POV: Cooking Restaurant Quality Fish (How To Make it at Home)

[@TheDave000]

It was a great idea to season the butter with a little bit of fish.

[@jokermtb]

I'd need to hire a cow to keep up with the butter requirements.............

[@ParanoidCritter]

Im confused. Why are people saying this is overcomplicated? He is literally frying fish on the pan and showing some professional tips and tricks on the way I fail to see where the overcomplication comes in :D Great video, keep them coming!

[@bigstrawberry4552]

because if you leave 1 sec fish in pan longer or shorter it is massive difference. So, if you do, start from beginning. For family dinner buy at least 20 fillets. 90% of them will be overcooked or undercooked. Throw them away. If fish taste like you are in restaurant, you did it. You can enjoy family dinner. 😅

[@ParanoidCritter]

@@bigstrawberry4552 why would you throw away the fish? I do not understand what you are trying to say with this comment? also you can cook undercooked food more to make it cooked? Have you ever cooked stuff?

[@blackferdinand2260]

@@bigstrawberry4552what the hell are you on about?

[@YodasPapa]

Totally agree. 1. It's not that complicated, as you say. 2. Most of these steps are clearly optional. No one is saying it's mandatory to remove the membrane from the skin or use 4 knobs of butter. These are just things that are good to know if you want to aim for perfection. 3. This isn't intended to be how you cook fish every time (everyone knows chefs eat like shit at home). This is for when you want to make the most out of an expensive fillet, or to impress your guests.

[@kshahkshah]

people get confused as to the audience of these things. They expect every cooking video to cater to people who can barely hold a knife

[@bsuarez3455]

You know what I love about being taught is when it’s so easy to dissect & you find yourself saying “Makes total sense I’m going to do that”

[@fingerprince_]

I think my fish cookery is pretty decent so wasn't curious how much I'd learn from this. But that thing about the membrane on oily fish blew me away, had absolutely no idea and knowing how to render it down seems like it should make handling the tightening of the skin way easier. Constantly impressed by these videos, so many genuinely useful insights I've never heard before.

[@Martick05545]

A different tactic I have employed (taught to me by one chef) is cutting the skin on an angle in a few spots. Not enough to break the skin, but to provide "space" for the skin to contract without curling. Similar in technique to scoring a pie crust.

[@mikeb1596]

The tip with the salt on the pan is something I wish I knew about years ago. Brilliant

[@jokermtb]

never seen that!

[@danielkhong1980]

The tip is to use a non stick pan. I knew that decades ago.

[@jokermtb]

@@danielkhong1980 ok genius

[@KRTRWZRD]

I feel like the trick to all restaurant recipes is just using insane amounts of butter

[@skydogfpv]

And salt lol

[@thisnameforshit0]

yeah

[@roberthart4224]

He literally went through the whole video explaining how to render a fish correctly. The sauce with the butter was only one part of the video. It's more than just "add heaps of butter"... Your fish can still come out bad and I wouldn't eat it.

[@rickmayabolis]

I discovered this trick with friends from France... the not so secret, secret of French Cuisine.

[@fakepsn3266]

The cast iron also helps

[@SuperKendoman]

1 little trick I've learnt is by rubbing ginger on a wok or steel pan before frying the fish, it works like the salt method that you've shown. Probably because of how it creates an extra layered surface for the meat to lay on

[@sebastianbermudez4081]

Like minced ginger or ginger powder?

[@SuperKendoman]

@@sebastianbermudez4081 whole ginger, not minced or powdered. You're essentially using the fibers in the ginger to plug up the tiny microscopic holes in the pan.

[@michelnourry4305]

@@sebastianbermudez4081 only use fresh ingredients - it’s the oils in garlic or ginger that give the flavour. Powdered versions will simply burn when heated - unless you like burnt flavours if so just eat charcoal .

[@shanebruegger5474]

I just found my new favorite chef. Will's rhythm matches mine. Love the camera view, brilliant

[@FallowLondon]

Welcome aboard!

[@GabK7]

NaCl melting point is 801°C. I wish I had your stove, the man can melt salt, even caramelized it! Insanely good stove. 100% would recommend!

