A Fish Feast
Cooking Skills: Fish and Shellfish 2
Chapter 8 · A Fish Feast
Skill goal
Plan and cook a multi-course fish meal where every dish is ready at the right time.
Shopping list for this chapter
The basics
A feast is a plan, not a pile of recipes. The principle is cold first, hot last: the gravlax is cured two days ahead, the stew is made a day early and reheated, the dessert is set the night before, and only the whole fish is cooked at the last minute. Choose courses that differ in texture and temperature, so a cold starter is followed by a hot main and a cool, light sweet to finish.
This chapter brings together the whole course: Cooking Skills: Fish and Shellfish 2, chapters 1 to 7. For the earlier course see Cooking Skills: Fish and Shellfish 1, chapter 8. A feast for four or six is easy; for eight you scale the stew and the starter, not the whole fish, which you simply multiply. The last recipe is your own skills table and signature menu.
The method
- Choose a cold starter, a hot main and a light sweet course, so the oven is only busy once.
- Write the timeline backwards from serving time, starting with anything that cures or sets.
- Make the stew or curry the day before, because it improves, and reheat gently until steaming.
- Cook the whole fish last, test it, and rest it while you serve the starter.
- Keep cold food cold and hot food hot, and wash up as you go.
| Course | Dish | Made | From chapter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | Crab on toast with gravlax | Gravlax 2 days ahead | 5 and 6 |
| Fish main | Roast sea bream | Last minute | 1 |
| Stew or curry | Fish stew or prawn curry | The day before | 3 and 4 |
| Sweet | Lemon posset | The night before | This chapter |
Raw cured fish, hot dishes and allergens
Feast safety: a big meal means many hot pans and a lot of raw fish and shellfish on the same board. Clear and wash up as you go, use separate boards for raw and ready-to-eat foods, keep cold dishes below 5°C until they are served, and don't leave hot dishes out for more than 2 hours.Cured and pickled fish are not cooked: gravlax and pickled herring are cured, not cooked, so they can carry parasites and bacteria. Use fish that has been frozen at -20°C for at least 7 days (general guidance) or that the fishmonger says is sushi grade, keep it below 5°C, and eat it within the stated days. These dishes are not for pregnant women, young children, the elderly or anyone with a weakened immune system.
Hot pot and boiling stew: a pot of stew or chowder is heavy and stays scalding for a long time. Use a ladle rather than pouring, lift the lid away from your face, keep the handle turned in, and let it cool for a few minutes before serving children.
Allergens: fish is one of the 14 major allergens, and cross-contact is easy: it can pass on boards, oil, tongs and pans. Crustaceans (prawns), molluscs (mussels, scallops), gluten, milk and egg also appear in fish recipes. Always tell guests what is in a dish.
Try it
Level 1 · Start here
A starter of crab and gravlax
Use the gravlax from chapter 6 and the crab mix from chapter 5. Put a spoonful of crab on a toast base, lay a slice of gravlax beside it, and finish with dill and lemon. It is cold, pretty and made ahead, so it frees the oven.
Ingredients (6 portions)
- 150 g gravlax, thinly sliced
- 200 g crab mix (white and brown meat, seasoned as in chapter 5)
- 6 small slices of rye or sourdough
- 1 tbsp chopped dill
- 2 tbsp crème fraîche
- 1 lemon, in wedges
- Toast the bread and cool it. Mix the crème fraîche with the dill and a squeeze of lemon.
- Pile the crab on each toast and lay slices of gravlax on or beside it.
- Add a small spoonful of the dill cream, keep chilled below 5°C, and serve within 1 hour.
Cured fish, crab and allergens
Cured and pickled fish are not cooked: gravlax and pickled herring are cured, not cooked, so they can carry parasites and bacteria. Use fish that has been frozen at -20°C for at least 7 days (general guidance) or that the fishmonger says is sushi grade, keep it below 5°C, and eat it within the stated days. These dishes are not for pregnant women, young children, the elderly or anyone with a weakened immune system.Crab shell and cooked crab: buy crab that is already cooked and dressed or picked, from a fishmonger you trust, keep it below 5°C and eat it within a day. Crab shell is sharp and cracking it sends splinters, so wear a cloth or gloves and work on a board. Brown meat is rich and strongly flavoured; discard the grey feathery gills and the stomach sac.
