Top-shelf snacks for fancy friends (and just for you, too)

Fancy a fancy snack? Take it next-level with these top-shelf snack ideas from Adam Liaw and other SBS Food favourites.

Marinated mussels on buttered bread Source: Kitti Gould

--- The Cook Up with Adam Liaw's fourth season airs weeknights on SBS Food (Ch.33) at 7.00pm. All episodes available anytime on SBS On Demand. --- 

 

“Snacks, they're the meal that you want when you don't really want a meal, but they're worthy of more than just a packet of this or a bag of that,” says Adam Liaw

Whether you’re looking for a little bit of something delicious to keep you going during a busy day, or fancy bites to serve at a party, the small size of a snack doesn’t mean it can’t be great. Inspired by the delights Liaw and guests whip up, here are some fancy snacks we fancy.

Chinese chicken wings

Chinese chicken wings Source: Kitti Gould

In this recipe from The Cook Up, Adam Liaw combines golden, crispy chicken wings marinated in a bold and aromatic blend of spices with a homemade simple chilli sauce packed with ginger, garlic and fresh chillies.

Roasted scallops with curry butter

Roasted scallops with curry butter Source: Kitti Gould

One of the two chefs joining Liaw to whip up some 'Top Shelf Snacks' is O Tama Carey, and her sensational scallops are great for entertaining.  This is a delicious buttery number that, once the preparation is done, you can very easily and quickly serve up as a snack for drinks. It's a little salty and has a spice kick to get things going.

Marinated mussels on buttered bread

Marinated mussels on buttered bread Source: Kitti Gould

This recipe from Danielle Alvarez, Liaw's other 'snack fest' guest, makes a great 'serve yourself' dish to share with friends. Cooked mussels are marinated in a brine made with garlic, chillies, bay leaves, fennel, lemon, pepper and paprika, then served with butter and slices of fresh crusty bread so people can make their own tartines. It's also a great dish to make ahead, as the prepped mussels can be kept for up to a week, refrigerated in the pickling liquid.

Baked feta with chilli, honey and thyme

Baked feta with chilli, honey and thyme Source: Penguin Books / Nadiya's Everyday Baking

Baked with herbs and chilli, and served with a drizzle of honey, this feta is salty, sweet, spicy and herby, making for the most delicious warm dip. A great idea from Nadiya Hussein. Serve with crackers and bread, so you can mop up the tasty oil.

Beer-battered mushrooms

Beer-battered mushrooms Source: Kitti Gould

Another great idea from Adam Liaw. Heat up a DIY native Australian spice blend with salt flakes in a dry frying pan to gently release flavour from the spices. Then toss the spice mix with crisp mushroom slices, cooked in a light beer batter.

Indian spiced nuts

Spiced nuts Source: Petrina Tinslay

Deliciously spicy, these nuts will easily store in an airtight container for a couple of weeks, making them a great snack to have on hand. If you lean more to a sweet-spicy flavour, try these Swedish-style spiced maple nuts and seeds or if you love cashews, try these spiced cashews with rosemary, orange and cumin.

Carrot fritters

Carrot fritters Source: Kitti Gould

Stephanie Alexander shared this recipe when she joined Adam Liaw on The Cook Up. This lovely recipe is based on one from Greg and Lucy Malouf's book Turquoise, celebrating the flavours of Turkey. This version uses carrots, but it is also delicious with zucchini, as in the original.

Olive oil wafers

Olive oil wafers Source: Benito Martin

Like your snacks crunchy? Make a batch of these and have on hand for spreading, scooping and dipping: they are great with cheese and dips and will keep in an air-tight container for up to a week. That recipe comes from Anneka Manning, and if you are after more crunchy snack ideas, take a look at her mixed seed and fig crackers, too.

Grandmère’s fried shrimp wontons

Source: Thomas Davidson

Swinging back to the 'snacks for guests' side of the snack tracks, these are very easy to make and even better, they can be made an hour or so in advance, kept warm in a low oven until serving.

Pea and cashew pesto dip

Pea and cashew pesto dip Source: Kitti Gould

With more fibre and protein than your average pesto, this easy-to-make dip, shared by Steve Simpson in an early episode of The Cook Up, can be your new favourite 'snack in the fridge'. It can be so much more too:  You can serve it with vegetable crudité, crackers or toast, add it to pasta, use a dollop as the base for a grilled fillet of fish, or add it to a salad or roast vegetables.

Popcorn, all the ways

Speculaas popcorn Source: Brodie Nalywajko

The SBS Food team have been having a lot of fun putting a spin on the usual buttered bowl. We've got everything from cheese and quince popcorn (Like a cheese platter, but a popcorn version!) to gin and tonic popcorn, speculaas popcorn (above), and honey popcorn with lemon myrtle. Explore the popcorn recipe collection to find just the right popcorn snack you need. 

Chocolate toastie

Chocolate toastie Source: The Chocolate Queen

Jaffles and toasties are always a reliable snack option (and we've got plenty of ideas in the toastie recipe collection) but if you're craving something sweet, try this excellent idea from chocolate queen Kirsten Tibballs. This toastie gets the full dessert-for-breakfast treatment: custard-soaked bread, fresh banana, oozing melted chocolate, and a dusting of icing sugar. 

 

Find more ideas in the snack recipe collection.