0:00:03 > 0:00:06Do you know, for the price of a glass of bitter
0:00:06 > 0:00:10you can have a fishy treat with some prats...sprats?
0:00:44 > 0:00:50Today, you will see a great chef prepare my favourite fish - bass,
0:00:50 > 0:00:55feast on the humble sprat, and with any luck,
0:00:55 > 0:01:01indulge in the first scallops of the season which we're dredging for off the Dorset coast.
0:01:04 > 0:01:08For most people, a scallop represents an ashtray.
0:01:08 > 0:01:14But to me, a scallop is one of the most succulent and versatile
0:01:14 > 0:01:18of all the shellfish that surround the shores of Great Britain.
0:01:18 > 0:01:25We've come out to catch them. In the normal television cookery programmes,
0:01:25 > 0:01:31they make a big song and dance about buying the freshest fish.
0:01:31 > 0:01:33Well, we actually go and catch it!
0:01:33 > 0:01:38You can cook scallops in different ways - the Japanese eat them raw.
0:01:38 > 0:01:42The Chinese stir-fry them with bean sprouts.
0:01:42 > 0:01:46The French often cook them with a fish veloute, a creamy sauce,
0:01:46 > 0:01:49with parsley and a few mushrooms.
0:01:49 > 0:01:54The British, of course, invariably surround it with mashed potatoes,
0:01:54 > 0:01:58smother it with cheese and whack it under the grill. That's all wrong.
0:01:58 > 0:02:03We've been here since five this morning, I'm going to have a snack.
0:02:03 > 0:02:11Just to put me in fine fettle - a beautiful, fresh scallop. Bon appetit!
0:02:17 > 0:02:22While the camera crew wipe the spray from their lens and the director changes his frock,
0:02:22 > 0:02:24I thought you'd like to see the scallop in its natural habitat.
0:02:24 > 0:02:27Be warned - fishermen won't take kindly to any of you
0:02:27 > 0:02:30donning your wet suits and raiding the ocean bed.
0:02:34 > 0:02:37And look at them now - shooting off like some I know
0:02:37 > 0:02:39when it's their turn to pay for a round.
0:02:39 > 0:02:41And that's real jet propulsion.
0:02:48 > 0:02:51These are the whelks. Can you come in on that,
0:02:51 > 0:02:55so that anybody who doesn't know what a whelk is can check it out?
0:02:58 > 0:03:00Marvellous things, whelks.
0:03:00 > 0:03:04In France they are known as escargots de mer - sea snails.
0:03:04 > 0:03:06And so that's for sure this lot won't end up in the ubiquitous
0:03:06 > 0:03:09bath of vinegar so beloved of the British shellfish eater.
0:03:12 > 0:03:16One of the, you might almost say by-products, of coming out
0:03:16 > 0:03:20scallop fishing is catching these magnificent spider crabs.
0:03:20 > 0:03:22Do you know, none of you lot will eat these.
0:03:22 > 0:03:25All of these are going to Spain, to France, to Italy,
0:03:25 > 0:03:30and they'll be the centrepiece of a most fabulous assiette of fruits de mer.
0:03:30 > 0:03:34Fresh shellfish, scallops, mussels, oysters, clams,
0:03:34 > 0:03:36Mediterranean prawns.
0:03:36 > 0:03:39And the centrepiece will be this - scrubbed until it is pink
0:03:39 > 0:03:43and boiled, placed in the centre, and you will crack open the claws,
0:03:43 > 0:03:47dip it into unctuous yellow mayonnaise and think,
0:03:47 > 0:03:49as they must think, what fools the Brits are for not
0:03:49 > 0:03:52taking advantage of the wonderful things we have got around our shores.
0:03:52 > 0:03:56The sort of thing that a lot of really hard-working guys,
0:03:56 > 0:03:59like Jeff, our skipper here, spend all hours, all weathers to catch.
0:04:03 > 0:04:07And even more encouraging, there is a real renaissance in English cooking at the moment.
