James Moffatt
Welcome to our summer recipe collection! When the days stretch long and the evenings glow golden, cooking becomes less of a task and more of a celebration. Summer invites us outdoors, towards the BBQ and picnics by the beach. When it comes to the tastiest meals to cook during the warmer months, look to what’s in season. In Australia, our summer vegetables, like cucumber, zucchini, eggplant, green beans and tomato, can become the hero in any dish. Our tropical fruits, like mango, berries, watermelon and stone fruits, also provide a summery sweetness to any savoury dish.
In this collection, we bring you the best summer flavours and seasonal produce in the form of seafood pastas, char-grilled meats, fruity summer salads, and light, aromatic curries. If you’re entertaining, consider a delicious chicken souvlaki, party-ready skewers or a whole salmon gravlax. Meanwhile, if you need inspiration for a lazy, quick dinner, think: a veg-packed Asian stir-fry or an easy pasta dish.
So, if you’re looking for summer dinner ideas, look no further.
The best summer recipe ideas for dinner
Open lasagne with spring greens and burrata
Spring on a plate.
Hellenika’s chicken souvlaki
You’ve never had chicken souvlaki this good. This recipe, courtesy of Brisbane’s Hellenika, is sure to become your new go-to.
Crunchy chilli and lemon potatoes topped with goat’s cheese
Goat’s cheese adds a creamy finish to dreamy, roasted lemon potatoes.
Malaysian rice salad (nasi ulam)
This zingy rice salad dials up the freshness. Enjoy it on its own or as a side dish with fried fish or chicken.
Poached chicken asparagus salad with blue cheese
This is an ultra-elevated take on a chicken salad — with bite.
Vietnamese chilli and lime caramel pork stir-fry
A winning midweek meal to have on rotation.
Spaghettini with pipis
The foolproof combination of white wine, garlic, seafood and tomato is employed here for a super-quick weeknight dinner.
Eggplant tabbouleh salad with grilled peaches and pomegranate
This inventive dish reimagines the traditional tabbouleh salad, pairing the savoury aromat of za’atar with the sweetness of grilled peaches and fresh pomegranate.
Cambodian lort cha
This bowl of noodles is a balm for the soul.
Tomato tart with whipped feta
This tomato tart recipe crowned with whipped feta is summer on a plate.
Sang choi bau with pork and shiitake
Our take on the Chinese classic makes for an easy and quick dinner idea.
How to make porchetta
Your step-by-step guide to making porchetta, including how to score for the perfect crackling.
Kingfish ceviche tostada
This sashimi-style kingfish tostada makes an excellent snack on a summer’s day. If you don’t feel like frying tortillas, serve the ceviche and avocado separately with corn chips.
Sri Lankan fish curry
The beauty with fish is that it cooks in a flash, and in this curry it’s both fast and fiery.
Vegetable moussaka
Our vegetable-heavy spin on the cheesy Greek classic.
Vietnamese rice paper rolls
Flavour and freshness with every bite.
Hot-smoked ocean trout and pearl barley salad
This hot-smoked ocean trout recipe makes for a delicious and easy weeknight dinner.
Saganaki with watermelon and cucumber salad
Oozy, gooey cheese with a slight golden crust? What’s not to love.
Spiced lamb racks with roast vegetables, couscous and harissa yoghurt
Bold spices, golden roast veg and vibrant harissa — this dish is your new lamb signature.
Prawn yiouvetsi
A classic Greek dish of prawn, risoni, oregano and fennel. What’s not to love?
Lemongrass lamb skewers
These lightly spiced lemongrass lamb skewers make for a vibrant addition to your next barbeque line-up.
The Agrarian Kitchen’s broad beans and peas with spiced walnuts
Walnuts add a spice hit to this breezy spring side.
Salmon skewers with za’atar and walnut salsa
Summer barbecues are calling. Answer with these piquant salmon skewers.
Mike McEnearney’s grilled prawn, watermelon and tomato salad
Summer’s greatest hits, all in one bowl.
Quinoa salad with pomegranate, pumpkin and ashed goat’s cheese
One of our most popular recipes for good reason.
Snapper curry with green beans and coriander
This mild yellow curry is incredibly easy to whip up when you’ve got a good-quality curry powder on hand. Add a generous squeeze of lime to enhance the flavour.