Allergens: fish is one of the 14 major allergens, and cross-contact is easy: it can pass on boards, oil, tongs and pans. Crustaceans (prawns), molluscs (mussels, scallops), gluten, milk and egg also appear in fish recipes. Always tell guests what is in a dish.
Allergens: contains fish, crustaceans, milk and gluten.
Level 2 · Main
A whole fish main
Roast a large bream or bass (1.2 kg) as in chapter 1, with fennel and lemon, and carve at the table: lift the top fillet off in one piece, remove the backbone, and lift the bottom fillet. Warn guests about bones.
Ingredients (4 portions)
- 1 whole sea bream or bass (about 1.2 kg), gutted and scaled
- 1 fennel bulb, sliced
- 2 lemons, sliced
- 6 sprigs thyme
- 3 tbsp rapeseed oil
- 500 g baby new potatoes, halved
- Heat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan, gas 6). Spread the fennel and potatoes on a tray. Slash the fish, season and fill with lemon and thyme, and lay it on top.
- Roast for 30 to 35 minutes until the flesh lifts from the bone at the thickest part of the back and the potatoes are golden.
- Rest for 5 minutes. Lift off the top fillet, lift out the backbone, then serve the bottom fillet with the potatoes and fennel.
Hot oven, bones and raw fish
Hot oven and hot trays: ovens, trays and tins are hot enough to burn badly. Use dry oven gloves (a damp cloth conducts heat), pull the shelf out a little before lifting a tray, put hot things on a heatproof surface and keep children away from the oven door.Bones: even fillets can hide thin pin bones. Run a clean finger along the fillet and pull any bones out with tweezers, and warn children and anyone you serve. Whole sardines and mackerel have fine bones that are best taken out.
Raw fish: keep raw fish on its own board and plate, away from food that won't be cooked. Wash your hands, boards and knives in hot soapy water afterwards, and store raw fish on a plate on the bottom shelf of the fridge so it can't drip onto other food.
Is it cooked?: fish is done when the flesh turns opaque (no longer glassy) and flakes easily with a fork. A probe thermometer reads about 63°C in the thickest part (general guidance). Take it off the heat a minute early, because it keeps cooking as it rests.
Level 2 · Pot
A stew or curry course
Choose one of the stews or curries from chapters 3 and 4. For a feast, make the base the day before and chill it, then reheat gently until steaming and add the fish (or prawns) fresh on the day so it stays tender. Serve in small bowls beside the whole fish.
Ingredients (6 portions)
- 1 batch of tomato stew base (chapter 3) or curry sauce (chapter 4), made the day before
- 500 g firm white fish, in large chunks
- 250 g raw king prawns
- 2 tbsp chopped parsley or coriander
- 1 lemon, juice
- Reheat the base gently until steaming hot all the way through, about 10 minutes.
- Add the fish and simmer gently for 5 minutes, then the prawns for 2 to 3 minutes until pink.
- Finish with lemon and herbs and serve in small bowls.
Hot pot, reheating and allergens
Hot pot and boiling stew: a pot of stew or chowder is heavy and stays scalding for a long time. Use a ladle rather than pouring, lift the lid away from your face, keep the handle turned in, and let it cool for a few minutes before serving children.Leftover fish: cool cooked fish quickly, refrigerate it within 1 to 2 hours, and eat it within about 1 day (2 at most). Reheat only once, until steaming hot all the way through. Do not refreeze fish that was frozen and thawed unless you cook it first.
Shellfish allergens: crustaceans (prawns) and molluscs (mussels, scallops, squid) are major allergens and can cause severe reactions. Cook them with their own board, pan and tools, tell guests clearly, and don't serve them to anyone who is allergic or unsure.
Allergens: fish is one of the 14 major allergens, and cross-contact is easy: it can pass on boards, oil, tongs and pans. Crustaceans (prawns), molluscs (mussels, scallops), gluten, milk and egg also appear in fish recipes. Always tell guests what is in a dish.
