Labour Day Long Weekend Seafood BBQ Guide — Gold Coast 2026
Labour Day Long Weekend Seafood BBQ Guide — Gold Coast 2026
Free delivery on orders $100+ · Pre-order $250+ for next delivery cycle
Labour Day Monday is made for the backyard. Cold drinks, mates around, king prawns on the grill. Here's what to order so your BBQ doesn't run out of the good stuff — stock goes fast, so don't leave it to the last minute.
What to Buy for the Perfect Labour Day BBQ
King Prawns — the Centrepiece
No Gold Coast BBQ is complete without king prawns. Buy them raw (green) and cook straight on the grill with garlic butter, or grab pre-cooked king prawns if you want them ready to serve on arrival.
How much: 500g whole prawns per adult. For a BBQ of 4, order 2 kg.
BBQ tip: Raw prawns take 2–3 minutes per side on a hot grill. Butterfly them for faster, more even cooking. A simple marinade of olive oil, garlic, lemon zest, and chilli is all you need.
Fresh Oysters — the Crowd Starter
Put a dozen fresh oysters on ice while the BBQ heats up. Nothing gets the long weekend started faster. Serve them natural with a squeeze of lemon, or with a splash of Tabasco and mignonette.
How much: 6–12 oysters per person as a starter. Grab 3–4 dozen for a group of 4–6 and watch them disappear.
Whole Fish on the Grill
A whole barramundi or snapper scored and stuffed with lemon, herbs, and garlic is the showstopper of any Labour Day spread. Wrap it in foil or place it directly on a medium-heat grill — 15–20 minutes and it's done.
How much: Allow 600–800g whole fish per adult. A 1.2 kg barramundi feeds 2 well; a 2 kg snapper feeds 3–4.
Why whole fish: More flavour than fillets, more dramatic presentation, and the bones keep the flesh moist on the grill.
Crabs & Bugs — the Showstopper
Cooked Queensland mud crab or sand crab takes a Labour Day BBQ to the next level. Serve cold with aioli, or reheat briefly on the grill and crack at the table.
BBQ tip: Crab is already cooked — it just needs 5 minutes on the grill to warm through and pick up a little char. Serve with crusty bread to mop up the juices.
Browse the full range and pre-order →
How to Plan Your Labour Day BBQ Order
How Much to Order Per Person
| Seafood | Per Adult | |---------|-----------| | King prawns (whole) | 500 g | | Oysters (starter) | 6–12 | | Whole fish | 600–800 g | | Cooked crab (side) | ½ medium crab |
A well-rounded order for 4 adults: 2 kg prawns + 2 dozen oysters + 1 × 1.4 kg whole fish + 2 mud crabs. This sits comfortably at $250+ — qualifying for free delivery and locking in your spot on the next delivery cycle.
What to Prep the Night Before
- Prawn marinade: Mix olive oil, garlic, lemon zest, chilli flakes. Store prawns in the marinade in the fridge overnight. Drain before grilling.
- Fish scoring: Ask us to score the fish when you pick up or take delivery. Scoring speeds up cooking and lets flavour penetrate the flesh.
- Oysters: Keep them flat-side-up in the fridge covered with a damp cloth. Don't submerge in water.
- BBQ: Clean and pre-heat the grill the night before if it hasn't been used in a while.
Storage Tips to Keep It Fresh
Delivery arrives packed in insulated boxes with gel packs — your seafood will be at 0–4°C. As soon as it arrives:
- Prawns: Transfer to a covered container in the fridge. Cook within 24 hours (raw) or 48 hours (cooked).
- Oysters: Keep flat-side-up, covered with a damp cloth, at the bottom of the fridge. Use within 24–48 hours of delivery.
- Whole fish: Store on ice or at the very bottom of the fridge, loosely wrapped. Cook within 24 hours.
- Crab: Already cooked — refrigerate in a covered container, use within 48 hours.
Trading Hours & Delivery — Labour Day Monday
| Detail | Info | |--------|------| | Labour Day hours | 7 AM – 3 PM | | Public holiday surcharge | None — standard pricing | | Pre-order cutoff | Sunday 3 May | | Free delivery | Orders $100+ · Pre-order $250+ for next cycle | | Walk-in | Welcome Monday while stock lasts |
Pre-order is strongly recommended. Labour Day is one of our busiest long weekends of the year and popular lines — king prawns, whole barramundi, mud crab — sell out fast. Walk-in customers on the day are welcome but stock availability is not guaranteed.
Both our Labrador (5-7 Olsen Ave) and Varsity Lakes (20 Casua Dr) stores are open 7 AM to 3 PM on Labour Day Monday with no surcharge.
Don't miss out — Labour Day stock sells out every year.
Not sure what you need? Check our delivery areas or browse the full range online.
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