People often think there is a real art to this, and it can look much harder than it really is, especially when you watch a fishmonger do it. It’s all about practice, so have a go and start with mackerel, as it’s the easiest type to handle. Use a sharp knife – a filleting knife is best as it has a flexible blade. Whether the fish is small or large, it’s the same method, so once you’ve done it a few times you’ll start to get the hang of it.

YOU WILL NEED

* A round fish (such as mackerel)

* Kitchen scissors

* Palette knife or table knife

* Filleting knife

* Tweezers or small pliers

1. First remove all the fins with a sharp pair of scissors, cutting as close as you can to the body of the fish. Holding it by the tail and using a palette knife or the back of a table knife, scrape the fish from the tail end towards the head to remove the scales. Tilt the knife slightly as you do this, being careful not to tear the skin.

2. Wash off the scales and pat dry with kitchen paper. Using a filleting knife (or other flexible knife), cut diagonally behind the gill to the bone.

3. Turn the knife around so that it is facing the tail, then cut through so that the flesh is on the top side of the knife while the bone is touching the underside. Keeping the knife close to the bone, cut horizontally towards the tail and through the belly bones, then lift off the fillet and set aside.

4. Turn the fish over and repeat the process on the other side, then discard the carcass. (If you are filleting a non-oily fish, then the carcass can be reserved for making stock. The bones of oily fish are unsuitable for this purpose, however.)

5. Place the fillet skin side down with the fatter end facing you, then run your finger over the middle part. As you do so, you will feel the small pin bones, which can easily be removed using a pair of tweezers or small pair of pliers. Pull the bones towards you and discard.

6. Trim the edges of each fillet, removing any of the belly bones. Trying not to cut too much of the flesh away, cut the fillets into 150–175g (5–6oz) pieces and use as required.

FILLETING A FLAT FISH

This requires a little more practice than the previous technique and it’s important you use the correct knife (with round fish you can get away with most sharp knives, but not for flat fish). A proper filleting knife is needed; it has a long flexible blade that enables you to cut through the fish keeping tight against the bones, leaving most of the flesh on the fillet and not too much remaining on the discarded skeleton. You can use a filleting knife for other jobs in the kitchen so a wise purchase won’t go to waste. Remember that there are four fillets on a flat fish (as opposed to just two on a round fish).

YOU WILL NEED

* A flat fish (such as sole)

* Kitchen scissors

* Filleting knife

1. Lay the fish on a chopping board with the head facing away from you, then trim the skirt or frill off the fish using kitchen scissors.

2. Using a filleting knife, cut around the head and discard it. Feel for the backbone down the middle of the fish and cut along it.

3. Starting at the head end of the fish and keeping the point of the knife close to the bone, carefully slice the fillet away from the bone, angling the knife towards the bone as you cut down to the tail, then lift off the fillet.

4. Cut away the other fillet and then turn the fish over and repeat the process. Retain the carcass (but not the head) for making stock.

5. To remove the skin, lay a fillet skin side down with the tail end facing you. Holding the tip of the tail with your fingers and angling the knife down towards the skin, start to cut the flesh away from the skin.

6. Keeping a tight hold of the skin and using the knife in a sawing motion, continue to cut, keeping the knife at the same angle and cutting as close to the skin as possible until all the skin has been removed. Repeat with the remaining fillets.

SMOKED FISH PÂTÉ

Fish pâté is so easy to make – simply add cream and lemon to the picked meat and serve alongside warm toast for a great meal. I’ve made this one with Arbroath Smokies, but it can also be made from smoked mackerel.

SERVES 4

2 Arbroath Smokies or cooked kippers, skin and bones removed

Juice of 2 lemons 150ml (5fl oz) double cream

25g (1oz) chives, finely chopped

Sea salt and black pepper

FOUR 250ML (9FL OZ) RAMEKINS OR LITTLE POTS

1. Place the fish flesh in a blender and briefly pulse, then add the lemon juice and the double cream and purée to the desired consistency. (Don’t leave the machine running for too long, however, or the cream may split.)

