Mum has shared different stories about how she arrived in Australia. One narrative suggests that my biological father was directed to Australia instead of the US after leaving a refugee camp, while another insists Mum simply believed Australia to be a superior destination. Regardless, while my relatives gathered in the US, Mum made her way to Australia.
This recipe draws inspiration from my US-based cousins and embodies the quintessential viet kieu experience, where Vietnamese migrants adapt to local customs while infusing their unique flavours. The concept of a seafood boil aligns perfectly with Vietnamese traditions of enjoying fresh, boiled seafood with lively conversation and cold beer.
In Australia, you’ll find an abundance of seafood, and for this dish, I recommend using prawns, mussels, shore crabs, calamari, fish, and mud crabs, aiming for a total seafood weight of about 2.5-3kg. Complementary side dishes could include corn drizzled with spring onion oil, collard greens, okra, and slathered bread or egg noodles to soak up the delicious broth.
This dish shines when enjoyed outdoors, ideally in a backyard. Traditionally, we serve the feast directly on the table, devour everything at once, and then just hose it all down afterward.
Thi Le’s Viet-Cajun Seafood Boil-Up Recipe
Serves 6–8
Ingredients:
- 500g periwinkles
- 500g pipis or clams
- 1-2 bird’s eye chillies
- 2 blue swimmer crabs, halved
- 500g tiger prawns
- 500g yabbies (crayfish)
- 500g mussels
- 250g new potatoes
- 2 corn cobs, cut into pieces
- 250g okra
- 1 bunch Thai basil
For the spice mix:
Combine hot or smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, lemongrass powder, ground ginger, onion powder, garlic powder, Chinese five spice, fennel seeds, cardamom pod, sea salt, and sugar.
For the broth:
Mix chicken stock, coconut water, corn husks, orange juice with reserved skins, ginger, lemongrass, onion, garlic, bay leaves, star anise, and cassia bark. Infuse for 30 mins.
For the sauce:
Sauté garlic, ginger, lemongrass, and chilli in vegetable oil. Add butter, then fish sauce and the spice mix.
To Serve:
Juice one orange and serve with salt, pepper, and citrus or your favourite hot sauce.
Preparation:
Clean all seafood, purging periwinkles and pipis in chilled water with chillies. Boil the broth, add seafood and vegetables, then finish with a buttery sauce for a flavour-packed meal, best served on a table covered in plastic.