0:04:07 > 0:04:12Talented cooks using the very best of the produce available in these islands.
0:04:12 > 0:04:17Unfortunately, though, to my mind, consumers are still apathetic in their appreciation.
0:04:17 > 0:04:20In almost every other sphere of their activities - choosing clothes,
0:04:20 > 0:04:22furnishings and holidays - they are precise.
0:04:22 > 0:04:25They wouldn't dream of booking a Verdi opera
0:04:25 > 0:04:27when they intended to go to Midsummer Night's Dream.
0:04:27 > 0:04:29But with food they get confused.
0:04:29 > 0:04:33They confuse expense with quality and decor with street cookability.
0:04:36 > 0:04:40As if catching them wasn't enough, you've also got to clean them!
0:04:40 > 0:04:45You need plenty of fresh water, a cloth to protect your hands.
0:04:45 > 0:04:50The technique here - I'm not an expert any more than you -
0:04:50 > 0:04:55is to run the knife in, which is quite tricky,
0:04:55 > 0:04:59and right the way through round the back. It does take a while.
0:04:59 > 0:05:02Drag the knife in and it opens,
0:05:02 > 0:05:07revealing, I'm afraid, this horrible sort of mess inside.
0:05:07 > 0:05:11Run the knife underneath the scallop there...
0:05:14 > 0:05:17..and take it out...
0:05:17 > 0:05:19under the tap.
0:05:19 > 0:05:24Throwing away the little nasty black pieces,
0:05:24 > 0:05:30and this other piece of membrane, leaving only the red or pink coral,
0:05:30 > 0:05:35and of course the white main flesh of the fish...
0:05:35 > 0:05:39then into your colander.
0:05:41 > 0:05:43We started off
0:05:43 > 0:05:49having a few drinks a day or two before we got here. We thought, "Bridport's near the sea,
0:05:49 > 0:05:55"the sea is full of fish - let's have the great Bridport International Scallop Festival!"
0:05:55 > 0:06:01A crazy idea, but why not? Food and eating and drinking,
0:06:01 > 0:06:08is conducted around the table, and out of those conversations, ideas are born.
0:06:08 > 0:06:12Out of ideas, plays, festivals and theatre is created.
0:06:12 > 0:06:15Why not here? Anyway, I digress.
0:06:15 > 0:06:19Actually, I enjoyed that digression. I'll have another slurp and then...
0:06:19 > 0:06:24come down to the important bit of the day's proceedings,
0:06:24 > 0:06:26these lovely scallops.
0:06:26 > 0:06:31Here they are, fresh, fresh, fresh from the Dorset seaside,
0:06:31 > 0:06:33cleaned and in their shells.
0:06:33 > 0:06:40Don't look at me! I'm explaining the food, it's a food programme, you half-wit! Come back!
0:06:40 > 0:06:43OK, scallops. Very simple.
0:06:43 > 0:06:47Some chopped, streaky bacon is an essential ingredient to this.
0:06:47 > 0:06:52The rich yolk of a free-range egg.
0:06:52 > 0:06:54Some good yellow Dorset butter.
0:06:54 > 0:06:58Some freshly chopped parsley.
0:06:58 > 0:07:02A little bit of watercress to add that je ne sais quoi.
0:07:02 > 0:07:10A little bit of lemon juice, pepper. Salt you can't see, so don't bother to look for it!
0:07:10 > 0:07:12And a drop of wine.
0:07:12 > 0:07:19You know that on this programme, despite the jokes, despite the International Scallop Festival,
0:07:19 > 0:07:25despite our producer, we are seriously concerned with good food.
0:07:25 > 0:07:27So if this takes a while to cook,
0:07:27 > 0:07:31bear with me, we don't just happen to pull things out of the oven
0:07:31 > 0:07:33like those other TV programmes.
0:07:33 > 0:07:37Right, butter into the pan,
0:07:37 > 0:07:41and as I often make the point on these programmes,
0:07:41 > 0:07:46we really mean butter, we can't use anything else.