2. Transfer the pâté to a bowl, add the chives and season well. Divide between the ramekins or little pots and smooth over the surface. (If making these the day before, it is best to spread a little softened butter over the top of each one before refrigerating.)

3. Serve with warm slices of brown bread and a little dressed watercress on the side.

‘At the end of a long day a good chef might think about giving it all up and doing something else. Next morning he’d be marvelling at a sleek, silver, line-caught bass or sniffing a big bunch of basil or thinking how he was going to sear those scallops and serve them with Iberico ham and lentils for lunch. It’s not a perfect job, but what is?!’

RICK STEIN

BAKED ARBROATH SMOKIES WITH LEMON AND PARSLEY BUTTER

I first tried these little fellas at a Scottish coastal market. The Smokies are cleaned and marinated overnight in salted brine, then hot-smoked over a hardwood fire covered with wet sacks to stop the wood catching alight. They are a true delight served with butter. You need to get to the market early if you want one, as word gets around that they’re cooking and people follow the smoke like zombies. To beat the queue, you can buy them online. Iain R Spinks is the best supplier I know, give him a bell and you won’t be disappointed.

SERVES 4

4 Arbroath Smokies

2 lemons, cut into wedges, to serve

FOR THE LEMON AND PARSLEY BUTTER

250g (9oz) unsalted butter, softened

Juice and grated zest of 3 lemons

3 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley

Sea salt and black pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 220°C (425°F), Gas 7, and cut out four 30cm (12in) squares of greaseproof paper and four of newspaper.

2. In a bowl, mix together all the ingredients for the lemon and parsley butter, seasoning the mixture with 2 teaspoons of salt and some pepper.

3. Place a greaseproof paper square on top of a square of newspaper. Put a fish in the centre of the greaseproof square, then spread a quarter of the lemon and parsley butter over the sides of the fish and fill the cavity.

4. Fold in the edges of the paper, roll into a parcel and tie up with string. Repeat the process with the other 3 fish and place them on a baking tray. (At this stage you could place them in the fridge for 6–8 hours or until you need them.)

5. Before cooking, sprinkle the parcels with a little water and then bake in the oven for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and serve whole at the table with the lemon wedges and some slices of brown bread and butter.

SESAME TIGER PRAWNS WITH SPICED CUCUMBER AND CORIANDER SALAD

This is such a simple dish, which uses pre-cooked tiger prawns and can be served hot or cold. There has been a lot of bad press about tiger prawns over the years and the exploitation of farmers in countries like Vietnam where there are produced. The prawns will say on the packet where they are from, so my advice is to look for Madagascan prawns, as they have a better history in sustainable prawn farming. Ones from Ecuador are fine too, and this is the only country where they are certified organic.

SERVES 4

100g (3½oz) sesame seeds

3 tbsp English mustard

24 tiger prawns, peeled and heads removed

1 red chilli, deseeded and finely diced

50g (2oz) pickled ginger with some of its juice

Grated zest and juice of 2 limes

5 tbsp olive oil

1 cucumber, peeled

25g (1oz) unsalted butter

1 frisée lettuce

Leaves from 25g (1oz) bunch of coriander

1. Spread the sesame seeds out on a plate and spoon the mustard into a bowl, then roll the tiger prawns first in the mustard and then in the sesame seeds, making sure that they are well coated, and set aside.

2. Place the chilli in a large bowl, then add the ginger and its juice, the lime zest and juice and 4 tablespoons of the olive oil and mix together well. Using a potato peeler, peel the cucumber into strips. (Don’t peel all the way down to the seeds – the core can be discarded.) Add the cucumber strips to the chilli mixture, then toss all the ingredients together.

3. Place a non-stick frying pan over a medium heat, add the remaining olive oil and the prawns, frying these on each side for about 3 minutes or until golden brown. Add the butter and remove from the heat.

4. Break up the frisée lettuce and add the leaves to the cucumber salad along with the coriander, toss together and divide between plates. Place 6 prawns on each plate, then spoon over some of the chilli and lime dressing and serve.