[@robertcornelius8056]

How do you make caramel from salt 😢

[@overseastom]

I guess the stove doubles as a forge :P Maybe he made that pan he's using just 5 minutes before this video was recorded...

[@beeble2003]

He says he's _boiling_ his salt. That's 1465C.

[@vaderconstantine]

there are options for high heat stove for home use. one recommended brand is Rinnai from Japan.

[@shingon666]

Yeah, his terminology was wrong, but sea salt (and table salt in general) has huge amounts of water inside it. It forms part of its structure, and it can actually be boiled away to form a layer of thick, dense salt. The impurities that come within that water CAN burn and change color, so it might look "caramelized." So, although his words were wrong, the concept is not entirely wrong. And it works, so the results justify the means.

[@ChrisM541]

Excellent cooked fish. This is 'no compromise cooking' - crucially, 0% stress. Might be a little different during a busy service.

[@AKAtAGG]

That salt trick is amazing to me. Never ever seen that done **anywhere**. Brilliant tip.

[@musicpatron1693]

you don't even have to use all that salt..i just use oil and salt.

[@lokzim]

is he just trying to heat up the pan to make things non-stick? so salt is not really neccessary it's for protecting the pan right, if i heat up the pan with more gentle fire it should work the same?

[@VortexMagus]

@@lokzim He creates a salt layer at the bottom of the pan. The partially melted salt crystals will stick to all the nooks and creases of the pan and block your meat and sauce from sticking to it. Makes the cleanup a lot easier and less painful, especially if you're doing a sauce with a lot of caramelization or charring that will stick like glue to your pan. Salt is a lot easier to wipe away and even if a little stays stuck in, does not harm the integrity of the pan at all.

[@sheik9956]

but wont that make the fooood extraaa salty ? @@VortexMagus

[@habitualflipper5640]

Salt melts at 800 C - no ones frying pan is getting hot enough to melt sodium chloride@@VortexMagus

[@ericzander7787]

With every restaurant quality video, they always say, "just a little bit of..." and list the ingredient. When he says, "Just a little bit of salt in the pan," I'm thinking, holy hell, that's like 1/5th box of Morton's 🤣🤣🤣

[@user-sj1gr6kr3e]

06:56 "Little bit of butter". Yeah, right...

[@samuraistabber]

That’s the reason why people can’t replicate restaurant food at home because they’re not using enough oil, butter, or salt in the food.

[@max22able]

I switched off at this point "just a little bit of fine salt... bring it to the boil"?! - my memory of school science is that only liquids can boil.

[@Tzoppo11]

@@samuraistabber Yeah, but you can make excellent food with less than half of what he used. They overuse oils and butter by the truckload.

[@odk1105]

the salt part was pretty retarded and wasteful

[@whitneymacdonald4396]

Great instructions. You have a very clear, relaxed, simple way of explaining your technique. Much appreciated.

[@MsLondondude]

natural educator. I am really happy I found this channel. So much detail.

[@nw6358]

wonderfully in depth tutorial. better than 95% of cooking tutorial videos

[@y2ksw1]

I learned this technique while having a 14 day stage at "Gambero Rosso". My main rookie job was to remove fish bone from rests in order to prepare fish burgers, and in exchange I got valuable hints from chefs on how to prepare fish, which is still my top appreciated dish, after all.

[@slavaskvorcov]

Your channel is a treasure for me. I really enjoy cooking and your videos allow me to turn my skills to a higher level. Thank you guys!

[@fifthavenue8505]

An absolute pleasure to listen to your video. Wonderful voice, meticulously keeps our attention, and just an incredible and useful lesson! Thank you! PS, I love your kitchen!

[@aaronsakulich4889]

wait... caramelizing salt? I am not sure that I understood that part?

[@frezzingaces]

Yeah I don't think caramelize is really the correct term here, there's no chance of a maillard reaction happening with salt. Nor getting it to 'boil' (although salt does actually boil, but at 1.5 thousand degrees). I think what he's meaning is treat it as if you were *trying* to caramelize it, or boiling a bit of water, high heat.

