Deliciously Wild: Coast to Coals - Kingfish Showcase with Nicholas Finn (Hastwell & Lightfoot)

There's one fish that South Australia does better than almost anywhere, and most of us have only ever met it as a slice of sashimi on a share plate. South Australian kingfish is worth a whole Sunday, and that's exactly what's on offer.

Coast to Coals is the first in the Deliciously Wild guest chef series, a collaboration between guest chef Nicholas Finn and native food expert Jackie Mazzocato. Nick brings the fish and everything he knows about handling it, while Jackie brings the native pantry that dresses it: Davidson plum, desert lime, finger lime, lemon myrtle and pickled pigface, the ingredients she has spent years learning to cook with. Two South Australian larders, the sea and the bush, on one plate.

Nicholas Finn is Head of Product Development and Innovation at Yumbah Aquaculture, and has cooked his way through kitchens in Adelaide, Melbourne, Madrid, Amsterdam, Vancouver and California. He'll start the morning by breaking down a whole kingfish in front of you, talking through the cuts, what each one is good for, and why the fish tastes the way it does. It's the sort of thing you usually only see if you work in a kitchen.

Jackie Mazzocato is the content creator and recipe writer behind Fleurieu Food and Wine, an award winning mobile cooking school and winner of Gold for Excellence in Food Tourism at the 2025 South Australian Tourism Awards. She has written seven cookbooks and is passionate about sharing her knowledge of the Australian native pantry. Her newest, Deliciously Wild, pairs native ingredients with Fleurieu produce and launches at this class.

You'll arrive to a glass in hand on the deck, looking out over the vineyard, and then you'll get cooking. First the raw course, plated at your bench alongside Nick: kingfish crudo with pickled pigface, ribbon cucumber, finger lime and a Davidson plum dressing. You'll sit down and eat it while it's at its best, with a glass of McLaren Vale white from Hastwell and Lightfoot.

After that it's over to the hibachi grills, where you'll cook your own kingfish top loin over the coals and finish it with a desert lime and lemon myrtle compound butter, straight out of the Deliciously Wild cookbook, melting into the fish. It comes to the table as lunch, with a baby leaf salad in a raspberry shallot vinaigrette, charred broccolini with whipped feta and pomegranate, and a glass of Grenache Tempranillo to go with it.

Two courses, one fish, and two techniques you'll take home. We finish at 2:00pm and the cellar door is open until 4:30pm if you'd like to make a day of it.

The menu: Kingfish crudo with pickled pigface, ribbon cucumber, finger lime and Davidson plum dressing. Hibachi-grilled kingfish top loin with desert lime and lemon myrtle compound butter, baby leaf salad with raspberry shallot vinaigrette, and charred broccolini with whipped feta and pomegranate.

Your ticket covers: The whole fish demonstration, both hands-on courses, everything you cook and eat, and two glasses of matched Hastwell and Lightfoot wine. There is coffee and a good non-alcoholic option if you would rather not drink at eleven. You will go home with the recipes.

Good to know: Come as you are, closed-in shoes please, and let us know when you book if there is anything we need to know about allergies or dietary requirements. This class involves raw fish and live grills, so we will take you through the safety side on the day.