The Big Family Cooking Showdown (2017–2018): Season 2, Episode 11 - Episode #2.11 - full transcript
The families are put to the test as in the Taste It Now Make It challenge they have to recreate a Catalan fish stew. Next they are given a whole salmon and challenged to make as many dishes using as much of the fish as possible.
-Let's go.
-[bell rings]
[Angellica]
The Big Family Cooking Showdown is back.
Brilliant. Perfect.
We are bringing to our kitchen
16 foodie families
ready to take each other on
and prove their cooking is best.
I wake up thinking about food.
Go to sleep thinking about food.
We're either going to prepare
something great
or we're going to give the judges
food poisoning.
They come in different combinations,
from in laws...
If I hear that word chilled again
someone is going to get hurt.
...to grandparents.
Nan, these are going horribly wrong.
Twins...
Oh yeah.
...To teenagers.
-Bit of salt and pepper in there.
-Yes, Mother.
All right, only asking!
But what they all bring is their
very own brand of family cooking,
perfected over years,
sometimes generations.
In India, this is like the nation's
favorite snack.
Food is at the very heart
of these family's lives.
That's enough.
The ingredient that binds
each family together.
The family that cuddles together,
stays together.
Watching and judging their every move
will be Tommy Banks...
Dropping bombs.
...Britain's youngest ever
Michelin starred chef
and owner of his own family restaurant.
-Good?
-I could eat that three times a day.
Great piece of cooking.
-Go, go, go, go, right stop.
-Ahh!
And me, Angellica Bell.
I've written family cookbooks
and know just how important
family cooking is
for family life.
It's delicious. My granddad would
just love that.
Yes, Angellica!
We're not looking for fancy
restaurant cuisine,
but we are expecting
the very highest standards...
Smashed it!
...as we search for the families
that make ordinary food
extraordinary.
-I just feel overwhelmed.
-Just take your time, Daddy.
This has gone so wrong!
[glass shattering]
Welcome to Family Cooking Showdown.
We have had 16 families compete
in this kitchen,
and now we are down to the very best four.
And in the next few days,
we will have a winner.
-You got a watch on?
-Yeah, it's...10 to shut up.
Our first contenders are the Whites
from Hampshire.
Dad William, daughter Molly,
and son Jack...
Maggie!
...are countryside cohorts
and champions of British produce.
Well, British produce is
the most important thing to us,
because it's fresh,
we get it locally,
and it's the most healthy option.
Yeah, most things we try and buy British.
Difficult to get British bananas.
Next, the Gohil and Al-Sheiks
from Ruislip.
Husband Waleed, wife Gemini,
and sister-in-law Pinki,
whose international cooking is inspired
by their travels around the world
and their family heritage.
I think what makes our family's food
unique
is that we've got different cultures.
Pinki and I, for example, are both Indian,
and then the same with Waleed
being Mediterranean,
that brings in something different.
I think what's unique is that we all
appreciate each other's cooking,
and then we'll kind of learn and tweak
and steal ideas from each other.
That's really nice.
Joining them are the Whitakers,
hotel owners from Lytham St Annes
on the Lancashire coast.
There's mum Qidi, dad Andrew,
and teenage daughter Jasmyn.
And after many years living in Asia,
their cooking is a mix of
eastern and western flavors.
As a Chinese cook in the family,
we're probably little bit different.
Yeah we're gonna be a bit different
to everyone.
Yeah, we want use that little bit
different to stand out.
Completing the final four are
the Mistrys from London:
Husband Mitesh, wife Prachi,
and nephew Anup.
When it comes to their cooking,
they draw on their spice-laden
Indian heritage.
As a trio we enjoy lots
of different dishes, so Indian food,
then we like doing
a lot of western food as well,
and trying to fuse the spices together
to give us, like, Indo-Western food.
-Well, hello!
-Hello, morning!
Hello everyone, and a big well done.
You are our final four families.
The Whitakers and the Mistrys,
you guys know each other.
So, meet the Whites
and the Gohil and Al-Sheiks,
who also know each other.
[all] Hello! Hey!
So as ever, there will be
two rounds of cooking today,
at the end of which three families
will be going through to tomorrow.
So sadly, that means one family
will be going home today.
Today's first challenge will really test
our final four families,
and not just their cooking.
They'll also need to show us
how good they are at tasting.
Okay, so one of the great things
about going on holiday
is that you get to try local food.
And then when you come home
you try and recreate those flavors
to keep those holiday memories alive.
And this is what this challenge
is all about,
and we're calling it
"Taste It, Now Make It."
In the pot in front of you
is a delicious holiday meal,
so have a look.
I don't think I can try this, yeah.
I'm not going to try this.
I'm telling you there's no breadcrumb
in there, trust me.
Alright, fine.
Or maybe there is, I don't know.
Does anyone know
where it's from?
-Spain?
-Not Cornwall.
Well, some of you are close,
because it is in fact
a Catalan fish stew
Oh!
-Hmm.
-Okay.
And what we need you to do
is exactly recreate this dish.
On the table behind you
are lots of ingredients.
There are 21 ingredients
that belong in the dish,
and 21 that don't.
But you have to decide
which ones are needed.
You have 1 hour and 15 minutes,
so get tasting,
and get cooking.
Okay, cayenne pepper.
[Waleed] Okay, prawns, white fish.
[Angellica] There's 21 ingredients
within the Catalan fish stew,
so we're going to be looking at how many
of those ingredients each family got right
and have put into their dish,
but it also has to taste good.
Exactly, that's the main thing.
We've got some really strong cooks,
so yes, it's a really difficult challenge,
but it should be. It's finals week
and someone's going home today,
so they've got to bring it.
A great Catalan stew is about process
as much as the ingredients.
It needs a rich stock
to give layers of flavor,
then add one type of firm white fish
that will hold together when cooked.
We've used cod.
And for the distinctive piccata topping
our families should use almonds,
rather than hazelnuts.
What's that fish down there, that thing,
that he's holding, what's that?
[Molly] Yeah, I think it might be that.
The strategy is, don't let others
know what we've got.
We let everyone get their stuff,
then we jump in with what we know,
and then we're off and running.
The Whites have chosen their fish already,
but it's not cod.
I'm thinking we're probably just gonna
do it all in one pot.
'Cause I think that's usually how
these dishes are kinda cooked and served,
so I suppose just adding everything in
as we go. [chuckles]
[William] Well, we're doing something
like a white wine stock.
It doesn't necessarily need a stock,
'cause we've got the chopped tomatoes,
-put a bit of boiling water in...
-OK.
-...with loads of seasonings and stuff.
My famous peeler,
from the pocket.
Watch the skill here.
Look at the action on that.
When we go on holiday,
because I do quite a lot of the cooking,
um, there are various utensils
and food items
that I would take with me.
I always take a potato peeler,
and uh, I would take
gravy-making stuff,
so Bovril, oxo cubes,
probably Worcestershire sauce,
and, uh, gravy browning,
because have you ever tried
getting gravy browning in Spain?
When have we ever had gravy abroad?
We sort of see how you guys work,
you have this sort of
calm, humble front,
but you know you're quite good,
you know you're quite good cooks.
-Oh, I'm not sure.
-You always play yourselves down.
-I'm not sure we do.
-So you know there's 21 ingredients?
-Yeah.
-How many ingredients do you got?
-16?
-Good start.
When we're finished we'll chuck in
a few more.
We're sort of betwixt
and between if there's two,
-two fish types in there...
-Two white fish.
...white fish types.
I'm loving the white theme here.
White fish, white shirt. Get cracking.
-Yep, thank you.
-And keep smiling.
Absolutely.
[Jack] I don't think I'm doing a lot.
-What's your hunch with the fish thing?
-I think another one, my hunch is saying.
-Right, go for another one.
-So I think, coley.
And it's not just the Whites
struggling with their choice of fish.
So we've chosen cod and hake.
We've gone for two types of fish.
Not sure if there's two types of fish
in there, but they're both white,
so we're going for both.
