Fresh, Simple, and Never Overthought

Good seafood doesn’t need much. That’s the thing people sometimes forget. A beautiful piece of fish, handled properly and not overthought, is one of the great pleasures of cooking. I’ve been lucky enough to eat seafood in places where freshness is non-negotiable, from Scottish harbours where the catch comes straight off the boat to Sydney fish markets where the variety is genuinely staggering, and the lesson is always the same. Start with something good and don’t ruin it.

Growing up in south-west Sydney also meant exposure to seafood cooked through the lens of Vietnamese, Chinese, and other Asian traditions, where a whole fish steamed with ginger and spring onion or prawns tossed through something bright and spiced felt as natural as a piece of battered haddock. That breadth of influence shows up in this collection, which covers everything from classic smoked haddock dishes rooted in my Scottish years to fresh, vibrant seafood recipes that reflect a more global approach. Whatever the ocean is offering, these recipes know exactly what to do with it.