0:07:46 > 0:07:51Then into our pan goes a little bacon, which we've chopped,
0:07:51 > 0:07:56let that sweat down a bit - I know this is hard for you to see,
0:07:56 > 0:08:02but out of the butter and bacon fat we get some nice juices
0:08:02 > 0:08:04in which to sautee the scallops.
0:08:04 > 0:08:11After all, the star at an International Scallop Festival has got to be the scallop!
0:08:13 > 0:08:15And we'll plop those in.
0:08:17 > 0:08:20Two of those.
0:08:22 > 0:08:24Three, four.
0:08:24 > 0:08:30Just gently turn them, don't let the butter or the bacon burn.
0:08:30 > 0:08:36A good hot pan, good copper pan. Very stylish, provincial cooking.
0:08:36 > 0:08:38You don't have to move the camera,
0:08:38 > 0:08:43they know I've got to move to get the food - it's the pot that counts.
0:08:43 > 0:08:47Everyone in TV is so concerned about doing their job properly,
0:08:47 > 0:08:51they miss the point of the whole thing, which is FOOD!
0:08:51 > 0:08:54Love, fun and affection!
0:08:54 > 0:08:57OK, scallops going into the pot.
0:08:57 > 0:09:00Stay with those for a moment, OK?
0:09:00 > 0:09:05I might invite you back on the next show, you're doing very well!
0:09:05 > 0:09:09There's the scallops being very lightly cooked in butter.
0:09:09 > 0:09:14All of you who like me so much will be disappointed not to see me.
0:09:14 > 0:09:16I said stay with the pot!
0:09:16 > 0:09:20Come back to me a minute, come back, come back...
0:09:20 > 0:09:24This is very difficult for me - I am a cook.
0:09:24 > 0:09:30I present cookery programmes but I'm not a director - I rely on competent staff.
0:09:30 > 0:09:33Could we get it right in future?
0:09:33 > 0:09:36Right, back to the pot.
0:09:36 > 0:09:42We've got this hot and bubbling, there it goes -
0:09:42 > 0:09:44what we call a soupcon of wine.
0:09:44 > 0:09:48Stay on the pot, cos I have to go away.
0:09:48 > 0:09:53Then we're going to add a little parsley.
0:09:53 > 0:09:59Because we like colour and flavour and they come out of cooking pots!
0:09:59 > 0:10:04And smiling faces and cheerful cameramen. Got it? Right.
0:10:04 > 0:10:06Thank you very much indeed.
0:10:06 > 0:10:08Now...
0:10:09 > 0:10:13Steve, this isn't really for you, this bit, it's for the viewers.
0:10:13 > 0:10:19Now, these scallops are cooked now and if we leave them in any longer,
0:10:19 > 0:10:23they will turn into bits of rubber and that would be a terrible thing.
0:10:23 > 0:10:28So we're going to take them out to stop the scallops cooking further.
0:10:28 > 0:10:31But we must continue with the sauce.
0:10:31 > 0:10:35We've got this little residue of juices,
0:10:35 > 0:10:39and we're going to create a sauce using some fresh cream,
0:10:39 > 0:10:41which we'll stir in...
0:10:41 > 0:10:44Now, for you at home, this plate...
0:10:44 > 0:10:48Can you come over to this plate, Steve, for a second?
0:10:48 > 0:10:52That would be kept warm, but since none of you will taste this,
0:10:52 > 0:10:57only me, I don't give a damn whether it's hot or cold.
0:10:57 > 0:11:03When you're trying to impress your bourgeois friends...
0:11:03 > 0:11:05make sure it's hot.
0:11:05 > 0:11:09Now, we've bubbled the cream up.
