Tetsuya Wakuda's Thai chilli spanner crab (without shell)

We recommend a Chardonnay with the salmon and an example from Margaret River’s Driftwood is ideal. Part of their ‘Collection’ range, the Driftwood Chardonnay has loads of peach and citrus varietal depth and just the right amount of classy oak in support. It’s a vibrant and flavoursome pairing.

Riesling is fantastic with spicy Asian food, but as we discovered in our “Red wine with Asian food tasting”, so is Shiraz! Crafted by Oatley Wines from premium Barossa fruit, the 2013 Signature Series is a great choice. It’s dense, fleshy and dark with lovely layers of sweet black fruit, soft, fine tannins and savoury oak.

Rick Stein recalls his first trip to Mexico as a ‘life changing’ experience. He travelled there as a wide-eyed young man back in the late 60s and, for the first time, dined on dishes like tacos, huevos rancheros and enchiladas. He was immediately besotted. “Apart from having the odd Indian or Chinese meal back in the UK, I had no idea about how exotic food could be, and to arrive at age 21 with no concept of what the food was like, it was a real blast.  “I think it sort of set me on the course that I’m still on, spending a lot of time travelling around the world just looking for great food experiences.” Rick’s been a regular visitor to Mexico in the decades since, but just for short visits, so he was somewhat apprehensive when he embarked on his latest foodie adventure that would become the book and BBC TV series, The Road to Mexico. For more recipes and the full story with Rick, pickup a copy of  Selector   from all good newsagents,  subscribe  or look inside your next Wine Selectors delivery.  OUT NOW: Road to Mexico by Rick Stein (Penguin Random House, RRP $49.99).