Good fish smells of the sea on a hot stone — Nathan Outlaw on fish

Nathan Outlaw opened the Black Pig in Rock, Cornwall, 23 years ago at the age of 25 because he wanted a place of his own and a simple menu — “bistro cooking.” He came from a hands-on kitchen background, inspired by his father’s canteen work, and won a Michelin star the year after he opened.

Later came fine dining, television and restaurants in other locations, but he remains a calm cook who avoids ostentation. With his new book, Nathan Outlaw on Fish, and the restaurant and B&B he now runs in Port Isaac, he has returned to that bistro sensibility.

“I probably enjoy it more than I ever have done,” he says, enjoying teaching, great ingredients and having enough good people around that he “doesn’t need to do anything boring.” The book prompted the writer to make the sea bass en croute twice, and today he is making steamed brill with pea, shallot and cider stew.

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