0:11:09 > 0:11:11We want to get this sauce,
0:11:11 > 0:11:16which is cream, parsley, white wine, bacon and butter,
0:11:16 > 0:11:20looks quite nice, but we haven't got the richness we really want,
0:11:20 > 0:11:24so we're going to quickly - cos I'm costing too much money -
0:11:24 > 0:11:27if you knew what they paid me,
0:11:27 > 0:11:30you wouldn't believe their nerve...
0:11:30 > 0:11:34Egg yolks in here. ..to ask me to worry about the price of film.
0:11:34 > 0:11:37Stir very quickly or it scrambles.
0:11:37 > 0:11:41We just want to use the egg to thicken the sauce,
0:11:41 > 0:11:46and then we pour it... over the scallops like that.
0:11:46 > 0:11:53And then, a little je ne sais quoi which we were speaking of earlier,
0:11:53 > 0:11:57it goes on over there. A final grind of pepper.
0:11:57 > 0:12:02Thank you all so much for coming. Come up, come up, come up!
0:12:02 > 0:12:04I caught these, I cooked them,
0:12:04 > 0:12:07I'm going to eat them. Good night!
0:12:15 > 0:12:18Ignored by gastronauts, the poor sprat has little chance,
0:12:18 > 0:12:22and to add insult to injury, after an unscheduled stop on the A38,
0:12:22 > 0:12:25this load won't even get into a tin of cat food.
0:12:27 > 0:12:31But actually, these nutritious fish are inexpensive and tasty.
0:12:31 > 0:12:35Forget the sardine - a smoked sprat makes a smashing
0:12:35 > 0:12:38cocktail snack, and they are delicious lightly fried.
0:12:38 > 0:12:42There we are, a couple of moments. We'll just run them over.
0:12:42 > 0:12:45Use your fingers if you're worried about anything.
0:12:46 > 0:12:50And I think at the same time we'll give them another grind of pepper
0:12:50 > 0:12:53while they are still in the pan. There we are.
0:12:53 > 0:13:00And we'll sprinkle a little parsley over them, like that.
0:13:00 > 0:13:03And if you'll bear with me for a moment...
0:13:03 > 0:13:08Slight squeeze of lemon juice.
0:13:08 > 0:13:12Another couple of seconds and they'll be ready to eat as a really delightful appetiser,
0:13:12 > 0:13:17or indeed, double them up, have a whole plateful and make a meal of it. Whichever way you like.
0:13:17 > 0:13:21And, of course, a glass of dry cider or a glass of white wine.
0:13:21 > 0:13:24Or even brown bread and butter and a cup of tea.
0:13:24 > 0:13:27Go down very well with that, too. This is food for everybody.
0:13:27 > 0:13:32Not just the gastronauts, but for everybody.
0:13:32 > 0:13:34So there we are.
0:13:34 > 0:13:37A couple of moments, and the sprat.
0:13:37 > 0:13:39Cooked beautifully.
0:13:39 > 0:13:43You're probably sitting in your living rooms right now reminiscing
0:13:43 > 0:13:46about the sardines you had on your Mediterranean holiday,
0:13:46 > 0:13:49and thinking, "My God, why can't we get food like that in England?"
0:13:49 > 0:13:51Well, the point is, we can.
0:13:51 > 0:13:55The humble sprat - seven. Sardines, for me at least - nil. Try them.
0:13:59 > 0:14:03That is really beautiful. And for the price, who needs sardines?
0:14:05 > 0:14:09So, off I go again! This time to Padstow in Cornwall.
0:14:09 > 0:14:15I'm happily anticipating lunch with one of the most agreeable cooks I've met in a very long time.
0:14:15 > 0:14:20..Coming in really well now. Fisherman are catching them daily.
0:14:20 > 0:14:26They come in in small quantities so they sell quickly and are fresh.
0:14:26 > 0:14:29After a lesson in selecting bass,
0:14:29 > 0:14:34we bought some line-caught fish, and after a pint and bag of crisps,
0:14:34 > 0:14:39we got down to the serious business of cooking bass with a vengeance!
0:14:46 > 0:14:51One of the most important things about Floyd On Fish is the drinking that goes with it!