CHILLI SALT SQUID

It was in Singapore that I first tried chilli-flavoured food done properly, with their trademark dish, the chilli crab. The traditional method is to roll the fish and cook in sticky chilli sauce, but for this squid recipe I prefer to deep-fry it with cornflour dusted over the top to make it lovely and crisp. Alternatively, you could chargrill it without the cornflour or fry it in a hot pan, but whichever method you use, the squid needs to be cooked as quickly as possible for best results.

SERVES 4

500g (1lb 2oz) squid, cleaned and tentacles removed

75g (3oz) cornflour

2–3 tbsp vegetable or sunflower oil

3 spring onions, thinly sliced

1 red bird’s eye chilli, thinly sliced

Sea salt and black pepper

FOR THE DIPPING SAUCE

150ml (5fl oz) rice wine vinegar

100g (3½oz) caster sugar

2 red bird’s eye chillies, thinly sliced

1 clove of garlic, peeled and finely chopped

1 tbsp chopped coriander

1 shallot, peeled and finely chopped

1. To make the sauce, place the vinegar, sugar, chillies and garlic in a heavy-based saucepan and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until the sauce thickens and a syrup is formed. Remove from the heat, add the coriander and shallot and set aside.

2. To prepare the squid, split each tube down the middle and lightly score the surface in a criss-cross pattern, then cut into 2.5cm (1in) pieces and dust with the cornflour.

3. Place a large, non-stick wok or frying pan over a medium heat, add a little of the vegetable or sunflower oil and, frying the squid pieces in batches and using more oil as necessary, cook for about 2 minutes or until golden brown, then remove from the wok or pan and season with salt and pepper.

4. Place the squid in a serving bowl, sprinkle over the spring onions, chilli and more black pepper and serve with the dipping sauce.

CRAB WITH RAPESEED MAYONNAISE AND WATERCRESS

Often (wrongly) described as the poor man’s lobster, I personally think the flavour of crab is far better than its expensive cousin. While crab has been eaten for thousands of years, rapeseed oil is much newer. Traditionally, rapeseed was animal food, or turned into Biofuel, but some clever dick decided to press the oil from this bright yellow flower and the result is brilliant for dressings and for cooking with. It’s also much cheaper than olive oil. Rapeseed oil gives mayonnaise a nicer flavour and colour than usual.

SERVES 4

100g (3½oz) watercress

3 tbsp rapeseed oil

900g (2lb) white (or mixed white and dark) cooked crab meat (preferably Portland) or 1.3kg (3lb) cooked crab claws

Salt and black pepper

2 lemons, cut into wedges, to serve

FOR THE MAYONNAISE

3 egg yolks

2 tsp Dijon mustard

375ml (13fl oz) rapeseed oil

Juice of 1 lemon

1. First make the mayonnaise. Whisk together the egg yolks and mustard very thoroughly in a blender or in a bowl using an electric beater or hand whisk. Add the rapeseed oil drop by drop to start with and then in a steady flow, and keep blending or whisking until the mayonnaise has thickened. Add the lemon juice and season to taste with salt and pepper.

2. Place the watercress in a bowl, add the rapeseed oil and season with salt and pepper. Toss together and place some on each plate along with a pile of the crab meat or a pile of crab claws. Spoon some mayonnaise on the side and serve with a couple of lemon wedges.

GRILLED BUTTERFLIED SARDINES WITH BLACK OLIVE AND HERB DRESSING

Sardines must be the world’s most commonly eaten fish and every country seems to have a famous version. I first tried them in France, aged 14. Brittany is thought to be the place where canning sardines began, and there are still masses of canneries in the area. As with most oily fish, they’re best eaten as fresh as possible. The eyes should be bright and shiny, the gills a nice red colour and the skin not dry. Removing the bones and head is easy for your fishmonger to do and will save you a load of mess and fiddling about at home.