[Prachi] I don't eat that much fish,
but the boys think there are two fishes,
rather than one fish,
so we've gone for both.
There's definitely a texture difference
in the two fish, so we've gone for two.
-Are you sure?
-Yeah, 100%, don't even question it.
[Waleed] Initially, the fish,
I wasn't sure
whether it was either hake or coley,
but I knew it wasn't cod...
he says.
It might be cod now.
Now I feel a bit more confident
it's coley. Yeah, I got it right.
Unfortunately, Pinki won't be able
to disagree with him,
as she's refusing
to taste the fish.
-[Pinki] Do I need to try that?
-I think you do.
-I really don't want to.
-Just try the sauce, it's not fishy.
I've actually never really enjoyed
eating fish.
I have tried fish fingers,
if that counts,
but never really...
Every time my mum cooked fish
I'd literally leave the kitchen.
I'd have dinner separately with them
if they're having fish for dinner.
I really can't stand the smell
of it either.
So, I'm in fish heaven at the moment,
aren't I?
We've got these 21 ingredients
at the moment.
While these guys are tasting,
to save time I've gone and picked up
all the things that I've seen in there.
We're just trying to work
with all the flavors
that these guys have tasted.
I'm going to have to try it in a minute,
just to make sure that
I've selected all the right ingredients.
Don't you think
there's a strong fish scent?
It's not very fishy.
It's not, do you think
that's probably--
--You don't put a stock in.
-No, I don't think you do.
[Pinki] Did anyone try this,
can you just try how spicy that is?
I can just stir a bit of that in.
Is that spicy?
-Yeah.
-Yeah, shall I just add--
A little bit. 'Cause that's a darker color
and this is a light color.
I'm gonna add the chipotle, yeah?
OK, fine.
I'm a control freak. Everything has to be
organized, everything has to be laid out.
Gemini follows instructions really well,
so if she gets
given a task she'll get it done
exactly how you want it.
I'm like sous-chef.
I was quite young in terms of my food
experience, so I'd done a lot with my mum.
When Pinki moved in I got introduced
to things that were tasty, but not Indian.
[Pinki] Everywhere we go,
we like to pick up ideas,
try lots of different foods,
bring things back with us,
if we really like something,
we'll come home and recreate it.
Yeah, our own version. Our own flavor.
These are mangoes from India
that flew in last weekend.
It's so good.
[Tommy] Hello, hello.
-Having a taste?
-Yay, it's finals week, yay! Excited?
Yeah, totally excited. It's very--
It's a bit nerve wracking though,
'cause now we're up against
the top three families elsewhere.
Who are you worried about?
The Mistrys, the Whites,
and the Whitakers.
Those three, yeah.
How many ingredients have you got?
We've got 21.
So far we've got onions, chipotle,
bay leaf, garlic, celery.
Salt.
We had a bit of a debate
as to what the fish was.
We weren't too sure.
We didn't think it was cod,
and then Waleed reckons it was quite
a light fish, so he picked coley.
Who's in charge then?
-Pinki.
-Pinki's always in charge.
She's not tasted the dish yet though.
She's not tasted it,
but you're giving out the orders.
Visual.
It's because she can't eat
most of what we think
is most of the ingredients in here,
we're basically winging it.
Interesting, interesting process
isn't it?
Yeah, everybody has different ways
of doing it. It's fascinating.
Let's get out of here.
[Gohil and Al-Sheuks laugh]
Alright.
[Tommy] Pinki's in charge
of the Gohil and Al-Sheiks,
and she hasn't tried either of the dishes,
which sounds like a bit of
a recipe for disaster.
It probably does explain, though,
why they've chosen the wrong fish.
They haven't made a stock,
and also,
they're putting chipotle in there.
Mitesh, there's garlic, no?
I was really hungry, so I can taste it.
I am confident in this dish
because I have a very strong palette,
so I can go to places, taste something,
and tell exactly
what ingredients are in it,
most of the time,
but I'm hoping it happens today as well.
So I have my fingers crossed.
When we come back from holidays
we always, always bring those memories
back and recreate the dishes.
We go, we eat,
we come back, we cook.
That's what we've been doing a lot
at home, so this is perfect.
Been to Thailand loads,
so I can cook Thai green curry,
the Thai fish cakes, satay.
[Prachi] When I came here,
I knew Indian food,
but because we've traveled so much,
everywhere we go, I bring back,
not just the memories,
but also the food,
so that is how I think my cuisine range
has gone a little further.
[Mitesh]
That's how you produce the best thing.
It's when your creative juices flow.
You produce something that's incredible,
like you haven't done before.
-That's a good feeling.
-Yeah.
-Hello, hello.
-Right.
-The finals.
-I know.
-Congratulations.
-Thank you.
-Are you in it to win it though?
-Yes.
But you went up last to the table.
-Strategies.
-We just didn't want our...
ingredients to be out there,
so we know that--
Prachi, look at those sweet innocent eyes.
They're deadly.
Have you ever cooked
with these flavors?
Uh yes, we have, yes we have.
That's that then.
Okay, we'll see you at the end. Bye.
See ya.
Process, talk through it.
What do you do?
So I'm going to put oil, then I'm gonna
add bay leaves, then the garlic,
then the onions, then celery,
and fennel on potatoes,
then sauté it. Yes.
No, I think two might be a lot.
Just saying.
-I did say two.
-Alright fine, go on.
-Mum? It's in the pan, yeah?
-Yes?
-Qidi, one second.
-Yes?
We need to know
what we're doing.
Fish in the pan,
to make the stock.
The fish?
-Make the fish, fry them.
-And then?
Alright, please can you not stand
in the middle, I need to get something.
[Qidi groans] No it's not too much!
-Mmm, harmonious kitchen? No, not always.
-No, no.
I'm the head chef, of course!
My way's the best way, you know.
Your hands cannot be like this,
always first, second, third.
We lived all over Southeast Asia,
and have traveled a lot.
[Qidi] That's how I start
to get interest for cooking,
because lots of different kind of food,
so that make me, you know,
go home and try.
Fine, this is boiled.
Qidi has made the perfect start,
frying her seafood to make
a rich fish stock.
Everything is going in my pan, the fish,
the prawn.
-Fish stock.
-Fish stock.
And passata.
Yep, ready?
[Andrew] More tomato paste
It's too red. Taste it.
[Qidi] Don't ask me, you taste it.
[Andrew] It's too tomato.
[Qidi]
Yeah, too many, you put too much in.
-I can't do anything about it now.
-It's not bad.
The taste is similar,
but the color's different.
This challenge has certainly put
the pressure on the family.
The Whitakers are annoyed
with the amount of passata
they've put into their dish.
And rightly so,
because passata isn't even in
the recipe.
What do you think of this challenge,
do you think it's tough?
It's caused some tensions
in the family.
-Ooh.
-Yes, definitely. I agree.
So, we've basically made a fish stock,
and then we've fried off the onions
and the rest of the vegetables,
but we're a bit red.
So is there anything you wish
you hadn't gotten?
-I think he put too much.
-We put too much, maybe passata, not sure.
Maybe we put too much in.
It's gone too red.
I mean it's tough, because there's
no recipe so you're having to think,
think on your feet,
but do you think your processes
are going in the right direction?
-It's not far off.
-Hope so, hope so.
Hey listen, just keep going.
We still haven't finished.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
We'll try our best.
Thanks very much.
Have you done-- Shall I do parsley?
Yep, parsley.
What do you call it?
-Parson.
-[Jack, mockingly] Parsley.
The Whites have chosen
not to make a stock.
[William] They seem to be making stock
all around us.
Do you think we should be making stock?
It's always a bit scary when you hear
the food processors going,
thinking, "Well, we're not putting
anything in a food processor."
People picking up fish heads,
and you're thinking,
"We're not making a stock," so...
I don't know, but Spanish cooking,
it's supposed to be simple, isn't it?
[Waleed]
It's more pungent than that one.