0:14:51 > 0:14:54No good cooking comes without good drinking.
0:14:54 > 0:15:00We've conned our way into one of the best kitchens in the West Country, if not England.
0:15:00 > 0:15:04Certainly according to the RAC, Sunday Times, Egon Ronay et al.
0:15:04 > 0:15:07Rick Stein's restaurant in Padstow
0:15:07 > 0:15:10was voted one of the best seafood restaurants in the country,
0:15:10 > 0:15:15so where better to cook my favourite fish, which is a bass?
0:15:15 > 0:15:19For me, this is the king of fish, you can grill it, steam it,
0:15:19 > 0:15:23cook it in fennel flaming with Armagnac,
0:15:23 > 0:15:29you can cook it in a bourride - that classic Mediterranean dish, you can roast it too -
0:15:29 > 0:15:32Rick's going to show us how.
0:15:32 > 0:15:39Rick, I'm sorry we've ripped you off in this way - welcome to your kitchen!
0:15:39 > 0:15:44Well, cheers! The wine's very nice! Jolly well is, isn't it?
0:15:44 > 0:15:46Tell me all.
0:15:46 > 0:15:54What I'm going to do is roast or bake - I call it roasting on the menu cos it sounds unusual!
0:15:54 > 0:15:59Does it freak the customers? It gets some raised eyebrows.
0:15:59 > 0:16:03But we do roast it, we put it in a hot oven and baste it,
0:16:03 > 0:16:09as you would roast a joint. I'll stuff it with root vegetables.
0:16:09 > 0:16:13Can I just bring the camera down to see these? Just explain.
0:16:13 > 0:16:20We've got celeriac, which is like celery but comes in a root form,
0:16:20 > 0:16:23carrots, fennel, onion, leeks,
0:16:23 > 0:16:28and here we have sorrel which we're going to finish the sauce off with,
0:16:28 > 0:16:32a nice, tart flavour, sorrel has, which brings out the fish flavour.
0:16:32 > 0:16:37In fact, you could use any root vegetables you fancied,
0:16:37 > 0:16:41this is Nick's own special recipe. Rick, dear boy. Rick? Oh, I'm terribly sorry!
0:16:41 > 0:16:45Seen one cook, seen them all!
0:16:45 > 0:16:47Shall we call you Charles?
0:16:47 > 0:16:52This is a television programme - get on with cooking!
0:16:52 > 0:16:57I'll gently sweat these vegetables in a bit of butter. Right.
0:16:59 > 0:17:06Because the cooking is so quick in the hot oven, for the bass, they wouldn't have time to cook.
0:17:06 > 0:17:11I'll just take a few of these as we're only cooking one fish.
0:17:11 > 0:17:15Which is expensive, isn't it? It is at the moment.
0:17:15 > 0:17:17About ?3.50 a pound.
0:17:17 > 0:17:24Excuse this old pepper grinder but it doesn't have churn out some chunky peppercorns!
0:17:24 > 0:17:27Right. Salt? Just a bit, yes.
0:17:27 > 0:17:29And then on a low heat...
0:17:29 > 0:17:33Do you want to come back over here? Sorry to interfere,
0:17:33 > 0:17:39but the cameramen do insist on getting shots of what we're doing for the benefit of our viewers.
0:17:39 > 0:17:44OK, they've got to cook away for four or five minute now,
0:17:44 > 0:17:47stay with us, I'm going to have a glass of wine,
0:17:47 > 0:17:51and talk to Rick about the rest of the process.
0:17:58 > 0:18:00While that's cooking,
0:18:00 > 0:18:05tell me about these herbs... The herbs, or the weeds?!
0:18:05 > 0:18:08Pick out the weeds, I'm terribly sorry, Charles!
0:18:08 > 0:18:13But, when I was in Cornwall, all I saw in the fields were tyres!
