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Cambinata Yabbies | Using gas for smooth business operations

Our State on a Plate focuses on quality WA produce and how it is sourced, cooked and served in local eateries around WA.

In partnership with Our State on a Plate, we hit the road to meet some of our business customers and primary producers to learn more about our homegrown goodness and how best to enjoy it.

Local’s exploring and enjoying more gems in regional WA

More West Aussies are travelling around WA and ‘rediscovering’ favourite or new destinations.

This means there’s increased visitation to the smaller, remote communities and townships in the Wheatbelt from travellers on the way to another destination.

Kukerin isn’t very well known to many city-based folk. Kukerin is a small township and community surrounded by broadacre grain farming, 300km south east of Perth.

There are lots of locally known attractions and plenty of good tucker in this south eastern part of the Wheatbelt, and this includes a type of fresh water marron, or ‘yabbies’.

Local farmer creates a business from a farming favourite

Popular with farming families who have fresh water dams on their farms, fishing for yabbies has always been a common pastime for many rural people with access to farm dams. One family in Kukerin decided to go bigger and make an export business out of it.

Cambinata Yabbies is a family-owned and operated company, located in Kukerin, Western Australia, three hundred kilometres southeast of Perth.

The family business was formed in 1990 by Mary and Michael Nenke, who ran a wheat and sheep farm near the tiny Wheatbelt town of Kukerin.

These unique, freshwater crustaceans are delicious and versatile, making them ideal for the creative chef who is looking for that special “something” to complete the menu.

The Cambinata Yabbies range, which includes bottled yabbies and abalone in a variety of flavours, provides consumers with a unique taste experience. A yabby tastes very similar to marron, a sweet, freshwater meat, ideal to eat cold during summer and in simple recipes that include butter, garlic and lemon.

Similarly to mussels, yabbies can also be stewed in flavoursome broths and with a variety of other flavours as the meat doesn’t overpower a dish in the way other shellfish or crustaceans, like crab, might.

Louisiana Yabby Boil

Gas tip! Cooking with gas is especially convenient for this recipe as you need constant and steady heat. If you don’t use gas in your kitchen, you can prepare it on your barbecue. Just make sure you’ve got the Kwik-Gas ready to go.

Ingredients for the boil:

  • 1 bunch spring onion
  • 2 carrots
  • 3 stalk celery
  • 3 fresh bay leaves
  • 5 ltr water
  • 3tbsp cajun spice
  • 200gm butter
  • 1kg yabbies
  • 4 whole corn
  • 500gm baby potatoes
  • 500gm clams

For the butter:

  • 2tbsp smoked paprika
  • 2 tsp cayenne pepper
  • ½ teaspoon allspice
  • 3 tbsp cajun spice
  • 500gm butter
  • 1 cup chopped parsley

Method

  1. To make the butter, allow the butter to reach room temperature. Mix in other ingredients.
  2. For the boil; bring water to a boil with cajun spice, carrots, celery and spring onions.
  3. Add the butter and the potatoes and cook for 10 minutes.
  4. Add corn and cook for 2 minutes.
  5. Add clams and cook for 2 minutes.
  6. Add yabbies and cook for 1 minute.
  7. Scoop out all ingredients and add to butter, allow to sit for 5 minutes. Eat!

Visit Cambinata Yabbies

Cambinata Yabbies is located at 4208-4210 Dumbleyung-Lake Grace Rd, North Kukerin, 300km’s and three hours, 20minutes south east of Perth, or just over an hour directly east of Wagin. Call ahead to ask about visiting.

Visit their website cambinatayabbies.com.au to order yabbies, find recipes to follow, enquire about their function space which caters to 200 people and to book accommodation.

Whether it’s in the Perth metro area or across regional WA – there’s never been a better chance to get behind the local businesses who also call WA home.

The local name in gas and in your kitchen

For more kitchen inspiration and tips and tricks on using gas, check out our Kleenheat Kitchen recipes.

Kleenheat continues to support the energy needs of local homes and businesses across WA and the Northern Territory. Learn a little more about our local people and the local businesses we work with.


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Enjoy a variety of offers and rewards that come with sponsoring the local events you love. Plus, our Community Grants program supports local groups and organisations doing great things in communities across the Northern Territory and regional Western Australia.

Choose homegrown, choose Kleenheat

Kleenheat knows the value of homegrown goodness – after all, we’ve been supporting the needs of local households and businesses for more than 65 years.

We believe there’s value in choosing local, so if you’re not a Kleenheat customer choose local today and let life flow.

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Kleenheat delivers safe and reliable natural gas, LPG, and electricity to thousands of WA businesses across WA and the Northern Territory, tailoring energy solutions to suit specific needs and budgets. Find out how our business can work with your business.