Spaghetti with charred corn, miso-pepper butter and mint
A spin on cacio e pepe.
Lamb, zucchini and haloumi flatbreads with chilli honey
This fast lamb and flatbread recipe is a great one to enjoy when it’s warm outside and you need something simple, quick and delicious.
Roast ocean trout with cucumber and preserved lemon salad
Excellent served warm or cold, so you could cook the trout a day ahead and just whip up the salad before serving.
A cheat’s recipe for spinach and ricotta ravioli
When it comes to these filled quadrilaterals, it pays to think outside the square.
Cuban black beans and rice with pulled beef
Australian Gourmet Traveller recipe for Cuban black beans and rice with pulled beef.
Classic egg and potato salad
Forget those gluggy versions of decades past. Our crème fraîche-based dressing lightens the load without losing that creaminess and tang.
Harissa chicken with carrot, rice and quinoa pilaf
Chicken, boring? Things look up with the addition of harissa, the North African spice paste.
Goat’s cheese and potato salad
A fast and fresh take on the classic potato salad, with creaminess from goat’s cheese and crunch from roasted almonds.
Thai Tide’s tom yum fried rice with prawns
“This zesty, bold version of one of Thailand’s most famous dishes is a playful rethink made with rice instead of soup,” says Thai Tide chef-owner Merica Charungvat.
Barbecued prawns with honey, sesame and lemon
Time to throw a shrimp on the barbie.
Dan Hong’s crisp eggplant with fish-fragrant sauce
Fish-fragrant sauce doesn’t actually have any fish in it, but its sweet, sour and spicy elements are traditionally used to cook Sichuan fish dishes and give this dish its name.
Pumpkin ravioli with sage brown butter
A combination that’s a classic for good reason.
How to make salmon gravlax
Set up a celebration station at your next party with this show-stopping gin-cured salmon gravlax as the hero.
Tony Tan’s char kway teow
Char kway teow is a perennial Malaysian favourite for a reason. Tony Tan shows us how it’s done.
Burrata with herb oil and cucumber
A simple, vibrant spring salad.
Brown butter roasted carrot salad with chickpeas
This roasted carrot salad works perfectly as a festive side dish, too.
Chicken stir-fried with holy basil and chilli
This quick and easy Thai stir-fry packs a spicy punch. Use fresh chilli – it will make all the difference.
Bar Alto’s mussels with chilli, garlic and white wine
Mussels steamed in white wine and spiked with chilli – it’s a combination that can’t be beat.
Spiced chicken with carrot, chickpea and green chilli salad
Emma Knowles fast recipe for spiced chicken with carrot, chickpea and green chilli salad.
-AND-Nasi-ula.jpg?resize=760%2C608)
Malaysian-style spicy roast chicken (Ayam percik)
A traditional Malaysian chicken recipe swimming in spicy gravy.
Zucchini and potato croquettes
A crisp, all-veg affair, with smoky aïoli to boot.
Okonomiyaki with sticky soy pork belly
The best pancake ever.
Revithokeftedes (chickpea fritters with herb and garlic yoghurt)
Serve these crunchy fritters with a glass of ouzo this summer
Roast pumpkin, labneh and hazelnuts
Lightly roasted pumpkin paired with creamy labneh and hazelnuts is a match made in heaven.
Roasted cauliflower salad with yoghurt dressing and almonds
Roasted cauliflower adds extra depth of flavour to this hefty salad.
Charred zucchini agrodolce with ricotta salata and basil
Simple and delicious – these charred zucchinis are an easy weeknight side.
Sean Moran’s spring ravioli with peas, ricotta and zucchini flowers
Spring is Sean Moran’s ultimate muse for this pasta.
Casarecce with pork sausage, cavolo nero and chilli
Pork, fennel, chilli and pasta – now that’s what you call a match made in heaven.
Prawn and soba noodle salad with sesame-ginger dressing
A go-to summer recipe that’s light and satisfying in equal measure.
Vitello tonnato
Australian Gourmet Traveller recipe for vitello tonnato by Guy Grossi.
Louis Tikaram’s stir-fried snake beans with pork
It’s one of the Stanley chef’s all-time favourite Chinese dishes, for good reason.
