Harts of Stur Kitchen Issue 6, spring & summer 2018 | Page 53

kit
T H E
The Fish Expert
The Reel Deal
Nick Fisher, who wrote the River Cottage Fish book
with Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, tells us how to
source and prepare fish.
Nick says he’s
lucky to be able
to fish off the
Dorset coast
Y
You’re an angler – what are the
best fish to eat that are caught off
the Dorset coast?
Black bream would have to be right up
there. We get a lot of pollock, but I get
told not to bring any more home, because
my family are sick of it! Cod is good – I
love local cod, and while plaice is not my
favourite thing, you do get some nice plaice
around here. Gurnard – I do love a gurnard,
but I don’t take them unless they’re a
reasonable size. We’re also very lucky to
have crabs and lobsters here.
How should you choose what to
buy and where should you buy it?
Really it’s down to price and quality, and
I’ve bought some cracking fish in Morrisons
and Waitrose. Fishmongers, unless you’re
unlucky, there’s always something worth
buying. This time of year, we’re starting to
see a few sprats and sardines about, and
I’ve seen a few mackerel, fillets of sole and
plaice. But I would say absolutely don’t
go in with a shopping list, go in with your
eyes and your nose and your hand in your
pocket.
Sometimes Morrisons will have marked-
down smoked haddock. When you smoke a
fish, initially it’s about longevity, but I think
some supermarkets think ‘this fish has been
here for X number of days, got to get rid of
it. So, quite often, you’ll see it marked down
and you can freeze it on the day. Sometimes
you’ll see smoked haddock down to £6-7 a
kilo – snap it up I say. Bargain.
Instant Expert
SHINY &
SHARP
I.O.Shen 200mm Flexible
Filleting Knife
Harts Price: £99.95
What should you be looking for?
With fresh fish, it’s fairly obvious things –
you want the fish to be bright and shiny,
the texture and the eyes to look good. It’s
great if you can see the whole fish, but with
fish like monkfish tails, [look to see] if it’s
a good colour. But then you’ve got coley,
which can be a bit grey in colour – don’t be
put off by that. Anything good like bass will
be displayed whole, and if it’s just fillets,
chances are it’s farmed.
Stellar Rocktanium 20cm
Frying Pan
RRP: £35.00
Harts Price: £17.50
What sort of equipment do you
need to prepare fish?
You need a good filleting knife. Spend
money on it – get one that feels right. If
you feel like splashing out, get two – get a
flexible one and a stiff one. I’m a big fan of
those 8-inch blades. Also, go and buy a fairly
good quality Chantry sharpener. You’ve got
to use a sharpener quite regularly – steels
are great, but not everyone knows how to
use them correctly and you can do more
damage than good.
If I’m doing my own fish that I catch, a
good pair of industrial fisherman’s rubber
gloves don’t hurt, because they’re good for
descaling fish, but I’ve never bothered with
anything like pinbone pliers. A short fish
knife is quite handy for de-finning.
How do you improve your fish prep
skills?
Fishmongery skills are more important than
cooking skills, because any fish requires
very little cooking. Very little seasoning as
well – lemon, lime, salt, pepper, a little bit
of chorizo, maybe a little bit of pesto. Also,
garlic, some nice herbs from the garden,
some bay, some fennel. Beyond that you
don’t need anything. If you’re cooking for
people who aren’t great fish lovers, you
need to make sure they’re getting something
easy to take apart on their plate and put
in their mouth without loads of bones and
skin. So learning to skin fish and fillet fish is
good. It’s confidence. There are nice courses
you can do, but with the advent of YouTube
you can watch any kind of filleting video
53
www.hartsofstur.com
Delia Online 26 x 20 cm
Oblong Tin
Harts Price: £15.00
and it’s see one and do one, and
then do another one. OK, you
might get through quite a lot of
fish, but start with the cheap fish,
start with mackerel.
What about pans and pots.
Anything you need?
A good non-stick pan. Fish
kettles are a pretty useful thing
to have, too, and good baking
trays. There’s a brand endorsed
by Delia Smith. We bought them,
and they’re really heavy and well
made. Generally speaking, fish is
cooked quickly. Once in a while
you might buy a cuttlefish that
you need to cook long and slow,
but generally, you’re going to be
braising it, frying or grilling it.
Nick Fisher, author of the Sea
Fishing River Cottage handbook
and co-author of the River
Cottage Fish book, is currently
working on the TV adaptation
of his first novel Pot Luck,
which is set among the crab
fisherman of Weymouth.
www.nick-fisher.co.uk