[@prunoki1]

he wanted some colour on it, that's what he meant

[@edwarai7305]

the pan creates a protection and the fish skin does not stick

[@jasons9m]

The salt helps exfoliate it and loosen up leftover residue from past cooking; when heated with oil, it makes the pan close to nonstick.

[@AI-00000]

This entire video is nonsense. Imagine overcomplicating or overexplaining how to sear a fucking piece of fish. It's fish skin, it crisps itself. Lol.

[@lluisg.8578]

In my opinion there're so many strong flavours and butter in that sauce. With most of the fish being delicate, the less you do the better it will be.

[@SuperKendoman]

Depends on how fresh the fish is and whether it was bled properly and iced immediately. If the eye of the fish is cloudy then it means that the quality isn't that good.

[@JRRob3wn]

Yeah I prefer my fish either baked or grilled. Just a little olive oil, salt pepper, lemon, fresh herbs. Keep it simple.

[@beeble2003]

@@SuperKendoman I don't understand how your comment relates to the OP. The OP is saying they think the strongly flavoured sauce will overpower the delicate taste of the fish. That really doesn't have much to do with how fresh the fish is.

[@beeble2003]

@@randompersonontheinternet8790 Good point -- if the fish is rotten, its flavour won't be overpowered by any sauce! 🤣

[@blucheez19]

Seabass has a pretty strong flavor. Idk how you define your spectrum, but I wouldn’t consider it ‘delicate’ fish the way I would with tilapia or something similar, at least in terms of taste.

[@justins21482]

what I love about this chef and channel is how fastidious he is about cleanliness. hes always wiping down everything even in the heat of a busy rush. more than anything else he does or shows, its that quality that tells me he is a professional. Even above technique, organization and cleanliness is paramount!

[@nyquist_control]

That's standard for any decent chef. A clean station is more efficient!

[@formxshape]

He was wiping things with the black cloth, that hand…then same hand touching raw fish, back on cloth, then touching cooked fish with same hand… yuk.

[@majesticpbjcat7707]

​@@formxshapeI notice most people in general (not just pro chefs and home cooks) do this and it drives me nuts. People use a towel WAY too much as if it's some magical tool that makes all the dirty stuff go away. Re-wiping surfaces over and over again, touching it with their hands that are also touching the food. It's disgusting! I see people of all skill levels doing that. I can't stand it. 😫

[@rjr7781]

Ok…He’s literally rubbing raw fish on every surface. The problem here is that he was playing with the food more than usual because he’s filming, but probably still in the habit of wiping things down. I bet he doesn’t touch the food this much when not filming, but this isn’t a good example of what you’re trying to convey. I thought maybe he cleans his hands off camera, but nope, it’s raw fish straight to towel, and towel straight to work surface.

[@andreicfm]

My favourite part is the Chef moving the pan position on the stove. Even though it’s a cast iron pan, nothing heats evenly 100% so moving the pan to allow for a constant temperature is what makes the difference on how you use knowledge at its best.

[@michaelmontalto]

Gorgeous. Absolutely gorgeous. I wouldn't put any sauce on the top of my fish as there is plenty for the customer to use on the bottom of the plate IMHO. That said, fantastic technique for a brilliant piece of fish.

[@Mmmh21]

awesome explanation of technique and temperatures and such. I also like the anchovies in the sauce :)

[@brhbrh6326]

10/10 from Iceland. We often cook Atlantic wolffish (Steinbítur, or 'Stone-biter' in Icelandic) as well as common Monkfish. Superb, clear instructions takk fyrir/thank you sir.

[@alexhusko]

I think that if you have a thin piece, go hi heat and go on for a min then put on a cold surface for a min, then go on again, so as not to overcook right away whist heating the skin quickly.

