When selecting your fish, there are several key things to look out for:

• The skin should be firm to the touch and bouncy.
• If buying a whole fish, the eyes should be clear and the gills should be red, not an off-red/brown colour.
• It shouldn’t smell overly “fishy” – it should have a distinct but delicate smell to it. If it smells too strong or stinks of ammonia then it isn’t fresh and you should avoid it.
• The flesh should have the same colour all over. If the edges have started to discolour or don’t match the rest of it, avoid it!
• Previously frozen fish is fine. A lot of fish won’t lose too much quality from the freezing process as long as it is frozen quickly after being processed and is defrosted responsibly. Check a frozen fish as you would any other fish by looking for colour and the smell it gives off.

Once you’ve selected your fish, always try to keep it as cold as possible until you can get it into a fridge and use it between 1-3 days to ensure it’s as fresh as possible. If you buy more than one fish, try to keep everything separate – this will help prevent cross-contamination. The majority of any bacteria will be on the skin of the fish so try not to let the flesh of another fish come into contact with it. If you buy two fillets of seabass, keep the fillets flesh-to-flesh.

Buying fish from a fishmonger is a great way of getting what you want. Skinning or pin-boning a fish at home can be messy and time-consuming. If you have the equipment, time and space then it can be really fulfilling doing the whole process, otherwise, I would just ask them to do it for you.

When frying a piece of fish, try to use a good neutral oil like rapeseed as it will ensure the flavour of the fish will be untarnished and the oil won’t burn. A lot of people recommend cooking with good olive oil but the temperature it burns at is significantly lower so you could end up spoiling your dinner.

Start by heating up a good non-stick or iron pan. When the oil begins to shimmer, which will be in 2-3 minutes and before it begins to smoke, add your fish. Always place the fish away from yourself so you don’t get any hot oil spat at you. I would always suggest frying the fish skin-side down and, if it’s a thick cut of fish, cook it all the way on one side. Texturally, this will give you an amazing crust to break through on one side while the other side of the piece should just be cooked. The best way to check it is by using a probe or a metal skewer. The fish will have some resistance and the more the fish cooks, the softer the flesh will become.

Once a skewer can pass through with little or no resistance, it’s ready. When cooking thinner fish like sea bass or bream, I always use the 70:30 ratio – which involves cooking the fish through, skin-side down until 70% of the fillet is cooked. Then flip, add butter and lemon juice and cook for the remainder on the flesh side. This will take significantly less time than cooking through the skin because there is no skin to protect it. The skin creates a nice barrier between the pan and the flesh and will allow the heat to permeate gradually through the fish while also giving you a crispy skin which is arguably the best bit! Try to avoid adding butter until the last 30 seconds to a minute or so as it will burn and taste bitter. One last point to remember, which was pointed out to me by one of my old sous chefs is “don’t play with your food”. If you find that the fish is sticking or is hard to get off the bottom of the pan, leave it. Keep the heat medium to high and just try to loosen it every now and then.

Best types of fish to fry:

Sea bass, Sea bream, salmon, halibut, cod fillets, hake, turbot.

Roasting often lends itself best with large, whole fish. Roasting will suit a chunkier cut of fish like Gilt Head bream or whole sides of salmon. Roasting is a great way of infusing different flavours into the fish. I would suggest scoring the skin and rubbing it with lemon, salt, and whatever aromatics you’re into. You want the fish to be slightly charred and really get that roasted flavour. Roasting a whole fish or whole side of salmon will take around 15-20 minutes and, again, check it with a skewer. You want the fish to be cooking but not overcooked. If you want to use a probe, I would aim for around 60°C and then let it rest.

Grilling is a great way to get an intense temperature into a cut that’s smaller than a whole fish or a large side of a fish. Sea bass, bream and even flat fish like brill work well under the grill. If it is a delicate fish such as brill, grill it skin-side up. The skin on these fish tends to be a bit chewier and doesn’t lend itself well to getting crispy. You’ll know when the fish is cooked because the skin will pull away from the flesh with little to no resistance. However, if you’re cooking bass, bream or something similar, then I would always score the skin and, again, cook it skin-side up. Because the heat from a grill is so intense, you want the heat to be able to get to the flesh before the skin burns so I would always advise scoring a grilled fish.

Best types of fish to roast or grill:

Salmon, trout, seatrout, whole bass and bream.

Steaming lends itself extremely well to delicate fish such as turbot, brill, plaice and haddock. There aren’t many types of fish that don’t suit steaming, to be honest, but I wouldn’t try it with anything particularly meaty like swordfish, tuna, or halibut. Steaming is a great way to appreciate a really good piece of fish, seasoned with nothing but a little salt and lemon. A bamboo steamer is a great way of steaming at home, as is a simple steamer attachment for a pan. Start the steaming process by greasing a piece of parchment or baking paper and placing the fish on it. Bring your water up to temperature before you put the fish in. You don’t want your pan to be on a furious boil – if it’s too hot and intense it could cook the fish too quickly on the outside, while the inside remains cool – as this will mean your fish will most likely fall apart. You want the heat to gradually ease itself into the fish without overcooking. A nice simmer, medium to high heat is perfect. Steaming a piece of plaice or haddock will take around 6-8 minutes and, as usual, the skewer test will be the key to knowing when your fish is done. If you have a probe, anything between 60-70°C is the sweet spot, depending on how you like your fish cooked will be perfect!

Best types of fish to steam:

Brill, turbot, haddock, plaice.

Poaching is a great way of gently cooking delicate fish. Much like steaming, you are cooking with moisture and it’s a great method for appreciating the natural taste and texture of the fish. The difference, however, is that poaching is a fantastic way to impart different flavours into a fish. Instead of just poaching your fish in salted water, try seasoning the water with soy sauce. Adding aromatics and vegetables into the water can take your fish game to a different level. Lemon, ginger, lemongrass and onions are all great things to add to your poaching liquor, as well as aromatics like thyme, mint, dill, peppercorns, and bay leaves.

Milk is also a good poaching liquor if you’re poaching something like smoked haddock. The milk will help add a subtle sweetness to it and can also be turned into a delicious sauce afterwards! The best way to check the progress of your fish is – you know the drill by now – a metal skewer. As soon as the skewer can pass through the fish with little to no resistance, it’s ready. I always aim for a little bit of resistance as the fish will carry on cooking for a short time while you plate up. Much like any other cooking method, the residual heat will finish off the cooking process.

Best types of fish to poach:

Haddock, brill, plaice.

All in all, fish is an amazing protein to work with and once you get used to choosing, handling and cooking it, can also be one of the easiest and most versatile to use.