SERVES 4

7 tbsp olive oil

12 sardines, scales removed (ask your fishmonger to remove the backbone and head)

2 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed

2 shallots, peeled and finely diced

2 sprigs of thyme, chopped

100g (3½oz) mixed salad leaves

Salt and black pepper

FOR THE DRESSING

30ml (1¼fl oz) red wine vinegar

1 tsp caster sugar 50g (2oz) pitted black olives, cut into quarters

150ml (5fl oz) rapeseed oil

4 tsp chopped flat-leaf parsley

2 tsp chopped chives

1. Drizzle 1 tablespoon of the olive oil into a non-stick roasting tin and place the sardines on it, skin side up, then season with salt and pepper.

2. In a bowl, mix together the garlic, shallots and thyme with the remaining oil, then spoon over the top of the sardines and leave to marinate for 15 minutes.

3. Preheat the grill to medium or the oven to 170°C (325°F), Gas 3.

4. Place the sardines under the grill or in the oven and cook for 4–5 minutes, without turning.

5. While the sardines are cooking, make the dressing. Pour the vinegar into a bowl and add the sugar, allowing it to dissolve. Add the olives, rapeseed oil and herbs, mix together and set aside.

6. Arrange the salad leaves on individual plates, then remove the sardines from the grill or oven and place 3 on top of each portion of salad. Drizzle over the dressing and serve with crusty bread.

SALT-CRUSTED SEA BASS

You may look daft buying this much salt; people may think you’re stocking up for an icy garden path. Little do they know it’s actually for this dish, one of the best ways to bring out all the flavour of sea bass. If you can’t find good bass (they are farmed now, so generally not too pricey) you can use trout. It must be sea salt, not fine table salt – use that for the path and keep the good stuff for your food. Cracking the crust at the table is quite an event. The fish doesn’t end up tasting salty, it’s just pure, white, delicious flesh.

SERVES 2

1.2kg (2lb 10oz) sea salt

3 egg whites

1 small bunch of dill, stalks removed and reserved, leaves chopped

1 x 750g (1lb 10oz) whole sea bass, gutted, scales removed and head and tail cut off

Handful of edible seaweed

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F), Gas 6.

2. Place the sea salt in a large bowl and add the egg whites and chopped dill. Stuff the cavity of the fish with the reserved dill stalks.

3. Cover the bottom of a deep roasting tin with about one-third of the sea salt mixture and then scatter over the seaweed. Put the sea bass on top and cover with the remaining salt mixture, making sure the whole of the fish is covered, underneath as well as on top. Pat the fish down and then place in the oven to bake for 25 minutes or until the salt crust sounds hard when tapped with the back of a teaspoon.

4. Remove the tin from the oven and crack the salt crust to reveal the cooked fish – the skin should peel away easily. Serve with a salad of crisp lettuce leaves, such as Little Gem, tossed in olive oil and lemon juice.

‘James has a knack for making food and recipes that are positively inspirational.’

KEN HOM

PROPER FISH AND CHIPS

If I were ever on Mastermind then I would choose this dish as my specialist subject! Over the years, I’ve sampled good and bad. I’ve travelled miles to get my hands on that crisp batter and pure white flesh, and once drove my team on a 500-mile round trip to prove that the best fish and chips were from my home county of Yorkshire. So this batter recipe is one that has been brought to you after eating many hundreds of fish and pounding thousands of miles, look after it and enjoy!

SERVES 4

1.2 litres (2 pints) vegetable oil, for deep-frying

4 large peeled potatoes (about 1.5kg/3lb 4oz)

4 x 175g (6oz) fillets of cod, haddock or pollack, pin bones removed

Salt

FOR THE BATTER

225g (8oz) self-raising flour

1 tsp salt

15g (½oz) fresh yeast or 20g (¾oz) dried yeast

2 tsp cider or white wine vinegar

1 tsp caster sugar

200ml (7fl oz) beer

1. To make the batter, sift the flour and salt into a bowl and add the yeast, vinegar and sugar, then whisk in the beer and, once combined, set aside for 45 minutes to 1 hour to bubble up.

