In Profile: Executive Chef – Cooper Dickson

The menu, based on the freshest seasonal produce, means new and returning guests enjoy a different culinary experience every day. Each Tuesday Cooper really shows his stuff as guests at Capella are treated to a six-course degustation menu, complete with matched wines from New South Wales’ acclaimed wine regions including Orange and the Hunter Valley, as well as some of the best labels from around the country.

Among Cooper’s favourite and most popular dishes is the carpaccio of Lord Howe kingfish. Cooper said having a steady supply of beautiful kingfish to work with is a real treat, as the carpaccio really highlights the fish’s snapping freshness and clean flavours. This dish works equally well with yellowfin tuna and it’s a good one to try at home. The recipe is below, and pairs perfectly with the Freycinet Riesling from Tasmania.

Originally from Avalon on Sydney’s Northern Beaches, Cooper was interviewed for a chef’s role at Capella by Hayley Baillie, who lived just down the road from him. Cooper was finishing his apprenticeship at Nick’s Seafood and Hayley was keen to make sure he would suit an island life. A keen surfer and fisherman – and an accomplished chef to boot – Cooper was the perfect fit. Working alongside Executive Chef Tim Bourke at Capella was the beginning of a great culinary friendship, and when Southern Ocean Lodge opened on Kangaroo Island in 2008, the pair moved there to open the property.

When the head chef role at Capella was offered, Cooper and Viktoria leapt at the opportunity. Of Cooper’s 14 years spent working as a chef, the last three have been a highlight, he feels life’s good both at work and outside it.

Cooper says, “I love living on Lord Howe. Every day I look out of the window at home or from the kitchen at Capella and its beauty still blows me away. It’s going to be a hard place to beat!”

LORD HOWE ISLAND KINGFISH CARPACCIO WITH RUBY GRAPEFRUIT, CRÈME FRAICHE AND RADISH

SERVES 4 AS A STARTER

Ingredients:

– 200-300g fresh kingfish, thinly sliced

– 1 ruby grapefruit

– .25 cup whipped and seasoned crème fraiche

– 2 small radishes

– 1 small fennel bulb

Vinaigrette:

– 1 tsp ruby grapefruit juice

– 2 tsp olive oil

– Salt, sugar

Garnish:

– Fresh fennel fronds

– Marigold flowers

– Horseradish

Directions:

Lay out fish on plate, season well with sea salt

Place the crème fraiche into a piping bag and add dots evenly over fish

Add citrus segments and thinly shaved radish evenly over fish

Add thinly shaved fresh fennel

Dress everything with the vinaigrette

Garnish with fresh fennel fronds and marigold flowers

Microplane peeled horseradish to finish.