[Pinki] Initially we did think
we'd make stock separately,
but we've actually just put everything
in this dish,
and cooked-- made our stock in the dish,
and then added the fish to it.
We've not used the fish bones
or anything like that,
so we've gone straight
with the good cuts.
-It's 100% the right flavor.
-It was, it was.
[Tommy] Good fish stock provides
the base flavor
that makes this dish truly delicious.
I'm not sure the Whites
or the Gohil and Al-Sheiks
have cooked with fish much before.
-Anyone know how long mussels take?
-It probably needs...
No.
Half an hour left.
-Oven, it's got to go in the oven.
-Okay, okay!
With half an hour to go, Pinki has finally
decided she has to taste the fish stew.
I've just had a taste, and I think ours
is looking and tasting
a little bit more flavorsome,
so I think we might just tone down
the flavoring here,
but we've still gotta add quite a few of--
We've got to have the fishes
and the herbs as well,
so I think it'll balance it out.
[William] How's it doing?
-[Molly] Do you want to taste it?
-Yeah.
Don't be neggy.
It does have a similar
sort of flavor, I think.
The tomato is getting less
a little bit now. What do you think?
Ooh, that doesn't taste
anything like it.
-Dad, you're so negative.
-You're so negative.
[Jack, with accent]
"Potato." That was good, wasn't it?
How long do these things take,
'cause they've got to open, haven't they?
Oh yeah, let's put them in now.
Well, it would be a shame if we poisoned
anyone, um, let's put them in.
[Oh, jeez.
[Jasmyn] Ours looks really red
compared to everyone else's.
Yeah, 'cause he put half bottle in there.
Color's off, this is definitely
more brown.
-Not sure why--
-I know why!
I'm sure the judges will tell us
at the end of it.
-[Jasmyn] Hasn't got the seafood taste.
-Two types of white fish,
-mussels, prawns.
-I think it's too much.
-Yeah, definitely.
-Fish stock,
-lots in there.
-I know, he never think about it.
-Shall we put the prawns in at 10?
-Prawns in, yeah.
-Put it in now.
-Let's put them in 10.
[Molly] Oh, dear.
-Ah, sorry.
-Put it on properly.
-[Jack] It is on properly, you moron!
-[William] Don't call me that.
All under control.
Actually, let's just get
that bottle of cava.
-Into this. A little bit more?
-Fine.
-[Prachi] We're going nuts about nuts.
-[Mitesh] Nuts about nuts, yeah.
We are seriously going nuts
about the nuts.
Another challenge for our families is
getting the piccata topping just right.
Is it definitely almonds
in it, yeah?
I don't know if there's almonds in it.
-I can't see any.
-It didn't taste nutty.
The Whitakers are asking the same
question: is it hazelnuts or almonds?
-This one, this one.
-What's from Spain?
That's almonds, that's hazelnuts.
[Prachi] I can tell you it's hazelnut.
I think it's Mitesh
that's the deciding vote.
-Can I make a decision?
-Yes.
-I think it's almond. Yeah.
-Yeah? Okay.
[Tommy]
Okay, so we've got five minutes left.
It's definitely a similar taste, isn't it?
Yeah. It's too tomato-y at the moment,
but hopefully that'll...
[Molly] I think we just need to cook it
a bit longer.
[Jack] Oh, you are good.
[William] Well, it's blind
leading the blind, isn't it?
[Waleed] Color's alright.
[Gemini] Yeah, I think so.
You're just worried about nothing.
[Pinki] Well, if Tommy's made that,
he's a chef, we're not chefs,
-so if we get it--
-If we get it exact.
Go get a job with him.
Try this one.
Not far off, is it?
That one's still better.
-[laughs]
-[Qidi grunts]
[Molly] What about the potatoes,
are they cooked?
So can you just tell me in plain speech,
are they cooked?
I'll try.
No they're as hard as nails.
Is there anything else over there?
[Gemini] It's too late to add anything,
let's not stress about it.
That's what we did last time,
there's no point.
We've done what we've done.
-This is meant to look exactly like that.
-But...
-That's mushed up.
-How many times...
You have to argue with me
all the time.
One minute left now.
Yeah, I'm just going round first,
then I'll do a second round.
Shall I put another couple
of sprinkles on?
Yeah, I reckon right at the end,
right at the end.
Why do you insist on doing everything
right at the end?
-It adds to my stress, I'm not doing it.
-Dad, we need that still!
-[Molly] I'll do it.
-Quick, they're gonna call it.
Sprinkle, sprinkle, sprinkle,
more, more, more.
The Mistry men must do this taste test.
Good job.
-Is that enough?
-We're done, we're done.
Loads of time.
We're done, we're done.
-[Angellica] Five.
-[Tommy] Four.
-Three.
-Two.
-One.
-Stop.
-Should we turn it off?
-Should we turn it off, or...
Shall we turn it off?
With the fish stew done,
our families can compare notes.
I think ours a bit too red.
Andrew put in too much...
-Tomato?
-Yeah.
Ours is a little bit on the tomato-y side.
I think we're all tomato
by the sounds of it.
Clearly, that's what's meant
to be in it, no?
First up with their version
of a Catalan fish stew are the Whites.
[Angellica]
It's difficult to judge the fish stew,
because at the end of the day,
it's lots of ingredients in a pan.
I would have probably added
a little more green to it,
just to lift it,
give it a bit more color.
You could've been a bit more
generous with the picatta on top.
You know, this sort of big fish stew,
it's about being generous
and hearty and it feels a little mean.
But the color of it looks pretty on point
with what the original was.
First, we want to tell you,
you are the family who got the most
ingredients correct for this dish.
-Didn't expect that.
-It's a minor miracle.
But even though you had
all those ingredients,
it is a little bit disappointing.
Your potatoes are undercooked
and some of your fish is a little bit
overcooked as well.
And there isn't enough fish flavor
running through the whole dish,
even though there is fish in it,
because you know the base of it
is a fish stock, which--
-Did you do that or not?
-No.
The way to get flavor into stew like this
is you sweat off all them vegetables first
and cook 'em really evenly.
You should have cut them a bit small.
That would've got this base flavor,
And then you would make a stock
with the fish heads,
and the prawn heads,
get this real strong fishy stock.
And if you mix that
with the base of the vegetables,
and all the aromatic herbs and spices,
and the fish goes in, that's how you make
a brilliant fish stew.
You had all the ingredients,
but not quite the technique today.
And because of that,
your sauce tastes a little bit watery.
It just seems bland.
it just doesn't have the flavors we are
so used to you guys presenting to us,
so I'm so disappointed for you.
This, I think, is your worst dish
you've presented.
Next, the Mistrys with their take
on the Catalan classic.
On presentation I think
this could look a little bit fuller.
You could be a bit more generous.
I'd like to see some of that pacatta,
give it that texture on the top,
but it is a fish stew,
so the proof is in the tasting.
You've cooked your vegetables really well,
and the fish is tender.
But I think the main thing
that's lacking
is that fishy, Catalan flavor
that we really wanted to get.
The first time I saw you
in this competition
you made that amazing
prawn biryani,
you mashed up all the prawn heads.
You made this beautiful flavored,
sort of perfume-y prawn stock,
and I just don't see that in this dish.
The flavor just hasn't come through,
which is what I would never say
about a Mistry dish,
that it's actually a little bit bland.
The cooking's on point,
but it just lacks
that real depth of flavor
that I associate with your cooking,
I think you've missed on
some of the aromatic ingredients,
some of the spices
which should've been in there.
It's a real shame, 'cause we know
you can cook well with spices,
and you know your flavors,
but this is the tricky thing
about this challenge.
It's recreating something
that you don't necessarily know
or have cooked before,
and that's why it's been
difficult for everyone.
-Yep.
-Okay.
Next, the Gohil and Al-Sheiks,
led by fish-averse Pinki.
[Tommy] It's presented
really nicely.
You've been very generous with the parsley
and the picatta on the top,
because it's not the easiest thing
to present,
a fish stew all in one pot,
but I think it looks really appetizing.
