Video summary

Gordon Ramsay's Fish Technique Most Chefs Never Master

Main summary

Key takeaways

Cooking

Presenter / Channel

  • Gordon Ramsay technique (as described by the video presenter).
  • References Gordon Ramsay’s fish technique, noting it was found in the Gordon Ramsay recipe book for the confit temperature/method.
  • The cod crumb concept is analyzed as a simpler at-home version of Ramsay’s potato and kombu crumb.

Ingredients (with quantities/substitutions mentioned)

Brine + aromatics (for cod)

  • Water (some removed to dissolve salt; kept “nice and cool” before adding fish)
  • Salt (to make a 10% brine)
  • Bay leaf
  • Peppercorns: black + white
  • Pink pepper (pink as well)
  • Thyme

Cod + curing/frying element

  • Cod fillet
  • Butter (very large amount; clarified by cooking to beurre noisette)
  • Tissue paper (for drying/firming before curing in fridge)
  • Oven set to ~55°C (or ~60–65°C acceptable)

Potato + “kombu” crumb

  • Potatoes (2) (peeled and grated on the fine side of a box grater)
  • Oil for shallow/deep frying (used to fry crumb)
    • Target frying oil temp: 160–180°C (actually reaches ~182°C before adding)
  • Cheesecloth / muslin / thin cloth (for squeezing out water)
  • Nori sheets (substitution for salted kombu, hard to find)
  • Chopped herbs for crumb:
    • Dill
    • Tarragon
    • Parsley
  • Optional variation mentioned:
    • Panko breadcrumbs instead of potato

Sauce

  • Shallots
  • Garlic
  • Double cream
  • White wine
  • Thyme
  • Fish stock: about half a liter (~500 ml)
  • Lemon juice (touch to finish)
  • Extra seasoning:
    • Salt (pinch) and pepper (later on fish)
  • Butter: “a couple of knobs” when sautéing shallots/garlic for sauce

Serving components

  • Asparagus
  • Rapeseed oil: about ~1 tablespoon (a “jet… about a tablespoon, give or take”)
  • Maldon salt
  • Pepper

Equipment / prep requirements

  • Pan for dissolving salt and mixing brine
  • Knife (for skin removal and trimming)
  • Probe thermometer (implied by “Trust your probe” during beurre noisette)
  • Chinois and/or cheesecloth/muslin (for straining brown butter solids)
  • Cling film mentioned as a restaurant option (present method uses tissue paper)
  • Fridge (for 30 min to 1.5–2 hours curing/resting)
  • Small bowl + cloth/towel + cheesecloth for potato squeezing
  • Blender (to blend nori into a seasoning base)
  • Sauté pan for sauce
  • Oven (set to ~55°C; check after 5 minutes)
  • Wire rack (for cod after removing from butter)
  • Chopping board/bowls and a container for crumb mixing
  • For asparagus: pan with lid (no added water)

Step-by-step method (key timings/temps/technique)

1) Prepare and brine the cod (10% brine; quick cure)

  1. Make brine (10%)
    • Take a little cool water into a pan so it stays cool enough to go straight to the cod.
    • Dissolve salt in that water.
    • Add:
      • bay leaf
      • black/white peppercorns
      • pink pepper
      • thyme
  2. Once salt is dissolved, mix/submerge into the rest of the brine until combined.
  3. Remove cod skin
    • Start at one side and go under the skin.
    • Important cue: if confitting with skin on, skin can get flabby.
    • Trim around rib bones; leave the “bloodline” on the base of the skin (as described).
  4. Remove a small amount of brown flesh, square off the end for neatness
    • Trimmings can be saved for fish stock/fish cakes and frozen.
  5. Portion cod into 3 portions.
  6. Brine time
    • Place cod into brine for 10 minutes
    • Be gentle with the fish
    • Option: brine can be made the day before (aromatics infuse more)

2) Beurre noisette (brown butter) to confit the cod

  1. Brown butter
    • Cook butter until it froths up
    • Then cool down slightly and caramelize (milk solids separate)
    • Temperature notes:
      • Mild brown butter resembles slight overcooking for scrambled eggs
      • Range up to ~190°C is possible (very dark), but for this recipe go to ~180°C
      • Presenter notes butter moves from cloudy → separation, then reaches 180°C
  2. Cool slightly off heat
    • Remove from heat and cool “slightly.”
  3. Strain
    • At a slightly reduced temp, pass through a chinois
    • Cheesecloth/muslin works too
    • Keep the caramelized milk solids in the bottom (left as described)

3) Dry/firm the fish, then confit at low temperature

  1. Remove cod from brine. Fish should look visibly firmed.
  2. Finish surface
    • Lightly wrap/cover with tissue paper to dry and firm
    • Helps proteins/fats set in the fridge
  3. Rest time
    • 30 minutes to 1.5–2 hours max (salt continues curing)
  4. Confit setup
    • Butter cooled to around 60°C in the described flow
    • Cod has been in the fridge about 25 minutes
    • Outside cured; inside still flaky
    • Place cod gently into butter
  5. Oven confit
    • Oven set to 55°C
    • Check after the first 5 minutes to confirm it’s at 55°C
    • If oven can’t go low enough, 60–65°C still works
  6. Alternative (harder):
    • Confit in a pan on a very small hob, adjusting heat constantly