0:18:13 > 0:18:20Here you are deep in Cornwall, how do you get herbs, why do you use them,
0:18:20 > 0:18:24Thirty seconds, starting from now, on the importance of fresh herbs in the kitchen!
0:18:24 > 0:18:30For my style of cookery, which is simple, not elaborate cooking at all,
0:18:30 > 0:18:37herbs are THE most important part. They have to be fresh, so I have to grow them myself.
0:18:37 > 0:18:42As you know, trying to buy herbs in a greengrocers is a joke!
0:18:42 > 0:18:46The last load of herbs I bought from a greengrocer
0:18:46 > 0:18:51was a small packet of fresh dill which cost me ?6.50!
0:18:51 > 0:18:54Tarragon, I bought for ?7.
0:18:54 > 0:18:58That's a lot of incentive to grow your own herbs!
0:18:58 > 0:19:02More expensive than certain other substances, isn't it?!
0:19:02 > 0:19:07In your new cookery book, you devote a chapter to growing herbs?
0:19:07 > 0:19:12Well, you can't buy them, so you've got to grow them.
0:19:12 > 0:19:16Not just things like this - if I just reach into my basket,
0:19:16 > 0:19:20here's something I've grown for the first time - Good King Henry!
0:19:20 > 0:19:23And all who sail in him!
0:19:23 > 0:19:28You can use it as a vegetable or herb. It's a bit like watercress.
0:19:28 > 0:19:30Superb with fish.
0:19:30 > 0:19:33Blanch it and serve it with fish.
0:19:33 > 0:19:36You can't buy that in a shop.
0:19:36 > 0:19:39There's no problem growing it.
0:19:39 > 0:19:45I reckon that, very finely chopped, in vinaigrette, over oysters or seafood, would be superb.
0:19:45 > 0:19:47A true professional!
0:19:47 > 0:19:51How is the pot getting on?
0:19:51 > 0:19:56Well, it seems to be... they're just nicely sweated down.
0:19:56 > 0:20:02Cameraman, come over, please? Soft, but still a bit crunchy. That's how we want our vegetables.
0:20:02 > 0:20:07Slightly caramelised. It doesn't matter if they're a bit burnt,
0:20:07 > 0:20:11that's the aroma I want when I send the dish out to the restaurant.
0:20:11 > 0:20:15So, we go on to the next phase,
0:20:15 > 0:20:18which is stuffing the fish, isn't it?
0:20:18 > 0:20:20It is indeed.
0:20:20 > 0:20:24I've actually gutted this fish,
0:20:24 > 0:20:27very skilfully, or not, as you like!
0:20:27 > 0:20:31So the stuffing is going to stay inside? I'm going to show you that -
0:20:31 > 0:20:36he hasn't hacked this to death, he's cut a small incision,
0:20:36 > 0:20:41he's already scraped the scales off and cut off the dangerous spine.
0:20:41 > 0:20:44And slightly poisonous too.
0:20:44 > 0:20:48Rick will stuff his vegetables into the centre of the bass.
0:20:48 > 0:20:54I'll just amuse the crowd while you get your act together!
0:20:54 > 0:20:58Don't worry about me, just enjoy yourselves.
0:20:58 > 0:21:01We've got the place for free -
0:21:01 > 0:21:03typical BBC - rip off merchants!
0:21:03 > 0:21:07It doesn't need a lot, but it doesn't half improve it.
0:21:07 > 0:21:13Are you going to bake it on here? Just brush it with some butter.
0:21:13 > 0:21:17Then we want salt and pepper and I'm just going to put
0:21:17 > 0:21:21a few of these root vegetables underneath the fish.
0:21:21 > 0:21:25When they're roasting, they will actually burn,
0:21:25 > 0:21:31which you may think is bad practice, but doesn't half make the flavour...
0:21:31 > 0:21:37When you take it into the restaurant you get this tremendous smell...
0:21:37 > 0:21:37When you take it into the restaurant you get this tremendous smell...
