Masterchef UK Professionals
Baker:
Season:
Week:
Challenge Type:
Red Mullet with Sauce Maltese
Natasha, a 28-year-old senior chef de partie working in corporate fine dining in London, began with fish prep rather than prioritising the hollandaise reduction and braised fennel as the time-critical elements required. She filleted the red mullet quickly - demonstrating capable knife skills - but left flesh on the bone and critically failed to remove the pin bones. Her hollandaise was made without a classical reduction: she melted butter and added it directly to egg yolks without first cooking the yolks on a bain marie. After a delayed realisation, she moved the bowl to the bain marie but the sauce remained thin and unseasoned. Unreduced blood orange juice was squeezed directly in rather than a proper reduction, failing to create a true sauce Maltese. The fennel went on late, was not covered, and did not braise properly, though it tasted pleasant with the citrus. The citrus salad was a positive - well-flavoured with chilli. Matthew Ryle observed that Natasha appeared to 'black out with nerves.'
Marcus Wareing: 'It started off well, I have to say, with the filleting… and then you forgot to pin bone it.'
Matt Tebbutt: 'I just didn't want to eat fish bones. You've got to remove them. Your salad - full of chilli, full of flavour - but there are skills here you need to tune in. I think you left your skills in the changing room.'
Monica Galetti: 'The hollandaise making - it does just taste of fatty butter. There is no sharpness from any reduction, and it has not been seasoned. You drop the squeeze of blood orange into it, but it is not enough to make the Maltese sauce. The braised fennel - not braised, but it tastes nice with the citrus salad.'
Matthew Ryle (post-cook aside): 'You can see there is a chef in there. When I was watching you dice your shallot, your knife skills were good. It was just a little bit rushed, a little bit frantic, a little bit nervous.'
Matt Tebbutt (agreeing with Matthew): 'I think she just blacked out with nerves today. It happens.'
Would you like us to create a recipe to match this dish?
We try to create several recipes every day, and we'd love to prioritize a recipe for you. Just fill out the form and watch your inbox - no cost, no catch.
