Day 7 at Leiths Cookery School: Fish
By: Lucy'S Kitchen Diary
Tags: Cooking, Chefs, Diary, Fish, Learning To Cook

Fish is one of my favourite things to eat, so I was very excited about Day 7 at Cookery School — Sea Bream and Plaice.

Cooking Fish

Although I rarely cook fish for myself, when I have cooked it, I have always thought it to be quite ‘easy’. I’ve never felt scared by it or perceived it to be demanding. However, from our lesson today, I realise I have been missing a few tricks.

In fact, throughout my time at Leiths, I can see how comfortable and satisfied I have become with my own standard of cooking. It’s a bit like training at the gym. You do what you’ve always done and always get the same results.

When I cook at home it can taste good, but it’s difficult to see when I am doing something half measured; with just a few changes in the method and understanding, you can elevate your cooking to a different level.

Cooking Fish was tonight was a good example of this. We cooked Sea Bream fillets. Pan fried. I crisped up the skin on one side and then turned it over. It looked good, crisp and golden; I felt comfortable with it. But when it came to tasting, my tutor said that I could have gone a bit further with the cooking of the skin.

It’s funny because I thought it was as far as I could go, but a chef knows when it can take just a little bit more…and that little bit more is often the difference between a ‘good’ dish and a ‘great’ dish.

Another big lesson for me from today’s class is the importance of detail and attention when it comes to cooking meat and fish. This sounds obvious doesn’t it? But unlike pastry and meringues (which we have covered in previous lessons), you don’t just let the oven do the work and walk away. Oh no! With meat and fish, you need to become a temperature controller. You need to check the cooking process. You may need to change it. Timings and temperature are up to you.

We cooked the Plaice under the grill and this was tough. The grill feels fierce and the fish is delicate; I timed the cooking and decided that after a couple of minutes (as per the recipe) mine should be cooked. Unfortunately, when I plated up, it was just under.

I could have easily prevented this by checking the internal temperature before I called service. As chef, I was in control of checking and adjusting. What’s the harm? After all, it can go back under. Instead, I was applying my baking mindset and because I knew the plaice had been under the grill for the time it needed, I assumed it would be cooked. No. Not the case. Check check check. Meat and fish is not as regimental as baking. It might be a different size and thickness. It might need more cooking than the recipe suggests. It might need less. Do’t be scared to check it.

Filleting

We tried our hand at filleting tonight. The Plaice is a flat fish, so easier to work with. You make 4 cuts:

1. Start with the skin side up and run your filleting knife down the long, middle bone.

2. Then you can cut across the tail.

3. A diagonal cut by the head/gills.

4. a cut down the side to get another fillet shape from the other side

A filleting knife is critical for this. Using the bend of the knife, run down against the bones to remove the flesh, trying to include as much flesh as possible within your fillet. Using long strokes and holding onto to the fillet as you cut, it will slowly come away from the bones…and it is very satisfying when it does. After your fillets are off, remove the skin, using your knife to pinch some skin and then pull it away. It can be tricky, but if you get the right grip, it should come away quite easily.

I really enjoyed it. I felt like a surgeon. But a good, sharp filleting knife is what makes it possible. Without it, it turns into a bit of ‘hacking’ job. Once you get used to the strokes, long and smooth, you should not lose much of the flesh.

Choosing fish

We were given a few tips about buying fish and what to look for to check it is fresh:

Clear eyes Gills — red, not brown or purple Scales in tact Slime — shows that it is good and healthy Smell — should not smell strong, if anything it should smell of the sea Firm

There you go! Day 7 done, a little disappointed with my own cooking of the fish. My mark wasn’t good for this, but I learnt a lot and really enjoyed working with the ingredients tonight!