I think it's the best-presented
Catalan fish stew we have,
and you want to delve in and find out
what lurks beneath the surface.
[Tommy] Good thing,
putting that picatta on top.
It's lovely, gives a lovely texture
to the dish.
Thicken up the sauce a bit.
Lovely garlicky flavor.
It's really tasty.
The fish is cooked very well,
but it doesn't really taste
like Catalan stew.
it's quite spicy.
You put chipotle in there.
Why did you put chipotle in there?
We thought we could taste something
that was a bit smoky,
and then we had paprika
and we had chipotle,
and we opted for the chipotle over...
Well, the thing is, chipotle makes
anything taste good, doesn't it?
[laughing]
You know, it's that smoked, dry jalapeño,
and that's what gives it this kick.
And I think, as Tommy said,
this is a delicious dish,
but it's not a Catalan fish stew,
so we just got to weigh that up.
Next time you're cooking a Catalan dish,
just go for the paprika,
rather than the chipotle sauce.
Yep, cool. Thank you.
And last, the Whitakers,
who started their dish with a rich stock.
[Tommy] It is the reddest
of all of the fish stews.
I think the presentation
looks really nice.
There's a nice sort of chunky picatta
on top of there,
which looks like it's tasty.
You'll probably be interested to know
you actually got
the least ingredients right
out of all the families.
Yeah.
-I was surprised!
-[Jasmyn] No way.
However, this dish has brilliant flavor.
You've made a lovely fish stock,
and that's flavored the whole dish
and actually made it taste
really quite authentic,
'cause the base of that Catalan stew
was a wonderfully flavored fish stock,
and you've done just that.
The vegetables are cooked perfectly,
the fish is cooked perfectly.
It's actually, yeah, it's perfect,
it's just isn't quite...
Apart from the ingredients.
-[laughing]
-It isn't quite what we asked for.
The reason it's red is 'cause
you used pasatta.
There was no passata in the recipe.
It should have just been
a bit of tomato paste.
The piccata on the top
was supposed to be almonds.
You used hazelnuts.
But, I think it's the tastiest dish.
A few little tweaks,
and it would have been outstanding.
[all] Thank you.
The Whitakers, theirs tasted the most
like a Catalan fish stew,
-and it was delicious, fact.
-It was really good.
The Mitsrys though,
theirs did taste like a Catalan fish stew,
but it lacked that real depth of flavor
we were looking for.
On the other hand,
the Gohil and Al-Sheiks'
was packed full of flavor,
just the wrong flavor.
It didn't taste like a Catalan dish.
-So we're saying they're neck and neck.
-I think so.
Okay, then we have the Whites,
and I think they were a big surprise
for both of us today,
because so far
they haven't put a foot wrong.
But today, it probably was
their worst dish they've served up.
Yeah, so far.
The pressure is now well and truly on.
And today's second challenge
will be the last for one family,
as four will become three.
As a chef, one of the things
I really strive for is zero waste.
Whether we're cooking meat, fish,
or vegetables, I want to use it all.
So in front of you you've got
a beautiful whole salmon.
And this challenge is simple.
We want to see exactly
how much of it you can use.
Anything that you don't use
you need to put in the little bowl
of the front there,
and we can see exactly how much
you've wasted.
We've given you time to practice
this round,
so, let's see what you're made of!
You have an hour and a half,
and your time starts now!
Alright, let's get cracking.
There's not enough time.
[Pinki] Gem, we need to get this going.
No, I need to sauté the vegetables first.
-You only need one knife, yeah?
-Yep.
[Tommy]
This challenge is my style of cooking.
They've got a whole salmon,
and they've gotta use as much as they can.
And what's great about salmon
is that it's versatile,
you can use all the different parts
and cook with them.
[Tommy]
The fillets are clearly delicious,
but the belly is
an absolute delicacy as well.
The bones you can make stock from,
and if you remove the skin separately,
you can make it nice and crisp.
[Angellica] Interesting to see what twist
each family brings to this challenge.
[Waleed] Considering I've only filleted
a salmon twice before,
um, I don't know if you would say
I was the most qualified,
but maybe the most qualified
out of the 3, 2 of us, or the 3 of us,
but other than that, yeah, I'm not--
I'd say you basically had to do it,
you didn't really have a choice.
-No.
-We kind of, um, volunteered him.
The globetrotting Gohil and Al-Sheikhs
are making
Sammy the Salmon Fusion Platter.
Comprised of teriyaki salmon kebabs,
salmon bonbons, ceviche,
salmon skin chips,
and salmon head broth.
So Pinki hates fish,
so she is steering well clear of it,
which leaves Waleed
to clean and fillet it,
but he doesn't look that experienced
at that job.
How come it got so butchered?
I think when I took the skin off,
it just didn't work.
[Pinki] Gonna add this in.
Whoo! Hello, Sammy!
[Gemini] So we've named our fish Sammy.
-Sammy's versatile, right?
-Sammy has got a vibrant personality,
very versatile and flexible,
and he likes to be used
to the best of his ability.
-And he's got taste.
-And he's got really good taste.
[Waleed] I'm hoping
the waste we have in the bowl
is the max we're gonna have now,
and not really much more added to it,
fingers crossed.
Zero waste is a really difficult
challenge, I think,
and with fish,
considering I've never done it before,
I think it's even more difficult.
[Andrew] Taking out bones
from the salmon,
because you don't want any bones
in your salmon.
And so it takes
a little bit of time to do,
and you've got to be patient.
Well, I'm not that patient.
Can you feel any bones?
-Yeah. Here!
-Where?
-So I missed some.
-You missed a lot.
The Whitakers are making a salmon platter
that showcases flavors from across Asia:
salmon with bulgogi and congee,
sashimi, teriyaki salmon,
sushi, clay pot fish head,
crispy skins, and a salmon dip.
I'm basically using all the bones
and the leftovers of the salmon
to make a stock out of it,
to make our congee in.
Congee's a traditional dish in Asia,
it's made from rice.
Today, we're making a Thai-style congee,
so the flavors will be
quite salty and quit flavorful,
so hopefully that'll be alright.
The Whitakers have spent years living in
five-star Asian hotels.
We are very privileged because
lots of chef working at the hotel,
they're really the top chef,
so sometimes I go into the kitchen
to see how they do things,
so I learned a few tips from the chef
that was really, really good.
Oh, wow.
-Waste not want not.
-Waste not want not.
We have a lot of things going on today,
Qidi's got it all in her head.
Where does the little knife
come into it?
This one? [exclaims]
[laughing]
Karate chop!
You know what, guys,
this is not a salmon,
this is a whale. It's huge!
You feel a bit more calm?
Calm this afternoon,
we know what we're doing.
-Yeah, we're time cautious this morning.
-Just a bit time cautious, I think.
We've got a lot of things to do,
but we have practiced a few times
so it should be okay.
Should be okay.
What?re you doing with the head?
I can't see the head.
The head is in the fridge,
and we're making a head stew.
I love head stew.
Yeah, we're gonna-- Do we have to eat
the eyes and everything?
The eye's gonna looking at you later!
[Andrew]
You don't have to eat the eyes, no.
-No, but some people are eating the eyes.
-Good vitamins. High in calcium.
My granny used to say, eat the eyes,
you're following the brief.
-So we're on our way, yeah.
-Good.
[Andrew] These are items we're not using,
so we've got gills,
we got a little bit of bone.
Hopefully everything else,
gonna use as much as we can.
-Where's the salmon for the--
-Dip?
-Do you want me to mix it 'round?
-Yes, toss it around.
I'm gonna have to get my hands dirty.
Ooh!
Jasmyn!
Salt or sugar?
[Jack groans] Salt.
We're not feeling that confident,
No, we're feeling sort of confident.
I mean we practiced it,
but there's quite a lot to do.
I think we're pushing ourselves
probably more than we have
in previous rounds,
as fish isn't something
that we normally do, either.
