Food feature: Cookery masterclasses at Rockfish Grill and Seafood Market

Wednesday 13th January 2010

Rockfish Grill on Whiteladies Road is hosting masterclasses on how to cook fresh fish at home. Mark Taylor finds out more.

If there is one kitchen skill that most home cooks lack it’s preparing fresh fish.

But help is available thanks to Bristol restaurant Rockfish Grill, where there is now a free weekly introduction to fresh fish and seafood.

This short, informative masterclass takes place every Wednesday at 11am in the restaurant’s fishmongers.

Fishmonger and chef Neil Roach is on hand to inform people how to choose the best from that day’s fish counter (it all arrives from Brixham in Devon every morning so the choice on the fish counter changes every day), what to look for and what is seasonal.

So, if you want to know what John Dory tastes like or advice on which fish is best for paella, this is the place to start.

Of course, these 15-minute sessions can’t cover everything, but by offering nuggets of useful information, it allows people to get some great ideas for what to cook for supper, how to cook it, how to know when shellfish is in tip top condition and how to fillet a whole fish at home.

Owner and chef Mitch Tonks says: “This is like a mini-cookery school and designed to de-mystify fish and cooking fish.

“People are often not sure what to do with fish when cooking for family and friends, or how to make a good choice from the counter and we want to show everyone how easy it really is.”

A general lack of information and education about fish and how to prepare and cook it is the main reason people are reluctant to buy fresh fish and prepare it themselves.

As consumers, we are used to picking up neat, plastic-wrapped trays of pre-prepared fillets from the supermarket rather than taking home a whole fish and doing the dirty work ourselves.

Says Tonks: “Yes, eyes, heads and scales put people off but your fishmonger can deal with all of that for you and the rest is easy.

“A little olive oil, a little salt and 15 minutes is all you need to turn a great piece of fish into a memorable meal.

“The key bit of information here is use your fishmonger. These free sessions are all about learning about what is on the counter, with some easy tips for preparation and what is good for a quick supper.

“We want people to feel inspired about cooking fresh fish at home and help to demystify all the preconceptions people have about it.”

Rockfish Grill and Seafood Market is one of only a handful of fishmongers left in Bristol. With more and more supermarkets opening fresh fish counters, it’s a situation that is unlikely to change in the near future.

So why should we be buying our fish from fishmongers rather than our nearest supermarket?

Tonks says: “You can get some good fish in supermarkets and, of course, you can get some great frozen brands like Young’s, who I work closely with.

“However, going to a specialist fishmonger you will be buying the freshest fish there is because often the fish will have come straight from the coast.

“Neil, our fishmonger, is skilled and trained, but he also worked as a chef and can prepare and talk about cooking knowledgeably.

“The supermarket operative is more often running both the meat and fish counters and members of staff will change more frequently. Just like local butchers, you can build a relationship with your local fishmonger.”

And there’s also the issue of cost. Fresh fish is perceived to be expensive and a special treat for Fridays. Can people watching their purse strings still enjoy fish at home?

“People on a budget can still eat well,” says Tonks. “Look for things like mackerel, a big warming bowl of steaming mussels – both are somehow luxurious and cheap.

“Buy clams and throw them into a pot with some white wine, olive oil and cooked spaghetti – it doesn’t get simpler than that.

“And look out for farmed sea bass and sea bream – one fish can serve two people and costs about £5-£6.”

And if you enjoy the free 15-minute ‘introduction to fish’ sessions on Wednesday mornings, there’s always the Monday all-day cookery classes at the restaurant.

These classes run from 10am-4pm and include an informal sit-down lunch with wine. They cost £175 for a full-day course and are popular as gifts or for company team-building.

Most importantly, they are guaranteed to make you more confident about cooking fresh fish at home.

Rockfish Grill and Seafood Market, 128 Whiteladies Road, Bristol, BS8 2RS. Call 01179 737384.