4) Potato (and nori) crumb

Potato preparation + starch removal (key for crispness)

  1. Peel and grate potatoes (fine side).
  2. Rinse in cold running water until water runs clear.
  3. Squeeze dry with a cloth.
  4. Frying oil:
    • Heat oil on low-medium to ~160–180°C (oil reaches 182°C before adding)
    • Reminder: don’t fill pan more than half full.
  5. Shape and squeeze:
    • Place potato on cheesecloth, wrap like a ball, and squeeze hard to remove water.
    • Open, break up, lay down differently, then squeeze again.
  6. Fry:
    • When oil is hot, plop potato into oil, mix.
    • Cook until nice golden; keep around 170–180°C.
  7. Drain and spread:
    • Once the middle starts to go golden-brown, remove using chinois.
    • Shake well; spread out straight away on cloth/kitchen roll to prevent continued cooking in a pile.
  8. Cool crumb.

Nori substitute for kombu

  • Gordon’s version uses salted kombu.
  • Substitute used here: nori sheets, blended in a blender.
  • Stored to season crumb later.

Herb finishing for crumb

  • Use dill, tarragon, parsley.
  • Chop herbs very fine (binders + aroma).
  • Later mix together:
    • potato crumb + nori + herbs

Variation discussed (breadcrumbs instead of potato)

  • Use the same rinsing/squeezing/oil technique but with panko breadcrumbs instead of potato.
  • Then fry/mix and spread to cool similarly.

5) Sauce

  1. Sauté aromatics
    • In a sauté pan on low heat, use butter (a couple knobs)
    • Add finely sliced shallot with a pinch of salt; cook until softened/sweetening
  2. Add garlic and thyme; sweat
  3. Add white wine and reduce by half
  4. Add fish stock (~500 ml) and reduce
  5. Add double cream and reduce a few minutes
  6. Finish with a touch of lemon juice
  7. Set aside while asparagus cooks

6) Asparagus

  1. Remove outer “nubbins.”
  2. Cook without water
    • Cook in rapeseed oil (~1 tbsp, give or take)
    • Lid on; heat low
    • Toss/gently move so it caramelizes evenly (it should steam using water from the asparagus)
  3. Cutting style:
    • Cut on a slight angle for better finish
  4. Doneness cue:
    • Look for pink shifting to light green, before it goes dark green

7) Crumb and final assembly / plate-up

  1. Cod finishing
    • Butter-cured cod comes out of the oven with set protein structure.
  2. Mix crumb
    • Put potato crumb into a container
    • Season mixture with nori + fine herbs
  3. Finish asparagus
    • Add a tiny touch of oil
    • Season with pepper and Maldon salt
  4. Remove and season cod
    • Remove from butter gently
    • Place on a wire rack
    • Season with pepper on top
    • Timing cue: plate immediately
  5. “Iridescence” / rainbow effect
    • Achieved by curing then confiting at low temperature so proteins align, producing a rainbow finish
  6. Plate
    • Place fish on top of asparagus
    • Spoon sauce over
    • Add extra oil only if desired (mentions good-quality olive oil during plating)
  7. Serving temperature cue
    • Presenter notes they usually take cod to 42–44, but here the butter confit sets it so it becomes “melt in the mouth.”

Chef tips / common mistakes to avoid (as stated)

  • Don’t leave skin on for confit: can become flabby (bad texture).
  • Use long, smooth movements when prepping fish.
  • Brine: only a quick brine (10 minutes) to season outside while keeping interior flaky.
  • Brown butter technique
    • Let it froth up, then cool down and caramelize
    • Separation is the visual guide
    • Use a probe and don’t rush—watch temps
  • Safety around hot butter
    • “Passing it at 180°C is… dangerous.”
  • Potato crumb
    • Rinse until clear, then squeeze hard (removes starch → crisp + less premature browning)
    • When frying is done, spread out immediately (don’t leave in a pile)
  • Asparagus
    • Don’t cook in water; use oil + steaming from its own moisture
    • Keep moving to avoid one-sided caramelization
  • Timing
    • Cod should go onto rack and then plated straight away

Variations discussed

  • Apply the technique to other fish (method is transferable).
  • Kombu replacement: use nori blended instead of salted kombu.
  • Crumb base swap:
    • potato + rinsing/squeezing/frying, or
    • panko breadcrumbs using similar crisping/spreading method.
  • Confit setup:
    • Oven at ~55°C (preferred/easier), or
    • Pan on a small hob with frequent heat adjustments (harder).

Serving / plating suggestions (from subtitles)

  • Plate asparagus first, then set cod on top.
  • Spoon over the reduced sauce; season asparagus with pepper + Maldon salt.
  • Emphasize the cod’s iridescence (“rainbow finish”) as a key visual feature.

Original video