So, yeah, so I think we've got
a lot to do, haven't we?
[Molly] Yeah, a lot.
Probably too much.
The Whites' salmon surprise is a mix
of their beloved British flavors,
mixed with Asian.
Sushi, baked side of salmon
with pickled cucumber,
teriyaki salmon collar and bellies,
miso salmon head soup,
and a crispy salmon skin with salmon dip
and a broad bean salsa.
[William] I'm mullering this fish a bit.
It's not going to look much like a fillet
once I'm finished with it.
The Whites' inexperience with fish
made the last task very difficult,
and the whole fish looks to be
even more challenging.
Jack, here's a little bit of skin.
Hopefully there won't be too much
in that bowl.
-Oh, lots of things.
-Mopping your brow?
Yeah.
-It's hard work, isn't it?
-It's hard work.
It's all about being thrifty, isn't it?
What's your motto?
Oh, do you know,
my stepdad always used to say,
"Angelica, the best bargain's the one
left on the shelf."
-Very good.
-Yes.
We have some White-isms of our own
we developed
when the kids were growing up.
Tell us, tell us.
"A White never gives up,"
so when somebody's flagging,
we always say, "A White never gives up."
-Are you listening?
-Yep.
-We'll remind you shortly.
-Well, yeah.
So these broad beans, they've just had
a little blanch, have they?
Yeah, well,
I tried to run them under cold water.
You've brought these yourself,
haven't you?
They're from my garden,
so yeah.
-Home grown.
-Is there anything you guys don't do?
-Catalonian stew, it would seem to be.
-I want to be a White.
-Ah, bless.
-Can I be a White?
You can be a White for a day, if you like.
For a day? Thanks for that.
When we were practicing at home
it kind of went to plan,
but we were a bit over on time,
so it's just...
If we can get it all done now today,
hopefully it'll all be good,
and a White never gives up.
[Tommy] Important not to bite off
more than you can chew.
The Whites are doing 8 dishes.
We said we wanted to use all the salmon.
We didn't say you had to do
lots of dishes.
You know, being so close to the finals,
I think it's really daunting,
but I think we're doing our best
and we're pulling it together,
so I hope the best person wins.
The Mistrys are doing a Southeast Asian
platter of baked Asian fish parcels,
ceviche, mahinga fish soup,
fish skin bhel, and salmon skin crisps.
I'm feeling like a cooking goddess
right now,
with like, you know,
the Indian goddesses with 4 hands.
I'm like this.
-Military precision?
-Yes.
-On it, Prachi? Good.
-Yes.
-Sorry.
-[Anup] She's in the zone.
You are in the zone.
I love cooking
so this is how I generally cook,
because I cook
only one day in a week.
So I make all the dishes on one day,
which is Saturday.
And this is literally how I cook
every Saturday.
So I'm used to this.
And you'll cook and then
you'll freeze things? Brilliant, yeah.
I cook and I freeze,
and that's how we roll.
Yeah, that's how we roll,
I love it!
Are you going to be
bhangra dancing again today?
Once the fish is done
I'll start bhangra dancing.
No, come on! What else have you got
in your repertoire?
-I can do a Bollywood dance.
-I love that!
How do you do that with your...
Like this?
Is that right, is that right?
Aw, I love it!
Sorry, we're dancing over here,
we're dancing over here
and you're just talking fish.
And you do this.
Ah, ah!
Bye, bye.
The Mistrys come from a long line
of family cooks.
My mum loves to cook,
and everyone in the family
gets together during festivals,
so food has always been a part of me,
all around me,
and that's how I learned how to cook.
[Mitesh] It all began for me
at university.
I phoned Mum, I said, "Right, tell me
how to make some rice,"
so I started out with plain rice,
and it's gone from there
to become one of my passions.
[Anup] In terms of my cooking experience,
I started quite young,
watching my gran and my mum cook,
and thinking, "I want to try that."
[Prachi]
The recipe that we've chosen is difficult.
We've not gone for a roast salmon,
but salmon parcels,
so it's more intricate.
We've take the skin off
and made a snack out of it,
we've taken the head and the guts
and everything and made a stock,
and that stock I've used
in the mohinga soup,
And Mitesh is making the parcels,
the rice parcels
from the flesh of the salmon,
so we've used the whole salmon.
[Tommy]
The Mistrys' bowl is completely empty.
They've used every single part
of this whole salmon, even the gills.
If their food is all delicious,
then they've done a brilliant job.
[Molly] I forgot to rinse my rice.
[Jack] It's gone a bit gloopy.
The Whites and Whitakers
are both making sushi,
but cooking sushi rice is difficult.
In Japan chefs study the art
of making sushi rice for years.
It's not meant to be gloopy at all.
So... And one of the main rules
of sushi rice is to rinse it,
-which I haven't done.
-What about doing another batch?
-Or is that too late?
-It's too-- Yeah.
Well, just do it as it is Molly,
I wouldn't worry.
Yeah, I'm just gonna have to roll with it.
-Literally.
-Literally.
Fan it, fan it, chef.
[Tommy] Wow.
That shows real attention to detail.
You know, they're very experienced
at cooking Asian foods,
so I think they might be quite good
at sushi rice.
-Rice cools down pretty quickly right?
-Yeah.
[Molly] This whole thing is very tricky.
I've never done sushi before, so...
it's definitely an art,
and I'm probably absolutely murdering it.
While the Whites have never
made sushi before,
for Qidi, it's just like packing
a school lunch.
[Qidi] This is what I do in the morning.
The kids sometimes go to school,
they want to show off, they said,
"Oh, Mama, make me fresh sushi."
So, I need to get up 5:30
to make them fresh sushi
because sushi rice
once go in the fridge
is like stone, it's no good at all.
So Japanese,
they never eat overnight sushi,
or in the fridge.
So...
I try to make fresh for them as well.
-[Jasmyn] She's the best mother ever!
-[Andrew] Mum number one.
The Mistrys have an unexpected problem.
But they look like they already
have a solution.
So the salmon that we practiced with
was really small,
and this one's like a beast giant,
so we just improvised.
So I'm pretty glad
we're using all the salmon.
We're making fish pakoras.
That's our surprise dish for today,
for everyone, including us.
[Angellica] I love what they're doing,
they're thinking on their feet.
So they're now making salmon pakoras,
an extra dish that wasn't on the menu.
-I wasn't expecting this big fish.
-[Mitesh] Neither was I.
It's huge, massive.
[Tommy] Okay, we've got 15 minutes left.
Right, we're running
out of time now, so...
we need to just work out
what we've got to do, who's doing what.
-Well, I've got these.
-Dad, what do you have to do?
I have to finish the soup,
I've got to do the teriyaki.
I'm going to start doing the teriyaki now.
I'll put those crispy bits in the oven.
Cook the bellies.
But I've got to get them marinated,
so hurry, hurry on the teriyaki, yeah?
Are you going to do the frying
of that belly, Dad?
No, it just goes in the oven, I think.
I don't really know what I'm doing.
Just keep reading the instructions.
You'll be fine.
[Jack] And following them, even better.
The Whitakers are already thinking
about presentation.
-[Qidi] With a bit of flatbread on top.
-[Andrew] Yeah.
[Jasmyn] Salmon extravaganza.
Concentrate on what you're doing,
we've got a few minutes left.
Salmon extravaganza.
[Tommy] We've got five minutes left.
[Waleed] I'm not sure if these skins
are gonna work.
With five minutes to go,
the Gohil and Al-Sheiks' salmon skin chips
are not going to plan.
The skin is somehow stuck to the paper.
I don't know how.
But yeah, it's stuck. I'm gonna see
if I can still use bits of it,
but it probably won't be all of it.
[Jasmyn] Oh, my gosh, it makes sense,
it's like salmon.
-Of course it is.
-Yes...
That's why I put it this way, Jas.
I only just realized.
That's the thing we can't fit it in,
you have to put it here,
-Is all congee in my pot?
-Yes. Well, no, there's more to go.
