Saving the Sea Bream

I completely understand that some of my friends feel reluctant to cook for me thinking that their offerings will not meet my standards. That is never the case though, as I love to cook, eat and write about food of all types however simple or complex. I also really appreciate being cooked for.

People also forget that I learnt to cook at college while doing a hotel and catering qualification. Here is spite of plentiful other diversions the basic skills clearly sunk in. This was helped no doubt by the months of industrial training we had in hotels, conference centers and factories as eager over worked commis chefs and sometimes pot washers.

I know that much of my cooking is through instinct and I judge by look, taste and smell. That said I do follow recipes if only for guidance and inspiration.

Sometimes things can still go wrong. Last week I visited a favorite fish shop in Rye, you can read about it here http://annsfooddiary.blogspot.co.uk/2015/02/fish-is-dish-of-day.html
Sea bream featured in my purchases, a health plump looking fish which I decided to bake whole loosely following a recipe by Angela Hartnett http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/whole_baked_sea_bream_41151

I failed to weigh the fish relying instead on my rough estimate 'plus a bit'. I was clearly wrong. The fish seemed fine but on tucking it was woefully undercooked and still cool in the centre Looking closely again at the picture it is obvious that even in a photo the flesh appears too firm to be properly cooked.

A quick blast in the microwave saved the meal but the lesson for me is sometimes use the scales and calculate properly according to the recipe.