If you love good food, cooking over fire and discovering new Australian flavours, come and join Three Little Birds Native Bush Cook at the Sunshine Coast Expo.
Led by First Nations chef Chris Jordan, Three Little Birds brings together native ingredients, contemporary cooking techniques and the tradition of cooking over coals for a hands-on food experience that celebrates Australian produce and First Nations food knowledge.
Throughout the day, Chris will demonstrate how to use native ingredients in approachable dishes that you can recreate at home.
Fish on Coals with Seaweed & Saltbush Butter
One of the highlights is cooking skin-on fish over hot coals, demonstrating how a few simple techniques can make a big difference.
The key is getting the fish skin completely dry before it hits the hot cooking rack. A properly heated rack helps the skin crisp and prevents the fish from sticking.
The fish is cooked predominantly on the skin side, allowing the heat from the coals to create beautifully crisp skin while gently cooking the flesh. The trick is to manage the heat carefully so the skin becomes golden and crisp without burning.
The fish is finished with a rich seaweed and saltbush butter, combining softened butter with lemon myrtle, ground saltbush, seaweed, bonito and confit garlic.
The result is a dish that brings together smoky cooking, fresh seafood and distinctly Australian native flavours.
Charred Pineapple Margarita
To accompany the fish, we’ll also be showcasing a Charred Pineapple Margarita with Saltbush Salt.
Pineapple is charred to bring out its natural sweetness before being blended with lime juice and lemon myrtle syrup into a refreshing, icy drink. The glass is finished with a saltbush salt rim for a distinctly native twist.
The combination of smoky pineapple, bright lime, aromatic lemon myrtle and salty native flavours makes this a great example of how Australian ingredients can be incorporated into familiar recipes.
Discover Native Ingredients You Can Take Home
One of the best parts of the experience is that you don’t have to leave the native ingredients at the Expo.
My Dillybag will be there, giving visitors the opportunity to purchase native Australian ingredients and continue experimenting in their own kitchens.
From native herbs and spices to ingredients that can transform everyday recipes, buying from First Nations suppliers is also an opportunity to learn more about the ingredients, their origins and the people who grow, harvest and share them.
Three Little Birds’ own native ingredient resources feature My Dillybag alongside other First Nations and native food suppliers, reflecting the importance of sourcing native ingredients through knowledgeable producers.
More Than Just a Cooking Demonstration
For Three Little Birds, food is about more than what’s on the plate.
Chris Jordan uses cooking as a way to share knowledge, encourage curiosity and create connections with Australian native foods and First Nations culture. The Sunshine Coast Expo describes the Three Little Birds experience as an opportunity to acknowledge, educate and celebrate First Nations cultures, histories and Australia’s natural resources.
Whether you’re already familiar with native ingredients or have never cooked with them before, the demonstration is designed to show that these flavours can be incorporated into food in practical and delicious ways.
So come hungry, bring your curiosity and discover what happens when fresh Australian ingredients, hot coals and native flavours come together.
See Three Little Birds at the Sunshine Coast Expo
Three Little Birds Native Bush Cook
📍 Sunshine Coast Expo
🔥 Live cooking demonstrations
⏰ 9:30am, 11:30am & 1:30pm daily
Come along, watch Chris cook, learn some new techniques, discover native Australian ingredients and visit My Dillybag to take some of those flavours home with you.
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