[@MeatSnax]

I began leaving the fish skin unseasoned a while ago, it's the last little secret to really out of this world fish skin. I also implemented a little 15-30 minute brine a la Thomas Keller in the Per Se book, helps to prolong the shelf life and dry out the skin a tiny bit further, but also solves the problem of uneven seasoning! Also I gotta say, it's so painful how many people simply don't understand the concept of a barrier between the flesh and the pan. Whether it's a dredge or the skin or a batter, I've seen people use shiso and zucchini flowers, I mean it's really kind of in the zeitgeist of professional cooking, and still I'll hire cooks that have worked in fine dining or fine dining adjacent, 2 or 4 years at a top cooking school, they STILL flip the fish and hard sear it on the flesh at the end! It feels like one of those pro cook secrets that's a little too secret. One last thing, should mention for the cooks at home that your cast iron is gonna retain a huge amount of heat when you're building that sauce, enough to totally kill it. I know you were just proving a point about the salt, but those home cooks will take any chance to bust out their grody, "the leftover bits of food are seasoning!" cast iron pan and then complain that the sauce is fucked.

[@aravartanian7578]

How can salt carmelize? Carmelization is a reaction involving sugars.

[@robmarr5803]

What temperature does the pan need to be at when doing the pre skin rendering?

[@bartoszszymkowicz5143]

Im an amatour here. Im watching you from some time. That, my Friend, is real art. All the respect. Im gonna try your dish next time im gonna be near London. Keep it up!

[@pamagujar183]

Will using a thermometer help for first timers to give parameters? What to do if it wasn't hot enough the first time in the pan?

[@WhoopaDoopaYay]

Did you wash the pan with water/soap after binning the salt, or did you just wipe it?

[@michaellovell1368]

A genuine Masterclass !! I thought I knew a bit about cooking "round" fish. Turns out I didn't. But I do NOW !!

[@squirrelmaster22]

Love this channel, keep up the awesome work!

[@andrewg4771]

You can also dust the skin with a bit of Wondra flour prior to searing. Super crispy, delicate skin that along with drying the skin makes it basically foolproof. An old Eric Ripert technique and if it’s good enough for Le Bernardin it’s good enough for me…

[@r09d98]

For those wondring what this is like me, Wondra flour is an american 'pre-gelatinized' flour that is very finely ground and doesn't clump. Nothing equivalent seems to exist in Europe, maybe finely ground masa harina (easier to find) does the same job?

[@r09d98]

@@randompersonontheinternet8790 flour or cornstarch needs to be dissolved previously (or whisked through a sieve), that's the whole point of this wondra flour.

[@guidoformichi5148]

Wait, seasoning a cast iron pan with salt? I thought this was only possible with the polymerization of vegetable oils. Can someone expand on that ?

[@REMY.C.]

Maybe it's a one time "minute" trick when your pan is not properly seasoned and you have no time to do it?

[@guidoformichi5148]

@@REMY.C. Yes, it could work. But I would like to know if there is some scientific depth to this thing

[@REMY.C.]

@@guidoformichi5148 same, I would like to know if there's a "coating" that does happen.

[@daves1412]

What does burnt butter taste like? That’s the only bit I don’t understand. Otherwise amazing. Thank you

[@DJRushX1]

As a Chef, I do appreciate your method and approach to this. All up until the butter,which contains whey which includes ...water. Basting,and in the method you were using to me is used for more heartier proteins where it requires a lack of fat. The same method could have been achieved by using a lower temperature oven, still with the skin down (maintaining even more crispiness of the skin) and it brought up to temp in the same pan. If you were attempting to set up your sauce with a butter source first, you could upon bringing your fish out of the oven,remove the fish on to a pan, flesh side down. Then in the pan begin your brown butter,caper,acid/wine. By the time you have achieved the desired reduction, take your holding pan with your fish and it should have "bled" a little. Incorporate that into your sauce and you have achieved the same as well as maintained a superior crispness. And pouring any sauce over crispy skin is just a utter waste of the time you just invested in making it crispy in the first place. I do not know why Chef's teach this method

[@michaelcole8703]

Looking forward to to see your counter vid bro, looks like these guys are pretty good so good luck with that

[@4581103992010]

The salt trick is very iteresting forst time in my life seeing it will try one day

[@jsb1181]

My big question is, if I have 4 people to cook for, what do I do? Get a bigger pan or do them one by one?

[@Baghuul]

Of course a bigger pan. You want them cooked equally. Otherwise you serve them fish where some are cold and others will be hot.

