Prawn and pineapple tacos and “Asian-style” rack of lamb seem like incongruous choices to celebrate the coronation of a new monarch, but these are just two of the baffling assortment of dishes selected as official recipes to celebrate this Saturday.
As an out and proud royalist, I eagerly awaited the release of these recipes. What could possibly follow in the footsteps of the ubiquitous coronation chicken? (coronation quiche, apparently.)
Whether you’re planning a grand feast or a casual get-together to swear your allegiance to the king, or just to watch in bemusement, here are the official recipes, with some alternatives fit for an Australian coronation celebration.
The most perplexing part of this recipe is the florid description of the lamb rack and how “its distinctive taste is robust enough to bear Asian flavours with grace and dignity”.
Splashing the cash on a rack of lamb in this economic climate certainly calls for a celebration, but if you’re feeding the masses on coronation night, consider a slow-roasted lamb shoulder. At less than half the cost per kilo of a frenched lamb rack, this recipe is generous enough to feed a crowd and comes with inspired uses (pulled lamb shoulder with pickled fennel and cabbage and flatbreads – yes please!) for leftovers well into the following week.
A modern riff on coronation chicken, this recipe extracts all the best parts and leaves behind the unappealing clagginess. A perfect partner to the slow-roasted lamb (above), but there’s always one person at every party who refuses to eat eggplant. For those people in your life, a crowd-pleasing potato salad should keep them satisfied. This aptly named royal potato salad is bright and herbaceous without using any mayonnaise; Yotam Ottolenghi’s Nepalese potato salad is sour and spicy; and for something more substantial try chaat masala potatoes with coriander chutney and tamarind, which echoes the same fragrant notes of Nadiya’s official recipe.
This quasi-Mexican offering appears to be the wild-card entry into the coronation recipe collection. At best it reads like a pantry raid dish (tinned pineapples, frozen prawns, taco shells, rocket, sour cream, garlic powder) – a peculiar jumble of ingredients thrown together after a late night out. It can’t be denied though that tacos make a party and I do fancy the idea of Camilla chowing down on a taco at the coronation street party.
Baja prawn tacos feature soft, downy corn tortillas, pickled onions and pico de gallo, but for something closer to the original concept Luke Mangan’s tempura prawn tortillas are elevated with a vibrant pineapple salsa.
Australian palates would be largely unfamiliar with parkin – a dense cake, sticky with treacle and spiced with ginger, which features as the sponge base for this trifle. While trifle is quintessentially British, no Australian celebration would be complete without a pavlova.
Start with this tried and tested recipe and follow our tear-free guide on how to perfect this meringue centrepiece. Once you’ve nailed the basics, you can advance to this royally gilt rainbow pavlova or lean into more British flavours with a rhubarb and custard pavlova.
With the coronation broadcast starting at 5pm AEST (ending at 11.30pm for the truly devoted), it’s unlikely you’ll be whipping up a batch of Darjeeling-infused scones to watch the procession.
Instead, consider a plate of passionfruit melting moments, one of those forgotten Australian classics: delicate shortbread biscuits sandwiched with a tangy passionfruit buttercream. A homemade melting moment is a thing of joy.
Chosen by the king and Camilla, the Queen Consort, this quiche is not an unsurprising choice given Charles’ love of eggs, cheese and sustainable living.
I’ll be giving this a crack this weekend, and while broad beans aren’t in season in Australia, leeks, cauliflower, mushrooms or even Jerusalem artichokes are worthy substitutes that would complement the anise quality of tarragon.
