‘Good fish smells of the sea on a hot stone’: Nathan Outlaw on simple seafood cooking

More than two decades after earning his first Michelin star, Cornwall-based chef Nathan Outlaw reflects on his culinary journey and advocates for simple, unfancy food. The article, published in The Guardian Food, highlights Outlaw's philosophy that 'good fish smells of the sea on a hot stone' and shares his recipe for steamed brill with pea, shallot and cider stew. Outlaw recounts the challenging decision to open his first restaurant, The Black Pig in Rock, Cornwall, at 25, despite having a secure job and his wife being heavily pregnant. He initially aimed for 'bistro cooking' and was surprised to receive a Michelin star the year after opening, having had no prior ambition for such accolades, inspired by his father, a canteen chef. Throughout his career, which included two eponymous restaurants at the St Enodoc hotel and a Mayfair outpost (Outlaw's at the Capital), as well as TV appearances on 'Great British Menu' and 'Saturday Kitchen', Outlaw maintained a calm cooking style. He is credited with pioneering precise fish curing techniques for various local catches, a method he believes has since been widely adopted. He also expresses strong ethical and quality concerns regarding farmed salmon, which he now avoids, preferring to work with sustainably sourced seafood.