SMALL WINS+: NOT JUST FOR FRIDAYS
Fish 101 from a former fishmonger (it's me).
Hello! Welcome to today’s SW+ all about sourcing and cooking with fish (this is a paid subscriber only-edition of the newsletter). Each month I tackle a big topic in one go, so that you have these handy reference guides at your fingertips — e.g. on kitchen organisation, on making and cooking pasta, on all the savoury ways to cook eggs and so on. Thank you for being here.
FISH 101
One of the best jobs I ever had was at a fishmongers.
It was a job I fell into by accident whilst studying for my A Levels, and I spent the first few weeks being a total wuss about it — refusing to even look at the fish as it was gutted.
Two years down the line and it had all changed: I could gut fish with my bare hands, fillet a mackerel in seconds and shuck an oyster no problem. Sometimes I’d even head to Billingsgate market with the boss at 4am in the morning to experience the unique energy of it all. It was a pretty random weekend job to have, but it turned out to be a meaningful one that accelerated my love of food and even helped me out in the final rounds of MasterChef.
In the penultimate round of the competition, before the final, I found myself standing in front of Michel Roux Jnr in the kitchens of Le Gavroche (!) as he showed me how to make the lobster dish that had secured the restaurant its second Michelin star. As he was demonstrating the sauce, he tilted the pan my way then looked up and asked ‘do you know why the sauce is this pink colour?’. Usually my mind would go blank in situations like these but instead I paused, and then said:
‘Is it because you’ve added some of the lobster roe?’
A look of surprise flashed across his face. It was a niche question and I’m not sure he expected me to know the answer. But I did know the answer… because I worked in a fishmongers when I was 16! I could never have guessed that it would come in handy at that specific moment, but I’m delighted that it did.
Working in a fishmongers kicked off a longstanding love affair with fish that has continued to this day. Fish often gets a bad rep because it’s highly perishable, not particularly cheap and not hugely accessible (good fishmongers are few and far between). That’s why choosing your fish well and knowing how to bring out its best qualities in cooking is really important. I hope that today’s 101 can impart some of the lessons that I learnt alongside Miss P, the fishmonger I worked for in my teens (who was also an incredible cook!).
A few things to note ahead of getting into this:
I will be covering shellfish separately.
Even if you’re not a fan of fish, it is worth reading the section on anchovies!
There are a couple of notable fish dishes currently absent from the below — one is fish and chips (because: buy it) and the other is a fish pie. I couldn’t face perfecting a fish pie in 30 degree heat so I’ll be turning my hand to that in autumn and will update this post then.
Now onto what we’ll be covering today:
How to shop for fish, including tips for spending less
Where to start if you’re nervous about cooking fish
3 umami-forward ways to cook white fish
A simple way to elevate a fillet of fish
Even if you hate fish, you should know this by now
Forget BLT, it’s all about the FLT
The most special way to cook tuna
The thriftiest fish recipe in the world
A dream store-cupboard pasta
A classic Caribbean treat
Mama Anatole’s simple seafood stew
HOW TO SHOP FOR FISH
For starters: never ask your fishmonger what’s fresh.
Okay, slight exaggeration, but what I really mean is this: your best tool for identifying which fish are freshest are your eyes.
I don’t know your fishmonger — and I’m sure he or she is lovely — but fish is highly perishable and sometimes what they recommend will (understandably) be informed by this. It’s great to ask but it’s also important to trust your own ability to spot which fish are spankingly fresh.
Here are some tips: