Boy-oh-boy – fabulous fish at One-o-One, a fine foil for classic Aussie whites

Whenever I visit Australia, I’m always blown away by the freshness and quality of the fish and shellfish. 

Blue swimmer crab is a favourite and, this last trip, Italian crepe of blue swimmer crab, ricotta, mustard fruits, chilli, lemon & basil with a caper berry butter (at Áuge in Adelaide) and Lobster Medallion with Blue Swimmer Crab & Prawn Ravioli & Lobster Bisque (at d’Arry’s Verandah, d’Arenberg in McLaren Vale) didn’t disappoint.

So I had no shortage of inspiration when it came to matching a selection of white wines from Australia’s First Families of Wine for a Sip & Savour lunch yesterday at One-o-One at the Sheraton Hotel, one of London’s leading seafood restaurants.  Here’s the menu with wines: 

Amuse-bouche: cucumber vichyssoise with smoked mackerel, vodka foam and croutons matched with De Bortoli Rococo Blanc de Blancs NV (Yarra Valley) 

Starter: wild Norwegian red king crab (pictured) with spring vegetable macedoine salad, pastilla, aromatic dressing and green pea sorbet matched with Jim Barry Lodge Hill Dry Riesling 2010 (Clare Valley) and Tahbilk Marsanne 2007 (Ngambie Lakes)

Main: Welsh seabass pan roasted unilateral, barigoule sauce, artichoke compote and ratatouille, olive tapenade provençal (top picture) matched with Yalumba Viognier 2009 (Eden Valley) and Tyrrells Vat 1 Semillon 2003 (Hunter Valley)

Dessert: Orange fruit custard tart, floating island Grand Marnier crème anglaise, blood orange sorbet matched with Brown Brothers Patricia Noble Riesling 2006 (Victoria)

Match of the day?  The sweet wine and dessert (pictured) produced many a sigh.  The Seabass and Semillon made for a class act.  Still, I’m awarding joint first prize to the Riesling and the Marsanne, which ran brilliantly with different elements of the King Crab starter, adding piquancy to the whole.  The Riesling’s minerality and cool clarity was pitch perfect with the leg meat from the King Crab and an intense pea sorbet, while the slightly weightier, sweeter fruited Marsanne worked beautifully with the richer, sweet and succulent crab meat in the pastilla and tower.  All in all a beautifully executed, memorable dish which the wines did proud.

One 28 November, I’ll be matching a selection of red and fortified wines from Australia’s First Families of Wine for another Sip & Savour lunch, details to be confirmed, but I’ll keep you posted.