[@jsb1181]

But what is the effect of adding 4x pieces of fish to a pan at the same time and how would you press each one down into the pan to relax the membrane? One by one and take them out when done? How would you time the basting if you did this? Seems like the only way is to cook them one by one?@@Baghuul

[@johng6950]

@@jsb1181It would bring the temperature down a little so run the heat a little higher to start. Get cast iron hamburger presses and place them on the fish to apply pressure evenly. You can skip the basting since you'll be laying it down on the pan sauce and applying some on top.

[@itsdan722]

Lads with Xmas coming up can you do a video of how to carve turkey and/or chicken please? x

[@oiuaxioy4gr]

they have a video on carving chicken already!

[@VaoDxArchAngel]

there's hundreds of videos on how to carve turkey and chicken. Everyone does it the same way my guy

[@mynameismaomao]

so much to learn in just a few minutes, wow. never learned to cook a fillet of fish this way before

[@lokzim]

what's the membrane that he is talking about? also, if the internal temperate is 44 degrees only, i don't think it's FDA approved safty temperature to eat

[@jesseknobbe5678]

the microfiber cloth you used to remove the salt from the pan is made from polyester(plastic) thats melted on the surface of the pan now...

[@Hunter_002]

I really like that knife you cut that fish with... Perfect size and shape to do most of the kitchen tasks...Could you tell me what brand is it and where can I possibly buy it?...thanks

[@r09d98]

Looks like a Deba knife. It's meant for cutting through fish bones and quite thick, for general tasks you'd probably want a Gyuto knife - similar shape but much lighter. If you're in the EU Miyabi is a good brand to look for (german engineering + built in japan).

[@TheUnknownAK]

1:30 mate it's incredible that you are able to somehow bring salt to a boil without 800c heat and then also caramelize it somehow without any sugar. Hopefully some scientists can learn from your ability to entirely ignore the laws of physics

[@beeble2003]

800C will only melt your salt. Boiling it is more like 1500C.

[@HithertoPaintball]

Thank you.

[@essayess3]

That salt trick...very cool

[@mizu0135]

For someone who is "just" a hobbychef this is great. You make something I feel is hard look easy and doable. Will have to try as soon economy is allowing it! Thank you alot! Also, have an awesome 2024! :D

[@KOZ-k1p]

All this content is super helpful to teach us how to cook like chefs do! Just a comment on the theories (which by no means make the content less useful): The salt is not (and never will) caremalized. the cast iron pan just released the stuck polymerized oil due to heating. Chefs normally are amazing practitioners who know how to cook as opposed to theoretical researchers who understand the theory behind. Also Maillard reaction (by definition) is not and is different from Caramelization. Mallard is a protein reaction (for fish, meat, chicken), caramelization is a sugar reaction for well sugars and starches.

[@navinkumarpk86]

How is he handling the cast iron pan with bare hands??

[@RichardAucockCars]

That looks incredible.

[@MisterGrim]

So literally, "a little bit of butter" =3 1/2 tablespoons of butter. That's how I cook my steak.. so fair enough

[@DyslexicWorkersUntie]

Thx for vid. So u couldn't two portions at once? of not why? coz it will absorb too much heat?

[@carljones7992]

Please keep these techniques videos coming different cuts of meats/fish and different cooking techniques. Loving these uploads

[@MrSebcook]

the skin doesn´t get soggy once the fishis turned and you add brown butter over the skin ?

[@teslarex]

Great technique. I’ve definitely overcooked a lot of fish. Thanks for the points.

[@DavidSmith-wr5sj]

Is that FF7 Jenova music in the background?

[@ryand141]

Was the salt to get rid of the odour of something else also, maybe?

[@inquisitive1]

does this method work with stainless steel frying pans?

[@arenuzzle6282]

Do you do this process during service?

[@kam75]

does the salt trick work with stainless steel?

[@raulmunozsanchez2958]

Hello chef, what book do you recommend to learn professional cooking? In a short time I will begin to learn it at school, but I want to have a good base of knowledge.

[@ppppppqqqppp]

Learning from books and then going into a professional place to learn it can be a worse idea than you think. You're going to school for it, go in as blank as possible and learn what you can there. There's no need to be the guy who thinks they know it all going in.