Level 3 · Sweet
A sweet finish: lemon posset
Cream, sugar and lemon juice, boiled and cooled, set with no cooking skill needed. It is the best light finish after a rich fish meal. Make it the night before. It contains no alcohol and no raw egg.
Ingredients (6 portions)
- 600 ml double cream
- 150 g caster sugar
- 3 lemons, zest of 1 and juice of 3
- 150 g raspberries or other berries
- 6 shortbread biscuits, to serve
- Heat the cream and sugar in a pan, stirring until the sugar dissolves, bring to a boil and simmer for 3 minutes.
- Take off the heat, stir in the lemon juice and zest, cool for 10 minutes and pour into 6 small glasses.
- Chill for at least 4 hours. Top with berries and serve with shortbread.
Hot sugar and cream, allergens
Hot liquid and steam: hot milk, stock and poaching liquid scald badly and steam burns faster than boiling water. Keep the handle turned in, lift lids away from your face, use a slotted spoon or fish slice over the pan, and never carry a full pan across a busy kitchen.Hot pot and boiling stew: a pot of stew or chowder is heavy and stays scalding for a long time. Use a ladle rather than pouring, lift the lid away from your face, keep the handle turned in, and let it cool for a few minutes before serving children.
Allergens: contains milk and gluten (shortbread).
Experiments
Experiment
A timed feast
Planning.
- Write the timeline for a feast for four, then follow it with a clock and note where it slipped.
Look for: The delays come from the oven and the hob being used at once; spread the work across the previous two days.
Experiment
Swapping one course
Flexibility.
- Replace the stew with a curry (or the posset with fruit), changing only that course.
Look for: A feast works when the courses differ in flavour and temperature; swap one at a time to see the effect.
Experiment
Scaling to eight
Quantities.
- Plan the same feast for eight, writing down which dishes simply double and which don't.
Look for: The starter and the stew scale easily; two whole fish need two trays or a bigger oven, and the posset needs more glasses.
Experiment
Your own menu
Making it yours.
- Write a menu for friends using one dish from each of chapters 1 to 7, and cook it.
Look for: A menu you've planned and cooked once becomes a signature menu. Write down what you'd change.
Tasting notes
| What I tried | Method or amount | What I saw | What I thought | Will I do it again? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crab and gravlax starter | ||||
| A whole-fish main | ||||
| A stew or curry course | ||||
| Lemon posset | ||||
| A timed feast | ||||
| Swapping one course | ||||
| Scaling to eight | ||||
| Your own menu |
Troubleshooting
| Problem | Likely cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Everything ready at once | No timeline | Write the plan backwards from serving time |
| Fish overcooked while waiting | Left in the oven | Take it out when done and rest it |
| Cold food warms up | Left out too long | Chill until the moment it's served |
| Stew too thick when reheated | Evaporated | Add a splash of stock or water |
| Posset doesn't set | Lemon added too early or not boiled long enough | Simmer for 3 minutes; chill for 4 hours or more |
| Kitchen chaos | Washing up left until the end | Clear and wash as you go |
Feast leftovers and allergens
Feast safety: a big meal means many hot pans and a lot of raw fish and shellfish on the same board. Clear and wash up as you go, use separate boards for raw and ready-to-eat foods, keep cold dishes below 5°C until they are served, and don't leave hot dishes out for more than 2 hours.Leftover fish: cool cooked fish quickly, refrigerate it within 1 to 2 hours, and eat it within about 1 day (2 at most). Reheat only once, until steaming hot all the way through. Do not refreeze fish that was frozen and thawed unless you cook it first.
Allergens: fish is one of the 14 major allergens, and cross-contact is easy: it can pass on boards, oil, tongs and pans. Crustaceans (prawns), molluscs (mussels, scallops), gluten, milk and egg also appear in fish recipes. Always tell guests what is in a dish.
Checkpoint: can you do this now?
- I can plan a feast backwards from serving.
- I can cure, set and cook ahead.
- I can carve a whole fish at the table.
- I can scale a menu up to eight.
- I have a signature fish menu.
Next chapter
Congratulations: you have finished Cooking Skills: Fish and Shellfish 2. A further fish course is not planned; the series continues with the other cooking skills courses.