Well, put as much as you can.
-That's what I said but he was like, "No."
-Put more, put more.
While the Whitakers are almost done,
our other families are desperately trying
to beat the clock.
[William] Oh, my God, that's salty.
The miso's quite salty.
Is it too salty?
-It's too salty.
-Okay, let's do it again, we've got time.
-Take those--
-No, we haven't got time.
-Yes, we do, we do.
-We haven't-- Just drain a bit.
Alright, hurry up with your ceviche,
everything else is done.
[Prachi] Anup, you're on it, right?
-Yep.
-Thanks.
[Gemini] Ohh, the lettuce broke apart,
or is two lettuce?
It's two, I didn't realise.
-[Pinki] It's too small.
-Didn't realize it was two, sorry.
Where are the noodles,
can you add the noodles in here?
Why don't you turn the tray?
Be careful!
Just leave it, just leave it.
You've one minute,
one minute left.
-My salmon, quick--
-Dad, Dad, Dad!
Where are we gonna put it?
[Gemini] That's not done
what we've wanted it to.
-Okay.
-So, we just...
-Place it on?
-Yeah, quick.
[Tommy] 30 seconds left!
[William] Grab another spatula.
Just put it on the plate, pronto.
The chili, no, that's fine,
it's just my touches.
It has to be perfect.
-[William] Here, I'm ready. Go.
-Ten seconds!
[Angellica] Seven, six,
four, three,
two, one.
That's it!
Oh, my god.
-We're never doing that again.
-Oh, my god.
How do you guys feel it went?
-It was tough. I think the time was hard.
-The timing was tight.
[overlapping chatter]
[Jack] You've got a massive,
massive salmon,
and you have to use all of it,
so you're forced to do
so many different things.
-Yeah.
-Yeah.
We were just sort of--
Everyone was everywhere.
It was difficult,
hour and a half was quite tight,
-but I think we did all right.
-Very. Yeah.
It was hot, it was really hot
in the kitchen.
First up are the Whites,
with their salmon surprise.
Sushi, baked side of salmon,
teriyaki salmon,
miso salmon head soup,
and crispy salmon skin,
with salmon dip
and a broad bean salsa.
Well, wow, what a feast.
So much going on. Was that hard work?
-Yeah.
-Very.
[Tommy]
Yeah, you had a bit of a sweat, William.
Yeah.
Wrestling with that salmon.
Well there's not much waste in the bowl,
so that's a good start.
Well, you can see that,
'cause there's a lot to be going at.
This just has the whole White signature:
neat, clean, precise,
and really appetizing.
[Tommy] Belly on the salmon's usually
something that gets thrown away,
no one really shows it much love or care,
but you really have.
I love those teriyaki flavors on there.
I think that's a real treat, is that.
A real clever thing to do as well,
when this challenge is about
not wasting anything.
[Angellica] The garnishes on your platter
are really good.
The pan-fried salmon with that cucumber
dressing is just amazing.
It's really light and fresh
and compliments the salmon.
The fish skin, I think you needed
to get all the fat and flesh off it
before you crisped it up.
With salmon, you've got that layer
of back fat underneath the flesh
next to the skin, and when you try
and crisp that up with the fat on,
it becomes very oily and greasy,
which makes it quite hard going
when you've got all this food to eat.
[Angellica] It's such a shame
about your sushi.
It wasn't washed,
so therefore it was starchy,
and it is undercooked,
but all in all there's
some really nice flavors on here.
[Tommy] The salmon you've baked
in the oven,
I love the mustard on the top.
That really works. It's nicely cooked.
But maybe you can see there's still
the bones on the top there.
I'd have took that spine out
and all them bones as well.
Just makes it easier to eat.
I think it's a really good effort.
The Whitakers are up next
with their platter:
Salmon with bulgogi and congee,
sashimi, teriyaki salmon,
sushi, clay pot fish head,
crispy fish skins, and a salmon dip.
[Angellica] I have to say,
you've made salmon
the centerpiece of your platter.
You're the only family to put
the fish head actually on the platter.
Like you said, it was a whale.
It is a whale.
Gonna eat that eyeball, Angelica?
That eyeball's looking at you.
-[Angellica] Don't even...
-I'm gonna have that cheek, look at that.
Just...
I'll eat another cheek,
or turn the other cheek.
I'll eat the eyes in my own private time.
I don't know actually where to start
because there's so many things I've tasted
that just taste great.
The fish head is lovely and soft,
the cheeks melted in my mouth.
[Tommy] The sushi rice, you went
to a lot of effort fanning that.
You were fanning rice, not yourself.
You were getting hotter and hotter.
We want blood, sweat and tears.
This is the finals, and it's worth it,
'cause that rice is perfection.
Thank you.
To me it's that congee.
Something different that you've brought
that I've never tasted before.
-You say it's rice porridge.
-[Qidi] Mm-hmm.
It's just light, flavorsome.
I don't think there's many faults
I've got with this,
so I think I'll just finish.
-[laughing]
-Thank you.
I think it's a masterclass
in fish cookery,
and that is how you cook salmon.
It's perfectly pink,
and the skin...
I love the attention to detail,
and you've used salt with it.
It's really dried out.
Got it really crispy.
And it's got the perfect snap,
It's all protein,
there's no vegetables,
and I couldn't care less.
I just want to eat all that salmon.
It's brilliant.
Now for the Mistrys with their flavors
of Southeast Asia:
Baked Asian fish parcels, ceviche,
mohinga fish soup, fish skin bhel,
and salmon skin crisps,
with additional salmon pakora.
Well, I think everybody's embraced this
challenge quite well of having zero waste,
but you've really got zero waste.
Even the gills have gone into it,
which I'm interested about.
And pakoras, that wasn't
on your original plan, was it?
So there was so much fish
you just decided
to make something extra?
[Prachi] Yep.
-Fair play, I like that.
-It's really, really good.
[Angellica] The fish soup is great.
There's so much texture in it.
You can taste the salmon,
taste the fish,
but also you've got the banana blossom
in there, the chilis,
so there's a lovely aftertaste of heat
that comes through.
But I've got to say for me,
it's the salmon pakora
that really add to it.
[Tommy] The pakoras were an afterthought,
but they were an inspired one.
They're absolutely delicious,
I could have a bucket full.
Maybe two buckets.
The parcels,
what an interesting way to cook fish.
I think they're really tasty,
they're packed full of flavor,
They could have had slightly less cooking,
but because they're wrapped in that parcel
they stayed really moist.
The fish soup is delicious.
Clearly, it had everything in it,
and you can tell, 'cause it's got
that really robust salmon-y flavor.
The ceviche is wonderfully sour,
but you've got enough salt on there
that it's really balanced it out well.
There's just so many things here
that I really like and shows your skill
in the kitchen.
-Thank you.
-Thank you.
And finally the Gohil and Al-Sheiks,
with their
Sammy the Salmon fusion platter:
teriyaki salmon kebabs, salmon bon bons,
ceviche, salmon skin chips,
and salmon head broth.
Well, this looks like a real feast.
Good fish butchery, Waleed.
There's not much there,
and what is there,
I don't really wanna eat, so...
Good work, you've embraced
the challenge really well.
[Tommy] The bonbons, they're really tasty.
A little bit like a fish cake
And with the dip, it's nice and creamy,
That works really well.
[Angellica] That salmon & dill dip
you've got is delicious.
You've really balanced it out,
it's lovely.
[Tommy] The salmon on the skewers is
a little bit dry.
You could've cooked it a bit less
and coated it a lot more.
That teriyaki sauce,
such a shame that you didn't add more.
You had some left in the pan,
you could have put more over them,
just to keep them moist and juicy.
[Tommy] The ceviche,
I like the chili in it and the fruit.
and the acidity's really good,
but you needed more salt.
That would have brought it all together.
It would help cure the fish,
but also it would have seasoned
everything else.
The fish skin hasn't really worked.
If something's not working,
just leave it off.
I think we've told you that before.
