South Australian kingfish raw and then over the coals, with guest chef Nicholas Finn of Yumbah Aquaculture and native food expert Jackie Mazzocato. Two South Australian larders, the sea and the bush, on one plate. Lunch and two glasses of Hastwell & Lightfoot wine are in the ticket.
Two Sundays, 11:00am to 2:00pm, at the Hastwell & Lightfoot cellar door in McLaren Vale: 25 October 2026 and 21 February 2027. Pick your date and book below.
The cellar door at 301 Foggo Road, McLaren Vale. You arrive to a glass in hand on the deck looking out over the vineyard, and the hibachi grills run outside. The cellar door is open until 4:30pm if you would like to stay on. About this venue
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. 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.
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.
Head of Product Development and Innovation, Yumbah Aquaculture
Nick has cooked his way through kitchens in Adelaide, Melbourne, Madrid, Amsterdam, Vancouver and California, and now works across a premium Australian seafood portfolio. 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.
Owner, content creator and recipe writer, Fleurieu Food and Wine
Jackie 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.
One fish, dressed with the native pantry of this coast.
A glass in hand on the deck, looking out over the vineyard.
Pickled pigface, ribbon cucumber, finger lime and a Davidson plum dressing. Plated at your bench alongside Nick and eaten straight away, with a glass of McLaren Vale white.
Cooked over the coals by you, finished with a desert lime and lemon myrtle compound butter straight out of the Deliciously Wild cookbook.
Baby leaf salad with raspberry shallot vinaigrette, charred broccolini with whipped feta and pomegranate, and a glass of Grenache Tempranillo.
Nick breaks down a whole South Australian kingfish in front of the room and talks you through every cut.
All ingredients, everything you cook, and lunch at the table when the hibachi course comes off the coals.
A McLaren Vale white with the raw course and a Grenache Tempranillo with the fire. Coffee and a good non-alcoholic option if you would rather not drink at eleven.
Both courses written up so you can cook them again.
Bring nothing but your appetite and closed-in shoes.
This class is where Jackie launches her new native Australian cookbook.
PLEASE NOTE: Due to the popularity and limited capacity of our programs, a minimum of 14 days’ notice is required for any cancellations or rescheduling requests. This allows us adequate time to offer the spot to others on our waiting list. Cancellations made with at least 14 days’ notice will receive a full refund or credit.
Cancellations received within 14 days of the event are non-refundable unless exceptional circumstances apply, in which case a credit may be offered at our discretion.
It helps, because the first course is crudo. If raw fish is not for you, tell us when you book and we will look after you on the day, but this class is built around one fish served two ways and the raw course is half of it.
Yes. The hibachi grills run outdoors on the deck, shared between the group. We take you through the safety side before anyone lights anything. In the unlikely event of a total fire ban we switch to gas grills and the class runs as planned.
A succulent that grows along the dunes right here on the Fleurieu. Jackie pickles the leaves, which come out crisp and salty with a lemony bite, and they go into the crudo. It is one of about twenty natives in her new book.
Three hours, 11:00am to 2:00pm. You eat both courses during the class, so you leave having had lunch.
Two matched glasses are in the ticket, one with the raw course and one with the hibachi course, both from Hastwell & Lightfoot. The cellar door is open until 4:30pm if you would like to keep going after we finish.
None. Nick and Jackie take you through every step, and the fish is filleted for the hands-on cooking, so you are not expected to break down a whole kingfish yourself.
At Hastwell & Lightfoot, 301 Foggo Road, McLaren Vale. Parking is on site.
Yes, and this one works beautifully as a client or team experience. Send a private group enquiry →
Sunday 25 October 2026 and Sunday 21 February 2027 at the Hastwell & Lightfoot cellar door, with Nicholas Finn of Yumbah Aquaculture and Jackie Mazzocato.
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