[@DaisiesofHate]

Hypothetically, you could actually bring salt to the boil in a cast iron pan. The boiling point of sodium chloride is 1,465°C, and the melting point of iron is 1,538°C. Though I doubt a restaurant stove is capable of reaching those temperatures.

[@Alan_Mac]

Good vid, calmly presented. One point, though, no matter how hard you try you'll never caramelise salt - it has no sugar in it. What you're doing is browning it.

[@Beadgcfb]

This technique worked great for Coho, using carbon steel, and the pan sauce was really tasty.

[@antonhelsgaun]

What is going on with the "caramelizing" salt? Is the pan just dirty?

[@2011super]

Do you mind telling me what knife you have?

[@alexandermethven]

Well done for trying is a massive effort my fav fish is salmon fillets. And mackerel ,from the commis chef.👍👍👍

[@Pppppapi]

Thank you, chef. I will cook salmon this way for my grandmother.

[@jasonchewy]

I'm assuming that's already descaled? You didn't mention anything about the fish scales.

[@ohnaur23]

are those budget kitchen crocks?

[@vanoccupanther9958]

that's the coolest chef's knife ive ever seen

[@tshandy1]

Beautiful finished results. Holding the fish down with your hand seems a little fussy to me. But otherwise, a pretty simple dish.

[@Colin-kh6kp]

Whats that knife, chef?

[@michaelellard4664]

In Ireland only farmed fished are available.

[@edward6902]

tldr version ... put it in the hot pan flesh side down first and flip it once...the skin crisps up nicely every time and becomes optional...the flesh can be easily separated from the skin with a rigid spatula so the skin stays in the pan, if that's your preference

[@silentgun09]

When cooking salmon is the sauce modified in any way to have less fat?

[@regularSenseAppeal]

Probably not. But you mean farmed salmon you shouldn't eat those anyways. They are a disaster to the environment and filled to the brim with all sorts of nasties that you definitely don't want in your body.

[@AE-yt4lx]

Does he throw away the salt?

[@seank1847]

"a little bit of salt" and "bring it to a boil" and "a little bit of butter" (that was like half a cup) just made me LOL. Other than that love the video and cannot wait to try this recipe!

[@kemicalyemster]

bruh, i paused it as soon as he said a little bit of salt, looking for someone to validate my raised eyebrow 🤣

[@olof1382]

this fesh looks amazinggg

[@blueicer101]

Wait, why do I feel like some restaurants can't even approach this perfect quality but this guy makes it look easy. Do people just not try at work?

[@VelourSweatsuit]

Cause at lunchtime he might be making 4 of these at the same time 😅

[@markmolnar6200]

teaspoonfor basting?

[@peptidegirl]

That is amazing Wil! You are a master

[@santiagosoriano_]

Incredible!! Thank you.

[@SushiArmageddon]

I attempted this and it was not as easy as it looks. Still tasted good though.

[@infostudy101]

Same cooking technique for salmon?

[@EmmWieMeikel]

Very interesting video, thank you very much. But normally we are in a family of 4-6 people. No idea what cookware you need for this and how to do this process for such number of people. I would really appreciate a video for this.

[@scrubber1986]

Why not use a good quality non stick pan for the fish?

[@bitesizeforaging6983]

I'm on my 5th video now, excellent work guys

[@PA-gt1dd]

Whered you get the knife?

[@brannonscarborough2451]

I’ve always wondered, what kind of spoons do you guys use in the restaurant?

[@qu1rky149]

Metal ones by the looks of it !

[@patrickirvine]

Is using the salt to make the pan non stick a one time thing? Or each time you use the pan?

[@Paulstrickland01]

You only have to do it occasionally like re-seasoning cast iron.

[@aj05may]

Are you using a Kunz spoon?

[@TheBrutalshock]

Could this work with hake?

[@shant]

what equipment do you use for the pov view?

[@MrMikomi]

Amazing, thank you.

[@jesusavillarico696]

i hope the fish and the sauce would compliment qnd not to much salty

[@robcz3926]

does it come with ricecake??

[@Konqy]

I learned so much, thank you.

[@Benny_blanco85]

I thought I was knowledgeable until I watched this video. Well done brother 👌👌🙌 learned a bit more today.