Just remember that so it doesn't
bring down the whole dish.
[Tommy] The broth, though, I think is
the weakest part of the dish.
It's quite bland and the fish in it
is overcooked. I think...
There's so little fish
left in this bowl,
I was expecting something
with so much more flavor.
That's the weakest part,
but there's other elements here
-that really work for me.
-Thank you.
We've had
some really, really good food today.
We've got some talking to do
and a decision to make.
Unfortunately, one of you
will have to go home today.
[Tommy] The Whitakers have
the dish of the day.
That salmon was fantastic.
It was a 10 out of 10 dish.
That's enough to put them through.
They were phenomenal.
And then we have the Mistrys.
I think they've done enough to go through.
They didn't have a great morning,
but those pakoras were just amazing,
and those fish parcels had lots of flavor.
The tricky bit now though is,
what do we do with the Whites?
They were bad this morning,
but this afternoon,
the salmon they did really well,
they brought big flavors,
the belly was delicious,
and that miso soup, that packed a punch.
Is that enough to get them through?
And then there's the Gohil and Al-Sheikhs.
I mean, they were more consistent,
but did they cook anything that wowed us?
[Tommy] What you managed to achieve
this afternoon
with just one fish and zero waste
was very impressive.
Unfortunately, only three families
can go through to tomorrow.
So that means we have to say goodbye
to one of you.
The first family going through is...
-The Whitakers.
-Yay.
The second family going through is...
The Mistrys.
The third and final family
going through is...
The Whites.
So I'm very sorry, but that means
we have to say goodbye
to the Gohil and Al-Sheikhs,
who've been brilliant.
We do want to say this has been
a really, really good heat.
As you can see,
the finals are getting tough.
Yep. Good luck to you guys.
-Good luck, guys.
-[overlapping chatter]
[Angellica] To be honest, it was between
the Gohil and Al-Sheikhs and the Whites
as to who was going home today.
The Gohil and Al-Sheikhs were
very consistent throughout the day,
but this afternoon the Whites brought
some exceptional flavors.
It's been amazing.
Gutted, disappointed.
We're still a little bit proud of how
we did, you know, how far we got.
We should be proud right?
We're really proud of how far we've come,
but it ends here for us.
-It does.
-Sadly.
Today was super hard.
I felt the pressure in both of the rounds.
But we are through,
so final three!
No, no, no bhangra,
let's do Bollywood, thumkas.
We're through by the skin of our teeth,
aren't we?
Yep, that was very close,
closest one we've had.
I think we have to make
a new White-ism, which is,
"A White never shows their excitement,"
but I'm pretty pleased
we are where we are.
Absolutely, definitely.
Yeah, Qidi-style, rock it!
I don't know this woman.
Next time,
our final three families are back,
and we have a massive surprise
for one of them.
We are now down to three families.
We do not want to be disappointed.
Let's go.
Faster, Anup.
-Don't need to say it every 30 seconds.
-Because I'm reminding you.
We got to be more organized,
and no arguments.
[both growling]
-Haven't quite worked that out.
-When are you gonna do that?
-Probably when you stop talking to us.
-And the sass level is right up there.
The game got more interesting now.
-[bell rings]
[Angellica]
The Big Family Cooking Showdown is back.
Brilliant. Perfect.
We are bringing to our kitchen
16 foodie families
ready to take each other on
and prove their cooking is best.
I wake up thinking about food.
Go to sleep thinking about food.
We're either going to prepare
something great
or we're going to give the judges
food poisoning.
They come in different combinations,
from in laws...
If I hear that word chilled again
someone is going to get hurt.
...to grandparents.
Nan, these are going horribly wrong.
Twins...
Oh yeah.
...To teenagers.
-Bit of salt and pepper in there.
-Yes, Mother.
All right, only asking!
But what they all bring is their
very own brand of family cooking,
perfected over years,
sometimes generations.
In India, this is like the nation's
favorite snack.
Food is at the very heart
of these family's lives.
That's enough.
The ingredient that binds
each family together.
The family that cuddles together,
stays together.
Watching and judging their every move
will be Tommy Banks...
Dropping bombs.
...Britain's youngest ever
Michelin starred chef
and owner of his own family restaurant.
-Good?
-I could eat that three times a day.
Great piece of cooking.
-Go, go, go, go, right stop.
-Ahh!
And me, Angellica Bell.
I've written family cookbooks
and know just how important
family cooking is
for family life.
It's delicious. My granddad would
just love that.
Yes, Angellica!
We're not looking for fancy
restaurant cuisine,
but we are expecting
the very highest standards...
Smashed it!
...as we search for the families
that make ordinary food
extraordinary.
-I just feel overwhelmed.
-Just take your time, Daddy.
This has gone so wrong!
[glass shattering]
Welcome to Family Cooking Showdown.
We have had 16 families compete
in this kitchen,
and now we are down to the very best four.
And in the next few days,
we will have a winner.
-You got a watch on?
-Yeah, it's...10 to shut up.
Our first contenders are the Whites
from Hampshire.
Dad William, daughter Molly,
and son Jack...
Maggie!
...are countryside cohorts
and champions of British produce.
Well, British produce is
the most important thing to us,
because it's fresh,
we get it locally,
and it's the most healthy option.
Yeah, most things we try and buy British.
Difficult to get British bananas.
Next, the Gohil and Al-Sheiks
from Ruislip.
Husband Waleed, wife Gemini,
and sister-in-law Pinki,
whose international cooking is inspired
by their travels around the world
and their family heritage.
I think what makes our family's food
unique
is that we've got different cultures.
Pinki and I, for example, are both Indian,
and then the same with Waleed
being Mediterranean,
that brings in something different.
I think what's unique is that we all
appreciate each other's cooking,
and then we'll kind of learn and tweak
and steal ideas from each other.
That's really nice.
Joining them are the Whitakers,
hotel owners from Lytham St Annes
on the Lancashire coast.
There's mum Qidi, dad Andrew,
and teenage daughter Jasmyn.
And after many years living in Asia,
their cooking is a mix of
eastern and western flavors.
As a Chinese cook in the family,
we're probably little bit different.
Yeah we're gonna be a bit different
to everyone.
Yeah, we want use that little bit
different to stand out.
Completing the final four are
the Mistrys from London:
Husband Mitesh, wife Prachi,
and nephew Anup.
When it comes to their cooking,
they draw on their spice-laden
Indian heritage.
As a trio we enjoy lots
of different dishes, so Indian food,
then we like doing
a lot of western food as well,
and trying to fuse the spices together
to give us, like, Indo-Western food.
-Well, hello!
-Hello, morning!
Hello everyone, and a big well done.
You are our final four families.
The Whitakers and the Mistrys,
you guys know each other.
So, meet the Whites
and the Gohil and Al-Sheiks,
who also know each other.
[all] Hello! Hey!
So as ever, there will be
two rounds of cooking today,
at the end of which three families
will be going through to tomorrow.
So sadly, that means one family
will be going home today.
Today's first challenge will really test
our final four families,
and not just their cooking.
They'll also need to show us
how good they are at tasting.
Okay, so one of the great things
about going on holiday
is that you get to try local food.
And then when you come home
you try and recreate those flavors
to keep those holiday memories alive.
And this is what this challenge
is all about,
and we're calling it
"Taste It, Now Make It."
In the pot in front of you
is a delicious holiday meal,
so have a look.
I don't think I can try this, yeah.
I'm not going to try this.
I'm telling you there's no breadcrumb
in there, trust me.
Alright, fine.
Or maybe there is, I don't know.
Does anyone know
where it's from?
-Spain?
-Not Cornwall.
Well, some of you are close,
because it is in fact
a Catalan fish stew
Oh!
-Hmm.
-Okay.
And what we need you to do
is exactly recreate this dish.
On the table behind you
are lots of ingredients.
There are 21 ingredients
that belong in the dish,
and 21 that don't.
But you have to decide
which ones are needed.
You have 1 hour and 15 minutes,
so get tasting,
and get cooking.
