Nathan Outlaw - British Seafood
No one in Salisbury seems to have heard about Nathan Outlaw, even though he has 4 restaurants, a pub and three Michelin stars on top of which, he’s a super convivial guy. Admittedly none of his restaurants are actually in Salisbury, they are in Port Isaac, Rock, London and Dubai but let’s put his lack of profile to rights straight away. He’s published five books to date and I have three of them, each a joy.
I worked alongside Nathan a couple of years ago and was responsible for getting his campfire feast out to 200 punters twice in a day. He’s a gentle, inspiring chef with a great sense of humour and totally focused as only great chefs can be. But I also love the simplicity and clean lines of his dishes which come packed with tantalising flavours and surprises.
If you love fish but are a bit nervous when it comes to cooking it, you need one of Nathan’s books. I think many of the recipes are pretty straightforward, certainly rewarding, so just follow them to the letter and you’ll be quids in. The photography is all mouth-wateringly wonderful so it’s really easy to make a pretty plate and a delicious dish at the same time.
My top tip before you start is get to know Greenslade’s fishmonger on the market every Tuesday and Saturday. Purveyors of excellent produce and a million times superior to anything you might find in the local supermarket. Get there early to max out on the great selection they have.
Back to Nathan, I wouldn’t say one of his books is better that another, they all have great recipes and I can’t think many, if any overlap. I’m going with ‘Nathan Outlaw’s British Seafood’, with handy hints on buying seafood and cooking techniques, sauces, dressing etc. It’s then divided into sections by fish type; monkfish, ray, ling, sardines, sole, haddock etc. My second top tip is start with the recipe, then go and shop for the fish and other ingredients, have a couple of options under you belt. If you do it the other way round, go and buy the seafood, bring it back and open the book, you’ll probably find you are missing other vital ingredients; Pernod, orange, pork belly (seriously), satsuma, squid ink etc.
I use this book regularly when fish loving friends come to lunch or supper. A good opener is the ‘Red mullet with saffron, orange oil and spring onion barley’ on page 122. Make your own orange oil (page 227) it’s worth it. You can buy it from Waitrose, but that’s what you’ll get, Waitrose orange oil, not Nathan orange oil.
Demand better, of yourself, for yourself.
REED MULLET WITH SAFFRON, ORANGE OIL AND SPRING ONION BARLEY
Serves 4
• 4 red mullet, 200-300g each, scaled, gutted
and butterflied
• Olive oil for cooking
• 50g unsalted butter
• 8 spring onions, trimmed and finely sliced,
white and dark green part kept separate
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
• 100g pearl barley
• 200ml vegetable stock
• 1tsp saffron strands
• 200g spinach, washed and trimmed
• 2tsp chopped dill, plus extra fronds to garnish
• 50g Parmesan, grated
• Orange oil
• Cornish sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
When we get smaller red mullet, I like to butterfly
them as it’s a great way to prepare and serve these
beautiful fish. To me, the taste of red mullet has
notes of saffron and orange zest, so it makes sense
to use those flavours in the barley and dressing.
Heat a large saucepan over a medium heat and
add a drizzle of olive oil and the butter. When hot,
add the white spring onion and garlic to the pan.
Cook, stirring for one minute, then add the pearl
barley, stir and cook for another minute.
Pour in the vegetable stock and add the saffron.
Bring to the boil and simmer for about 20 minutes
until the barley is cooked but retaining a bite, and
the liquid is almost completely absorbed. Taste the
barley; if it is still a little undercooked, add a little
more stock and continue to simmer until tender.
Now add the green spring onion, spinach and
dill, and cook for one minute.
Stir in the Parmesan and then check the seasoning,
adding salt and pepper to taste. Keep warm.
To cook the fish, heat your grill to medium and
oil and season the grill tray.
Place the fish skin side up on the grill tray. Cook
under the grill for four minutes or until the fish is
just cooked through.
Spoon the barley onto four warmed plates and
place the red mullet on top.
Add four tbsp orange oil to the grill tray and
stir to mix with the cooking juices and create a
little dressing.
Drizzle over and around the fish, scatter over
some dill fronds and serve at once.
Orange oil
Makes about 400ml
• Finely pared zest of 4 oranges
• 300ml light rapeseed oil
• 100ml light olive oil
Put all the ingredients into a blender and blitz for
two minutes.
Pour the oil mixture into a jug and leave to infuse
and settle for 24 hours.
Decant the oil into another container. Keep in
the fridge and use within a month.