Mitch Tonks' enthusiasm for fish made him quit his job as an accountant and change tack to pursue a new career as a fishmonger and chef. When he's not cooking for other people he's on a mission to encourage everyone to lose their inhibitions around seafood by offering advice on buying it and cooking it, with an emphasis on how quick and easy it is to prepare delicious, healthy dishes.
To give you a flavour, we've been extracting recipes and how-to galleries from his latest book over the last week. There are a couple of filling, comforting dishes; this ragù of red mullet with penne and this recipe for a monkfish tail with sage and roasted garlic are perfect nourishment in the wintery weather we've all been subjected to recently, while this simple recipe for fennel and maple-cured salmon is accompanied by a picture how-to and a word from Mitch reminding us that "salmon cures particularly well and once you have mastered the technique (which is easy), you can play around with spices and flavourings to suit your taste". If you've any crazy ideas for cures, this is the place to air them before you start experimenting on a side of salmon.
Should there be sufficient time in between showers this spring or summer to fire up the barbecue, we've also extracted two recipes best suited to cooking over the coals. There's cuttlefish with John Susman's nam jim sauce (it's nam jim, but not as we know it) and a cunning method for barbecuing a lobster with chilli and rosemary, both with handy how-to picture galleries.
So, whatever it is you need to know, from what to look for to ensure you're buying the freshest possible seafood to how to cook it and what to serve it with, Mitch will be here live at 12pm on Wednesday 9 May. Post your questions now!
