A Passion FOR FISH
ONE OF CORNWALL’S TOP SEAFOOD CHEFS AND CHEF-PATRON OF A TWO-MICHELIN-STARRED RESTAURANT IN ROCK, NATHAN OUTLAW SHARES HIS FISHY KITCHEN SECRETS. BY CLARE HARGREAVES
What’s your first food memory? Probably fish and chips when I was about six or seven. We also shopped at seafood vans in Folkstone that sold cockles, crab claws, whelks and so on, which I really enjoyed. My dad was a chef, and I remember him one day bringing home a left-over lobster which he cooked in front of me and the kids on our estate. The excitement on their faces was something I will never forget.
So has fish always been a bit of a passion?
When I was a kid fish was generally for special occasions rather than an everyday thing. I remember we had kippers on Sunday mornings. When I started working in restaurants, such as the Intercontinental Hotel, and then Gary Rhodes, I always seemed to get put on fish and it’s what I did well. I decided I’d better go and work at Britain’s top seafood restaurant, which at that time was Rick Stein’s in Padstow, so I gave Rick a call and ended up working with him and his chef Paul Ripley for two years. I got to know lots of fishermen, who became friends.
What’s your favourite fish? Mackerel. It’s so versatile and has such a unique flavour. I know it’s become much more fashionable recently because of Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s campaign but before that there was no way on earth that anyone would dream of putting it on a Michelin-starred menu. But I like going against the tide and championing the unsung heroes of the sea like gurnard,
26 | THE WESTCOUNTRY FOODLOVER
Who are your favourite Cornish fish suppliers? Tim Alsop, a one-man band in Looe who’s supplied my restaurants from the start. He only buys from small boats and knows all the fishermen personally. I also get lobster and crab (including velvets) from a fisherman in Port Isaac who runs a shop there called Fresh from the Sea. We get oysters and mussels from Rock Shellfish just opposite the restaurant. The only seafood that’s not Cornish is our Queenie scallops from the Isle of Man.
What advice do you have for chefs who want to be sustainable and local in their sourcing?
mackerel and so on. Skad, for instance, has a lovely flesh that’s great for a tartare. We also use lots of crabs, like velvet and shore crabs, that are usually thrown back into the sea. We try and use everything.
How important is sustainability in sourcing your fish? Immensely. But I believe you have to listen to the fishermen not to politicians when it comes to finding out what fish is sustainable, as they’re the ones that catch it. The problem is the supertrawlers not the tiny fishermen. I buy my fish from fishermen who are part of the Responsible Fishing Scheme. I try to buy MSC-certified fish, although a lot of small fishermen can’t afford to join the scheme.
The key is be flexible and to listen to your fishermen. The problem with lots of chefs is that they create a dish then demand the ingredients with no regard to seasonality or sustainability. This can force a merchant or fisherman to work
unsustainably. A good fish restaurant should have a relationship with local fishermen so they can tell you what’s available that particular day. The menus in both our restaurants change daily. It keeps me on my toes and means I have to be creative, but that’s what I love doing most.
How can we get more people cooking fish at home? We’re an island, so it’s odd that we seem to prefer eating meat to fish. People think fish is difficult to get, prep and cook, and they worry it’s full of bones. So I like to get people to have a go. I hope that with the growth of online fish merchants,
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