Abstract. This paper provides a quasilikelihood/minimum contrast-type method for parameter estimation of random &elds in the frequency domain based on higher-order information. The estimation technique uses the spectral density of the general k-th order and allows for possible long-range dependence in the random &elds. To avoid bias due to edge effects, data tapering is incorporated in the method. The suggested minimum contrast functional is linear with respect to the periodogram of k-th order, hence kernel estimation for the spectral densities is not needed. Furthermore, discretisation is not required in the estimation of continuously observed random &elds. The consistency and asymptotic normality of the resulting estimators are established. Illustrative application of the method to some problems in mathematical &nance and signal detection will be indicated.