Peter is an award winning Master Chef of Great Britain and has been cooking since the age of 16. Peter now runs his own restaurant, Gorton’s, in Tavistock.
Buying fish
When buying fish it is important to know where it has come from and how it was caught. Over fishing and the resulting decline in fish stocks are major issues, read labels carefully and look for suppliers who support sustainable fishing and environmentally responsible methods and those who source their fish from well managed stocks.
For up to date information and advice on choosing fish, visit the Marine Conservation Society website www.fishonline.org
What to look for in a whole fish
Fish should smell like the ocean or clean ponds, if it smells it isn’t fresh, give the fish a little press. It should be firm and the skin should be firm and shiny, the eyes should be bright and slightly protruding, not sunken.
Fillets and steaks
Firm, springy and translucent flesh with no discolouration and neat and trim with no ragged edges.
Buying frozen fish
If fish is commercially frozen straight after it is caught the quality is usually good, frozen fish is convenient too and available all year. To be sure of the best quality when buying, check the fish is frozen solid with no sign of thawing. Make sure the packaging is not damaged and there isn’t any freezer burn or discolouration.
Chef’s Tips
1. Wild fish has a far more superior flavour then farmed fish though it is more expensive.
2. To remove the stubborn odour of fish from your pans after cooking boil equal parts of vinegar and water in the pan for 5 minutes.
3. To keep fish fillets from sticking bake them on a bed of vegetables.
4. To make a quick supper with leftover fish, marinate in a vinaigrette and add to a tossed salad or mix with fresh pesto and pasta. Hoisin and soy sauce with fresh ginger also works really well with noodles and toasted sesame seeds.
5. You can get omega 3s from canned fish so choose canned salmon, tuna or sardines.
6. To retain maximum omega 3s during cooking it is better to steam fish, as this cooking method does not affect the beneficial oils so much.
7. Get your fishmonger to scale, gut and clean fish for you. He will also fillet it or cut it into steaks if this is what you want at no extra charge. This is better than buying ready cut fillets or steaks as the fish will be fresher it also leaves you very little for you to do.
Happy fishing!
Peter Gorton
For more information about Peter visit www.petergortonmasterchef.co.uk or to find out more about Gorton’s restaurant see www.gortons-tavistock.co.uk