If you get the chance to get out into nature and cook some food over an open fire for Father’s Day this year then here are a couple of recipes to wet your creative whistle!  

Because whether you catch your own or head to the fish market there’s nothing better than seafood cooked in the great outdoors. There’s a job for everyone when cooking over fire and somehow that just makes everything taste better. So gather up the kids and let’s light a fire and celebrate Dad with a big old cook up. 

Stuffing the fish with fresh kawakawa (NZ bush basil) dried horopito (NZ bush pepper) and lemon makes for a very juicy, fragrant, citrusy and peppery experience. If these aren't things you can find easily, use your choice of herbs and spices. 

INGREDIENTS

Whole fish – gutted and descaled.
Ingredients are per fish:
10 leaves Fresh kawakawa leaves
2 Sliced lemons
1 t Dried horopito 
3 T Olive oil per fish 
1 t salt, or more to taste 

METHOD

Pat the whole fish dry inside and out. 

Cut 4 vertical slits in the skin and through the flesh on each side of the fish. 

Sprinkle the inside of the cuts with salt then stuff with ripped up kawakawa leaves (remove the little stem first) and slices of lemon. Stuff the middle of the fish with remaining kawakawa, lemons slices and salt.  

Liberally drizzle in olive oil and sprinkle each side with salt and dried horopito, rubbing it all in well with your hands. 

Heat your Grande Pan over coals till smoking hot then drizzle in a little olive oil and lower the whole fish into the pan. Depending on the size of your fish fry for 10 - 15 minutes on each side. If the fish is cooking faster than you want it to place the lid on the pan and remove it from the coals to cool down a little or slosh some cold beer, wine or water into the pan to slow down the heat. Use two fish slices to carefully turn the fish over.