0:21:37 > 0:21:44of root veg, which is... In these days of nouvelle cuisine,
0:21:44 > 0:21:48you're serving a whole fish, the way I like to see food served.
0:21:48 > 0:21:53Is nouvelle cuisine here to stay? Does it affect your customers?
0:21:53 > 0:22:00Are they frightened of seeing a fish? You get the odd one that wants the head taken off.
0:22:00 > 0:22:07What's wrong with a fish head? The Chinese have fish head soup, for God's sake!
0:22:07 > 0:22:11There's nothing wrong with them, but some people are squeamish.
0:22:11 > 0:22:16But on the whole, customers prefer to get the whole fish.
0:22:16 > 0:22:21And of course it cooks much better. All the way through, as you say.
0:22:21 > 0:22:28I was cooking a hare earlier on. Someone said, "Hope it won't look like a hare." Damn right it will!
0:22:28 > 0:22:34It's what we're trying to do! Come down to this - this is a fish.
0:22:34 > 0:22:41It will cost a lot of money, but it's a real fish, and we want to see real food.
0:22:41 > 0:22:43Fresh herbs, stuff like that.
0:22:43 > 0:22:45So we get it into the oven,
0:22:45 > 0:22:49top of the oven. What sort of heat? Absolutely flat out, Keith.
0:22:49 > 0:22:53You've got no worries about it toughening up,
0:22:53 > 0:22:58so the more heat you can hit it with, the better.
0:22:58 > 0:23:01You'll find it comes out very juicy. No problem.
0:23:01 > 0:23:07I'm going to make Rick Stein's sorrel sauce to go with his bass.
0:23:07 > 0:23:09I've made a few modifications.
0:23:09 > 0:23:17What he's already done is chop some shallots, added wine and fish stock and reduced it to that consistency.
0:23:17 > 0:23:24At home it may be out of the question to make a fish stock - you could just use the white wine.
0:23:24 > 0:23:27Then, following his recipe,
0:23:27 > 0:23:29fresh sorrel in whole leaves,
0:23:29 > 0:23:36and fresh sorrel chopped goes into the chopped shallots and the reduction of wine and fish stock.
0:23:36 > 0:23:42Into that we pour about half a pound of melted butter.
0:23:42 > 0:23:46This is unsalted butter. If you're using salted,
0:23:46 > 0:23:53melt it first and skim off the salt or you'll spoil the delicate flavour of this beautiful sauce.
0:23:53 > 0:23:57So that's the sorrel, melted butter and white wine reduction,
0:23:57 > 0:24:02white wine vinegar, if you like, fish stock, which is dispensable.
0:24:02 > 0:24:07Anyway, all of that now just cooks away...
0:24:07 > 0:24:12on the gas for a few moments. We then take two eggs,
0:24:12 > 0:24:19I never say separate them - I've seen people put one egg on one side of the table and one on the other!
0:24:19 > 0:24:21..And a liquidiser.
0:24:21 > 0:24:26If...go back to my merry jape about separating eggs...
0:24:26 > 0:24:30if you were doing this the old-fashioned way with a hand whisk,
0:24:30 > 0:24:35you wouldn't use the whites. But using the MagiMix thing,
0:24:35 > 0:24:39you can use the whites cos it whizzes up so beautifully.
0:24:39 > 0:24:46Rick's had to go off and do some real cooking for people who actually pay money for this!
0:24:46 > 0:24:51I've been left all on my own! Help! Whizz the thing up.
0:24:51 > 0:24:55OK, this is the moment of truth.
0:24:55 > 0:24:57Maximise the power...
0:25:01 > 0:25:04Everything in...
0:25:06 > 0:25:13To think of all the marvellous ways they use processors nowadays - makes you proud to be a cook!
0:25:15 > 0:25:20There we are - the perfect Rick Stein sauce.
0:25:20 > 0:25:23Look - isn't that beautiful?
0:25:23 > 0:25:27Tastes very good too - I hope he'll like it!