2. If using a deep-fat fryer, heat the vegetable oil to 95°C (200°F). Alternatively, fill a deep, heavy-based saucepan to one-third with oil and use a sugar thermometer to check that it has reached the correct temperature. (Take great care if using a saucepan: always watch over it and never fill it beyond more than a third as the hot fat may bubble up when the food is added.)

3. Trim the potatoes into rectangles, cut into slices 1cm (½in) thick, then cut again to give chips that are 1cm (½in) wide. Place the chips in the deep-fat fryer or saucepan and cook for 10 minutes. (It is very important to pre-cook them in this way to ensure that they are cooked through before serving. Frying the chips at this temperature will blanch them without browning.)

4. Check the chips are tender using the point of a knife, then remove from the oil and drain on kitchen paper. They can be left to cool on greaseproof paper and even chilled before finishing.

5. Preheat the oil in the fryer or pan to 190°C (375°F). Immerse the fish fillets in the batter, then carefully lower into the hot oil and cook for 3–4 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oil and drain on kitchen paper, then reheat the oil to cook the chips.

6. Lower the chips into the oil. These will now take only 2–3 minutes to become golden brown and crispy. Shake off any excess fat, or drain on kitchen paper, and sprinkle with salt before serving with the fish.

SKATE WINGS WITH BLACK CAPER BUTTER

This is one of the classic butter sauces; the trick is the get the pan nice and hot before adding the butter. Once the butter is brown, pull the pan off the heat, add the rest of the ingredients and serve straight away. This sauce can be served with all manner of fish and seafood, from salmon and trout to hake and prawns. I’ve chosen to put it with skate wings, which are attractive and a bit different to serve up to your guests.

SERVES 2

2 x 225g (8oz) skate wings, skinned

FOR THE COOKING LIQUOR

1 onion, peeled and chopped into 2cm (¾ in) pieces

2 sticks of celery, trimmed and chopped into 2cm (¾ in) pieces

250ml (9fl oz) white wine

75ml (3fl oz) white wine vinegar

2 bay leaves

10 black peppercorns

Pinch of salt

FOR THE BLACK CAPER BUTTER

100g (3½oz) butter

25g (1oz) capers, drained and rinsed

50ml (2fl oz) red wine vinegar

2 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley

1. Place all the ingredients for the cooking liquor in a large saucepan, pour in 1.2 litres (2 pints) of water, bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer gently for 10 minutes.

2. Place the skate wings in the pan and continue to simmer slowly for about 10 minutes to cook the fish. Using a slotted spoon, carefully lift the skate from the pan, then drain on kitchen paper and place on a plate in a warm oven while you make the black caper butter.

3. Melt the butter in a large frying pan over a high heat, allowing it to foam and turn brown. Remove from the heat and add the remaining ingredients. Let the mixture fizz in the pan for a few seconds and then spoon over the skate and serve straight away.

SAFFRON HADDOCK WITH CRUSHED POTATOES AND ASPARAGUS

Produced from the stigma of the crocus flower, saffron is the most expensive spice in the world. It takes some 70,000 flowers to make just half a kilo in weight of finished saffron. It’s used in Biryani, Pilaf and many desserts, but is perhaps best known for its use in the French bouillabaisse and Spanish paella. In the UK, it’s used in Cornish saffron cake. This recipe makes a light fish supper and the addition of saffron to the poaching liquid gives it a nice flavour, but be careful because too much will overpower everything else.

SERVES 4

500ml (18fl oz) milk

2 good pinches of saffron

4 x 150g (5oz) natural smoked haddock fillets, pin bones and skin removed

400g (14oz) new potatoes, unpeeled

50ml (2fl oz) double cream

2 tbsp chopped chives

4 tsp chopped dill

20 asparagus spears, woody ends snapped off

25g (1oz) unsalted butter

Salt and black pepper

1. Pour the milk into a roasting tin, add the saffron and place over a low heat to gently warm through and allow the flavour of the spice to infuse the milk. Add the haddock fillets and cook over a gentle heat for 3–4 minutes, then remove from the heat and leave the fish to sit in the milk until required.

