Indulge festival chefs Sean Connolly, Nic Watt, Michael Dearth, Aki Nakamura, Croydon Cole, Jess Granada and Richard Highnam reveal some clues as to what they will be bringing to wow guests from the 2nd - 5th of March 2023. Video / NZ Herald
Fish, seafood and Asian-inspired flavours are tipped to be what Kiwis will be choosing this summer by some of New Zealand’s top chefs.
A new event - Indulge - tipped to be the country’s largest food and wine festival will be hitting Auckland from March 2-5.
The event will transform Auckland’s Wynyard Point and Jellicoe Harbour into a food, wine and design extravaganza and features a stellar line-up of award-winning chefs including Sean Connolly, Nic Watt, Michael Dearth, Akihiro Nakamura, Croydon Cole, Jess Granada and Thu Ya.
Nakamura, the head chef of Katsura at the Grand Millennium, says it’s “about time” fish and seafood became a Kiwi culinary favourite.
Katsura head chef Akihiro Nakamura with his chef choice sashimi platter. Photo / Alex Burton
“People always think of beef and lamb when they talk about New Zealand food, but we are surrounded by ocean and we have the freshest and best seafood around,” he said.
Originally from Gifu, Japan, Nakamura has trained with some of Japan’s best chefs who worked with “a lot of fish”.
“For Japanese, fish is our preferred choice of protein because it is low-fat and high quality. Eating seafood is something rooted in who we are,” he said.
“Like Japan, New Zealand is an island too and I believe many more are waking up to appreciating the seafood that we get here.”
Nakamura says he personally sources for the wide assortment of fish and seafood he offers at Katsura, and is passionate about bringing “fresh flavours of our oceans” to Indulge.
“I believe one of the most important features of Japanese cuisine is seafood, and I always think of how we can offer fresh seafood for delicious dishes,” he said.
“When the fish and seafood are fresh, there is very little you need to do to make it a super dish.”
Chef Akihiro Nakamura's sashimi platter celebrates fresh New Zealand seafood. Photo / Alex Burton
Among his dishes are the chef’s choice sashimi platter, which will include snapper, southern bluefin tuna, ora king salmon, Ruakākā kingfish, hāpuka, NZ deep sea scampi and pacific oyster.
Also, the nigiri sushi which will feature a range of fresh market fish selections.
At Indulge, expect masterclasses, musical entertainment and wine tasting on top of the food and drink experiences over four days.
Celebrated chef Nic Watt, who is behind Inca and Masu, says because of a predicted long hot summer, many Kiwi foodies will be going for “those fresh seafood flavours, ceviche and sashimi salads”.
“Key flavours that will come through this summer are the citrus flavours like grapefruit and orange, and Japanese components of yuzu, which will brighten up all those seafoods of the summer season,” Watt says.
Sashimi and ceviche from the tasting menu at Inca restaurant by Nic Watt. Photo / Babiche Martens
For Indulge, Watt says he will be bringing food that has the “pure pristine flavours of Japan” mixed with “the flamboyance and fun of South America”.
Sean Connolly of QT Auckland says barbecues - cooking over an open fire - will continue to be a summer hit but many will be cooking them with an infusion of Asian flavours.
“It’ll be lots of chillis, lots of star anise, lots of ginger, proper Asian flavours for me this summer,” Connolly said.
US-born MasterChef NZ judge Michael Dearth is thrilled at having his brother from San Francisco here this Christmas.
The self-proclaimed “Kiwi by choice” said he loved the fact that living here in the Southern Hemisphere meant he could do a barbecue at Christmas.
“When you’re cooking on the barbecue, you’re always going to have that beautiful smokey flavour. Get some crayfish shell side down on a barbecue and there’s something magical that happens. It’s almost like a call to Kiwis, you’ll attract people to your barbecue with that simple sort of equation,” Dearth said.
“I love to barbecue and I love seafood. I just love having some crayfish and some prawns. I like to indulge by having some crab legs and whip them on the barbecue with some garlic butter.”
MasterChef NZ judge Michael Dearth says he loves having crayfish on the barbecue. Photo / Mike Scott
Croydon Cole, the chef behind Smokin Cole BBQ in Grey Lynn, says he will be having chilli crabs in Singapore on Christmas Eve.
The Hunting Lodge is one of the wineries taking part in Indulge. Photo / Supplied
Organiser Urban Events managing director Simon Wilson said the festival would introduce Kiwis to new tastes and sounds and also “celebrate many of the tried and true”.
“With this collection of wineries on board, we have some old favourites and some new ones that many people will not have come across before. It’s exciting,” Wilson said.
Anna Bentley, marketing manager at The Hunting Lodge said the festival was also an opportunity for her winery to showcase its award-winning wines.
“We love the idea of taking our product to the people and being part of an exciting and dynamic event that all New Zealanders can enjoy,” Bentley said.
Deputy Mayor Desley Simpson said Auckland Council was proud to be supporting Indulge, and she was really excited that mass events were coming back to the city post-Covid.
“Auckland punches above its weight anywhere on the world stage for food, wine and hospitality. This event is just another way to showcase the incredible talent that we’ve got in Auckland,” Simpson said.
