Flash fish, simple sauce: King George whiting
King George Whiting is always expensive, always delicate in flavour, and should always be cooked gently and watchfully. It has a delicious texture and a lovely flavour. It can be cooked any way really — it is great in batter and deep-fried, as many expensive restaurants have discovered; wonderful with its skin left on and [...]
Fish of the day with rosemary
Every garden should have a bustling rosemary bush. There are few other flavourings which are always available at your back door and add so much life to so many dishes. Toss rosemary with tomatoes, soy and chilli and you’ve got hold of a true winner; cook down some cream and rosemary and you’ve got one of [...]
Flake, for the memories
Remember the ‘good old days’. Remember when Gough Whitlam was the leader of the Opposition, Bob Hawke had black hair and silly glasses, you still had Sunday roasts, and fish shops — the first of the fast food outlets — did a roaring trade on Fridays?
Remember? Remember those shops which had piles of already-fried fish [...]
Escolar. Never heard of it?
Bet you have never heard of escolar, or, by its more common name, butter fish, or, by its less common name, oilfish. You’re in good company. Ask fishmongers, fishermen, fishing experts: escolar? Never heard of it.
Escolar etc. is one of the greatest gifts given to the palate by the sea. It is firm and deliciously, [...]
Flat out for flavour: or sole man, sole
Don’t be discouraged if you don’t have enough pans for a sole party, man. Fillets of flat fish like sole, or dory, or flounder stand up beautifully to most forms of cooking: frying, steaming, poaching. Just keep a good eye on the show. Remember, it’s unusual to find a fat, flat fish. They will cook [...]
Skate, just for the hell of it
Skate are gentle fish, put on earth to scare the daylights out of scuba divers. They are almost all wing and seem to fly through the water, casting dark shadows on all beneath them. Imagine you are drifting serenely a few metres beneath the surface and suddenly all goes black. You would have to think [...]
Self-saucing fish
You can get a similar result all in one go by cooking the fish on top of a mix of aromatic vegetables and olive oil, and covering the lot with foil. The fish cooks in the steam coming from the vegetables. At the end of it, you are left with a moist fish and a [...]
Steamed fish with lots of colour
The best way to present fish is simply. Makes sense. Cook it simply, and serve it with something moist and colourful and delicious on its own — without intruding on the subtle flavour of the fish. This is the cooking of the restaurants of the eighties. Gentle flavours, served with colour, all put together simply.
Fish [...]
Yabbies with a touch of coconut
Yabbies are about the only swimmer I have any luck with on a consistent basis. Get some smelly meat, tie it to a piece of string, toss it in the water, tie the string to your big toe, relax into one of those chairs with no legs and a solid back, and you’re in heaven. If you fall asleep, there’s a good chance the biggest yabby will knock off the meat, crawl up the string, and have a go at your big toe.
A Thai-influenced crayfish soup
There is nothing so rich in flavour as the stock made from a late and lamented crab or crayfish. It is so powerful it is not recommended for households that contain pregnant ladies. My wife, when heavy with child, once threatened to pour the boiling stock over my head. I’m still not sure whether it was [...]