I arrived home, dead tired, from a pretty grueling week of work in a city that is not my own. All I wanted to do was to collapse on the couch for a couple of days, so my aching back and legs could recover from the many hours spent leaning over a bench in a professional kitchen, chopping, slicing, dicing, mixing and cooking. But my couch rotting lasted all of 2 minutes before I was up again, enjoying being back at home, cleaning and pottering around the house and especially the kitchen. Somehow, no matter how many hours I spend cooking, creating something in the kitchen still thrills me. What is it about cooking that excites me so? There is, of course, the eating. Yes, the eating of the meal is lovely, but I can’t say that’s the goal. When I’m in my kitchen, I simultaneously feel at my most alive and most at ease. And while I love my profession, it’s not the same. Cooking at home is the tonic my soul needs. It nourishes me in more ways than one, and I suspect it does so for many of you as well.
I also really love sharing what I get up to in my home kitchen. Hence this newsletter, and the smattering of videos and photos that I share on Instagram. Your questions and comments are always so thoughtful, and I am constantly thinking about not just what I want to cook and eat, but what might YOU want to cook and eat. I’m asking myself, how can I deliver an enjoyable cooking experience for the novice cook, but also reward you with more flavour than you thought possible?
Time and time again, I hear that you want to be able to cook and eat more fish at home, but cooking it scares you. I hear you, I feel you, I am you! Yes, I am a professional chef by trade, but cooking fish at home is different. At home, I forego deep-frying or high-heat searing, instead preferring a simple pan-fry in butter, or a gentler method like steaming or baking. These methods are less messy and also more forgiving. The other half of the equation is that you absolutely must start with good quality, fresh fish. Even though we’re a country with a big seafood industry and mostly pristine waters from which to fish from, sourcing top quality fish for your home can be trickier than it sounds. In the major cities, you have more options. In Sydney, there is the central seafood market in Pyrmont but also many great small fish shops around town. It does still require a special trip to a specialty seafood shop, but this is a must if you want to eat nice fish at home. I’d definitely stay away from the big chain grocery store seafood counters, and go for something wild caught and fresh as opposed to farmed salmon or other frozen fish – you can taste the difference.
This simple recipe for crumbed fish cooked in brown butter with a meyer lemon, caper and olive salsa combines many of my favourite things into one happy home. You can use regular lemon if needed – see the note in the recipe. I call for fresh breadcrumbs here because I really believe this makes all the difference. I tested this with dried panko breadcrumbs first and it was ok, but not as good. Enhance the crumbs with garlic and freshly chopped herbs and simply add them to foamy butter in a pan. Do not be tempted to cook this on high heat, instead a gentler medium heat will caramelise and dry out your breadcrumbs, making a crispy crust while gently cooking the delicate fish. A firm white fish like cod is my preference here, but use whatever looks best at the shop. If the fillet is very thick, you may need to cut it through the centre to thin it out, so it doesn’t burn the breadcrumbs in the pan before the fillet is fully cooked.
But how do you know when its cooked? A very experienced cook just knows through feel…touch…sixth sense. In the recipe, I say about 3 minutes per side which I know will work for your average white fish fillet. But, whether you’re cooking this recipe or another, the only way to be certain is an instant read thermometer. Once mine goes above 54C in the thickest part of the fillet, I feel confident that by the time it hits my fork, it will be perfectly cooked throughout without being dry and tough. Invest in a good instant read thermometer and you will never be worried about whether or not the fish is cooked again.
A few further thoughts on fish selection. When looking for fresh fish, it’s wisest to go to a busy fish shop, because you know the fish is constantly moving. If the fish is behind glass, it’s ok to ask to smell the fish (however strange that may feel to you!). It shouldn’t smell fishy; it should smell clean and briny, like the ocean. Depending on the type of fish, you can also see if the bloodline is rosy red and pink, a sign of freshness. As soon as this bloodline gets exposed to air it begins to oxidise, so if it has turned a bit brown, it means it’s been sitting out for a day or two. The bloodline thing is good to know but if I have to choose only one marker to go by it is always the smell. If you want to purchase a whole fish and have your fish monger fillet it for you, look for clean, glassy eyes and again a fresh smell. (The only fish that will always have slightly murky eyes is Blue eyed cod, that’s just how they are, even straight out of the ocean.) I can’t tell you the amount of times I have been too scared to ask to see a piece of fish up close only to take it home and find it inedible. An expensive cost of shyness. Thankfully, I have gradually grown into my fish shop confidence and know a bit more of what to look for. I hope after reading this, you too, will feel a bit more confident going to buy and cook fish at home.
Lastly, Mother’s Day is coming up. I think this recipe would make a fantastic lunch or dinner to celebrate the mum(s) in your life, but I have loads of other recipes on my website and in my two cookbooks which you may want to browse when planning your menus. I'll also just gently remind that my cookbooks would make an excellent Mother’s Day gift! My new one, which I truly love, can be purchased through the link below. I’m not near my mom this year for Mother’s Day, so I also recognize it can be challenging day for those of us that can’t be near our mums, have lost a mother, or no longer have a relationship with their mum or desperately want to be mums but can’t. There are many reasons why a holiday like this is a celebration for some and a sad day for others, so, please, be kind to yourself, and to those whose struggles you do not know. Pottering around the kitchen, in my safe space, is where I’ll be.
Herb and garlic crumbed fish with olive, caper and lemon salsa
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