How to make the perfect prawns, according to celebrity seafood chef - and the common grilling mistake you're probably making
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There's no better way to bring a quintessential Australian taste into your home than with seafood cooking.
We all know how amazing seafood is – it’s healthy, delicious, and can be cooked in a million different ways. But even though we might think we know everything there is to know about seafood cuisine, there’s always room to learn more… especially from the pros!
Even the most experienced home cook can run into trouble when trying to recreate restaurant-quality seafood dishes. Luckily for us, one of Australia’s most celebrated chefs has shared his top tips for how we can step up our seafood game at home.
The Sydney-based owner and head chef of Saint Peter restaurant in Paddington, Josh Niland, explains to us culinary novices the several crucial seafood cooking tips we should always follow when grilling, pan-frying, and broiling fish dishes at home.
He gave reporters some insight into how he turns even the simplest dishes into culinary masterpieces. Here are his top tips:
First, make sure the fish is dry before cooking. According to Josh, the number one mistake people make when cooking with fish is not drying it properly before they start.
‘Once a fish comes out of the water, it is never to return to water,’ he said. Turns out, the fishy odours and other difficulties faced by home cooks (and their often all-too-picky patrons) are brought on by really poor handling.
‘Octopus, tuna, whiting, and mackerel carry little intramuscular fat, so it is important not to cook them all the way through. Working over a charcoal grill also adds a wonderful smoky profile that’s perfect with a whisky in hand.’ The celebrity chef explained.
Josh also warned of a few other common pitfalls to avoid when cooking seafood. He urged home cooks to be ‘mindful of temperature control, washing fish, and cooking the fish all the way through’.
‘Usually, the pan or oven is far too hot or not hot enough,’ he said. Josh shared that by being mindful of the temperature, cooking (and eating!) fish should be a much more pleasant experience.
Josh also reminded people that cooking fish all the way through doesn’t allow diners to ‘taste’ the true flavour of the fish they are eating. ‘It may as well be overcooked chicken breast,’ he said.
Lastly, Josh shared one of his favourite prawn seasonings. He said that he reaches for Old Bay seasoning when coating some prawns. This mixture is made up of celery salt, spices, and paprika. He gave final tips on how to transform any seafood dish.
If you want more fish-y tips (sorry, you know we can’t resist a good pun) from Josh, check out this video here!
Are you excited to try out Josh’s methods, dear members? We know we are! Let us know in the comments if you have other cooking tips you want to share!
We all know how amazing seafood is – it’s healthy, delicious, and can be cooked in a million different ways. But even though we might think we know everything there is to know about seafood cuisine, there’s always room to learn more… especially from the pros!
Even the most experienced home cook can run into trouble when trying to recreate restaurant-quality seafood dishes. Luckily for us, one of Australia’s most celebrated chefs has shared his top tips for how we can step up our seafood game at home.
The Sydney-based owner and head chef of Saint Peter restaurant in Paddington, Josh Niland, explains to us culinary novices the several crucial seafood cooking tips we should always follow when grilling, pan-frying, and broiling fish dishes at home.
Josh Niland, Sydney-based master chef. Credit: GQ Australia
He gave reporters some insight into how he turns even the simplest dishes into culinary masterpieces. Here are his top tips:
First, make sure the fish is dry before cooking. According to Josh, the number one mistake people make when cooking with fish is not drying it properly before they start.
‘Once a fish comes out of the water, it is never to return to water,’ he said. Turns out, the fishy odours and other difficulties faced by home cooks (and their often all-too-picky patrons) are brought on by really poor handling.
‘Octopus, tuna, whiting, and mackerel carry little intramuscular fat, so it is important not to cook them all the way through. Working over a charcoal grill also adds a wonderful smoky profile that’s perfect with a whisky in hand.’ The celebrity chef explained.
Josh also warned of a few other common pitfalls to avoid when cooking seafood. He urged home cooks to be ‘mindful of temperature control, washing fish, and cooking the fish all the way through’.
‘Usually, the pan or oven is far too hot or not hot enough,’ he said. Josh shared that by being mindful of the temperature, cooking (and eating!) fish should be a much more pleasant experience.
Seafood is one of the more difficult types of food to prepare. Credit: Daily Mail UK
Josh also reminded people that cooking fish all the way through doesn’t allow diners to ‘taste’ the true flavour of the fish they are eating. ‘It may as well be overcooked chicken breast,’ he said.
Lastly, Josh shared one of his favourite prawn seasonings. He said that he reaches for Old Bay seasoning when coating some prawns. This mixture is made up of celery salt, spices, and paprika. He gave final tips on how to transform any seafood dish.
1.) Instead of fillets, cook fish on the bone. This doesn’t mean that you include the head and eyes, but cooking a fish on the bone aids in moisture retention and aesthetic presentation. Not to mention the burst of flavour that comes with this method!
2.) If you get a piece of fish that’s damp, place it on a cake rack in your fridge overnight and allow the skin to dry.
3.) If you’re cooking for multiple people, ask your local fishmonger for a piece that’s indicative of the number of people you’re cooking for. An example of this would be buying an 800g block of fish instead of buying and cooking four separate pieces on a pan.
If you want more fish-y tips (sorry, you know we can’t resist a good pun) from Josh, check out this video here!
Are you excited to try out Josh’s methods, dear members? We know we are! Let us know in the comments if you have other cooking tips you want to share!