0:25:27 > 0:25:32Almost the consistency of custard - made of egg yolks, butter and herbs.
0:25:32 > 0:25:36Perfect for bass, which should be ready - I'll just go and get it.
0:25:38 > 0:25:41Wow! It's looking good.
0:25:41 > 0:25:44Right, get that on the plate.
0:25:44 > 0:25:48Pick up the garnish. It smells wonderful.
0:25:48 > 0:25:52No garnish at all, doesn't need it. It's so beautiful.
0:25:52 > 0:25:57Let's get a table and talk, drink and eat to our hearts' content.
0:25:57 > 0:26:01I'll take this. Was the sauce OK?
0:26:01 > 0:26:04Very nice, very nice.
0:26:07 > 0:26:10This is incredible, isn't it?
0:26:10 > 0:26:14It has to be the best table in the world, in the best climate,
0:26:14 > 0:26:16with the best fish in the world!
0:26:16 > 0:26:19What a fabulous fish the bass is.
0:26:19 > 0:26:23They always stand out on a fishmonger's slab, the bass.
0:26:23 > 0:26:26Beautiful, silvery, firm fish.
0:26:26 > 0:26:30Why are we so anti-fish? I know not in your restaurant
0:26:30 > 0:26:34because you're just fish, but the British as a whole reject this.
0:26:34 > 0:26:37As far as I'm concerned, I've got the breaking strain of a hot Mars bar
0:26:37 > 0:26:39when it comes to fresh bass.
0:26:39 > 0:26:42It's a brilliant fish, isn't it? It is. It's absolutely wonderful.
0:26:42 > 0:26:46I can't understand why the English are so anti-fish.
0:26:46 > 0:26:49I think you've got to get the setting right.
0:26:49 > 0:26:52What could be better than a setting like this?
0:26:52 > 0:26:55Certainly when they come to the restaurant
0:26:55 > 0:26:59they are a lot keener on fish because we are by the sea,
0:26:59 > 0:27:03and I think they feel it right to eat fish in that sort of setting.
0:27:03 > 0:27:07Whether they would back at home again, I don't know.
0:27:07 > 0:27:11I must say that this is absolutely delightful. It's really grand.
0:27:11 > 0:27:15It's going down well. You're not smiling today just because
0:27:15 > 0:27:18this is the most brilliant bass you've cooked in a long time,
0:27:18 > 0:27:21not just because it's such a nice day.
0:27:21 > 0:27:24You remain cheerful and happy despite the hard hours
0:27:24 > 0:27:26and the dreadful work. Yes.
0:27:26 > 0:27:29Why are you so fond of fish?
0:27:29 > 0:27:32Well, it's... It's a marvellous food to work with.
0:27:32 > 0:27:36That's what all chefs say. It's the most dumb thing you've ever heard.
0:27:36 > 0:27:40I'm talking to you as a man, not as a chef. Chefs are two a penny.
0:27:40 > 0:27:42Yeah. Cooks are different.
0:27:42 > 0:27:46I jut really like the look of a fresh fish come into the restaurant.
0:27:46 > 0:27:50It just really excites me. And you get such good fish here.
0:27:50 > 0:27:54You just want to get on and do something really good with it.
0:27:54 > 0:27:58A piece of meat is a piece of meat. Finished.
0:27:58 > 0:28:00But a fish straight out of the sea,
0:28:00 > 0:28:04you just feel, "Wow, I'd really like to make that something special."
0:28:04 > 0:28:05I'll drink to that.
0:28:05 > 0:28:09What a magnificent day. What fun.
0:28:09 > 0:28:10And all the customers on the quay!
0:28:10 > 0:28:13We can't say goodbye to them fast enough.
0:28:13 > 0:28:15Thank you very much for joining us for our lunch.
0:28:15 > 0:28:18I hope you'll join us on the next programme.
0:28:18 > 0:28:23Believe me, this is the way to eat fish!
0:28:48 > 0:28:51Subtitles by BBC Broadcast