2. Place the potatoes in a large saucepan of salted water and cook for 20 minutes or until tender, then drain. While the potatoes are still warm, add the double cream and, with a fork, crush the potatoes but without mashing them, then mix in the chopped herbs, season with salt and pepper and set aside.

3. Bring another saucepan of salted water to the boil, plunge the asparagus in and cook for 2 minutes or until tender, then drain, add the butter and arrange 5 spears on each plate. Gently warm the haddock in the milk, place a spoonful of potatoes next to the asparagus, then lift the haddock from the milk, place a fillet on top of each portion of potatoes and serve.

FISHCAKES WITH BUTTER SAUCE

A classic butter sauce is one of those recipes that, once you’ve mastered, you will use again and again. Yes, there’s a shed-load of butter, but it’s the richness that makes it go so well with all types of seafood. I remember I once spent two weeks just making this sauce over and over in the restaurant I was working in at the time. It was worth all that practice, as I use the same method even now. The sauce can be flavoured with all manner of ingredients from tomato to orange, just change the flavour to suit yourself.

SERVES 4–6

300ml (11fl oz) milk

1 x 200g (7oz) natural smoked haddock fillet

1 x 225g (8oz) salmon fillet

115g (4oz) butter

350g (12oz) mashed potatoes (following method on page 179 but using no butter or cream)

2 small onions, peeled and diced

3 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley

2 tbsp chopped dill

150g (5oz) plain flour

2 eggs, beaten

150g (5oz) dried breadcrumbs, such as Japanese panko

2 tbsp vegetable oil

Salt and black pepper

FOR THE BUTTER SAUCE

150ml (5fl oz) white wine

250ml (9fl oz) fish stock

1 shallot, peeled and sliced

150ml (5fl oz) double cream

50g (2oz) butter, chilled and diced

2 tsp chopped dill

1. Pour the milk into a large saucepan, season with salt and pepper and place over a low heat to warm through. Poach the haddock and salmon in the milk for 3–4 minutes or until cooked through. Remove from the milk and allow to cool.

2. Meanwhile, melt 75g (3oz) of the butter in a small saucepan.

3. When the haddock and salmon are cool enough to handle, flake the flesh of each fish separately, discarding the skin and any bones. Place the haddock in a large bowl, add the potatoes, onions and melted butter and mix together. Add the salmon and chopped herbs and mix again until combined, but without over-mixing. Season with salt and pepper to taste, adding a little of the haddock poaching milk if the mixture seems too dry.

4. Divide the mixture into 4 equal portions, then shape into patties. Dip in the flour, the beaten eggs and finally the breadcrumbs and then chill in the fridge for 2 hours before frying.

5. Place a frying pan over a medium heat, add the vegetable oil and the remaining butter and fry the fishcakes on each side for 3–4 minutes or until golden brown.

6. While the fishcakes are cooking, make the sauce. Place the wine, stock and shallot in a saucepan and boil for about 5 minutes to reduce by half. Pour in the cream, bring back up to the boil, then remove from the heat and whisk in the diced butter. Stir in the dill, season with salt and pepper and serve with the fishcakes, spooning a little on to each plate along with a handful of watercress leaves or some wilted spinach.

MISO-BLACKENED BREAM WITH CARAMELISED CHICORY

Miso is a Japanese paste made from soya beans fermented with rice or barley. You will find several varieties of miso in the shops – some are light in colour and some are dark. The darker the colour, the stronger the flavour tends to be so I use the lighter colours for a milder result. Combined with the rest of the ingredients, and used to marinate the fish, the miso will cause the fish to brown more under the grill. It should be cooked quickly and the blackened bits left on it, as they add to the flavour of the finished dish.

SERVES 4

3–4 tbsp groundnut oil, plus extra for drizzling

4 x 125g (4½oz) black bream fillets (preferably Dorset bream), scales and pin bones removed

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