pale yellow and tripled in size. Pour into prepared baking tin and bake for 20 minutes or until egg is set through (it should resemble a sponge cake). Set aside to cool.
Meanwhile, place the raisins in a small bowl with the Calvados and set aside to soak. Turn the egg out of the tin, cut into 16 square portions and set aside.
To make the spice syrup, combine all ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat and bring to the boil until the sugar is dissolved and syrupy. Remove from the heat and set aside for 20 minutes to allow the flavours to infuse.
To serve, place the babas on a serving platter, pour the syrup over, sprinkle with the soaked raisins and almonds and serve.
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Octopus, chorizo and purple congo potato salad
Brazilian bean soup
Brazilian babas