Okay, cayenne pepper.
[Waleed] Okay, prawns, white fish.
[Angellica] There's 21 ingredients
within the Catalan fish stew,
so we're going to be looking at how many
of those ingredients each family got right
and have put into their dish,
but it also has to taste good.
Exactly, that's the main thing.
We've got some really strong cooks,
so yes, it's a really difficult challenge,
but it should be. It's finals week
and someone's going home today,
so they've got to bring it.
A great Catalan stew is about process
as much as the ingredients.
It needs a rich stock
to give layers of flavor,
then add one type of firm white fish
that will hold together when cooked.
We've used cod.
And for the distinctive piccata topping
our families should use almonds,
rather than hazelnuts.
What's that fish down there, that thing,
that he's holding, what's that?
[Molly] Yeah, I think it might be that.
The strategy is, don't let others
know what we've got.
We let everyone get their stuff,
then we jump in with what we know,
and then we're off and running.
The Whites have chosen their fish already,
but it's not cod.
I'm thinking we're probably just gonna
do it all in one pot.
'Cause I think that's usually how
these dishes are kinda cooked and served,
so I suppose just adding everything in
as we go. [chuckles]
[William] Well, we're doing something
like a white wine stock.
It doesn't necessarily need a stock,
'cause we've got the chopped tomatoes,
-put a bit of boiling water in...
-OK.
-...with loads of seasonings and stuff.
My famous peeler,
from the pocket.
Watch the skill here.
Look at the action on that.
When we go on holiday,
because I do quite a lot of the cooking,
um, there are various utensils
and food items
that I would take with me.
I always take a potato peeler,
and uh, I would take
gravy-making stuff,
so Bovril, oxo cubes,
probably Worcestershire sauce,
and, uh, gravy browning,
because have you ever tried
getting gravy browning in Spain?
When have we ever had gravy abroad?
We sort of see how you guys work,
you have this sort of
calm, humble front,
but you know you're quite good,
you know you're quite good cooks.
-Oh, I'm not sure.
-You always play yourselves down.
-I'm not sure we do.
-So you know there's 21 ingredients?
-Yeah.
-How many ingredients do you got?
-16?
-Good start.
When we're finished we'll chuck in
a few more.
We're sort of betwixt
and between if there's two,
-two fish types in there...
-Two white fish.
...white fish types.
I'm loving the white theme here.
White fish, white shirt. Get cracking.
-Yep, thank you.
-And keep smiling.
Absolutely.
[Jack] I don't think I'm doing a lot.
-What's your hunch with the fish thing?
-I think another one, my hunch is saying.
-Right, go for another one.
-So I think, coley.
And it's not just the Whites
struggling with their choice of fish.
So we've chosen cod and hake.
We've gone for two types of fish.
Not sure if there's two types of fish
in there, but they're both white,
so we're going for both.
[Prachi] I don't eat that much fish,
but the boys think there are two fishes,
rather than one fish,
so we've gone for both.
There's definitely a texture difference
in the two fish, so we've gone for two.
-Are you sure?
-Yeah, 100%, don't even question it.
[Waleed] Initially, the fish,
I wasn't sure
whether it was either hake or coley,
but I knew it wasn't cod...
he says.
It might be cod now.
Now I feel a bit more confident
it's coley. Yeah, I got it right.
Unfortunately, Pinki won't be able
to disagree with him,
as she's refusing
to taste the fish.
-[Pinki] Do I need to try that?
-I think you do.
-I really don't want to.
-Just try the sauce, it's not fishy.
I've actually never really enjoyed
eating fish.
I have tried fish fingers,
if that counts,
but never really...
Every time my mum cooked fish
I'd literally leave the kitchen.
I'd have dinner separately with them
if they're having fish for dinner.
I really can't stand the smell
of it either.
So, I'm in fish heaven at the moment,
aren't I?
We've got these 21 ingredients
at the moment.
While these guys are tasting,
to save time I've gone and picked up
all the things that I've seen in there.
We're just trying to work
with all the flavors
that these guys have tasted.
I'm going to have to try it in a minute,
just to make sure that
I've selected all the right ingredients.
Don't you think
there's a strong fish scent?
It's not very fishy.
It's not, do you think
that's probably--
--You don't put a stock in.
-No, I don't think you do.
[Pinki] Did anyone try this,
can you just try how spicy that is?
I can just stir a bit of that in.
Is that spicy?
-Yeah.
-Yeah, shall I just add--
A little bit. 'Cause that's a darker color
and this is a light color.
I'm gonna add the chipotle, yeah?
OK, fine.
I'm a control freak. Everything has to be
organized, everything has to be laid out.
Gemini follows instructions really well,
so if she gets
given a task she'll get it done
exactly how you want it.
I'm like sous-chef.
I was quite young in terms of my food
experience, so I'd done a lot with my mum.
When Pinki moved in I got introduced
to things that were tasty, but not Indian.
[Pinki] Everywhere we go,
we like to pick up ideas,
try lots of different foods,
bring things back with us,
if we really like something,
we'll come home and recreate it.
Yeah, our own version. Our own flavor.
These are mangoes from India
that flew in last weekend.
It's so good.
[Tommy] Hello, hello.
-Having a taste?
-Yay, it's finals week, yay! Excited?
Yeah, totally excited. It's very--
It's a bit nerve wracking though,
'cause now we're up against
the top three families elsewhere.
Who are you worried about?
The Mistrys, the Whites,
and the Whitakers.
Those three, yeah.
How many ingredients have you got?
We've got 21.
So far we've got onions, chipotle,
bay leaf, garlic, celery.
Salt.
We had a bit of a debate
as to what the fish was.
We weren't too sure.
We didn't think it was cod,
and then Waleed reckons it was quite
a light fish, so he picked coley.
Who's in charge then?
-Pinki.
-Pinki's always in charge.
She's not tasted the dish yet though.
She's not tasted it,
but you're giving out the orders.
Visual.
It's because she can't eat
most of what we think
is most of the ingredients in here,
we're basically winging it.
Interesting, interesting process
isn't it?
Yeah, everybody has different ways
of doing it. It's fascinating.
Let's get out of here.
[Gohil and Al-Sheuks laugh]
Alright.
[Tommy] Pinki's in charge
of the Gohil and Al-Sheiks,
and she hasn't tried either of the dishes,
which sounds like a bit of
a recipe for disaster.
It probably does explain, though,
why they've chosen the wrong fish.
They haven't made a stock,
and also,
they're putting chipotle in there.
Mitesh, there's garlic, no?
I was really hungry, so I can taste it.
I am confident in this dish
because I have a very strong palette,
so I can go to places, taste something,
and tell exactly
what ingredients are in it,
most of the time,
but I'm hoping it happens today as well.
So I have my fingers crossed.
When we come back from holidays
we always, always bring those memories
back and recreate the dishes.
We go, we eat,
we come back, we cook.
That's what we've been doing a lot
at home, so this is perfect.
Been to Thailand loads,
so I can cook Thai green curry,
the Thai fish cakes, satay.
[Prachi] When I came here,
I knew Indian food,
but because we've traveled so much,
everywhere we go, I bring back,
not just the memories,
but also the food,
so that is how I think my cuisine range
has gone a little further.
[Mitesh]
That's how you produce the best thing.
It's when your creative juices flow.
You produce something that's incredible,
like you haven't done before.
-That's a good feeling.
-Yeah.
-Hello, hello.
-Right.
-The finals.
-I know.
-Congratulations.
-Thank you.
-Are you in it to win it though?
-Yes.
But you went up last to the table.
-Strategies.
-We just didn't want our...
ingredients to be out there,
so we know that--
Prachi, look at those sweet innocent eyes.
They're deadly.
Have you ever cooked
with these flavors?
Uh yes, we have, yes we have.
That's that then.
Okay, we'll see you at the end. Bye.
See ya.
Process, talk through it.
What do you do?
So I'm going to put oil, then I'm gonna
add bay leaves, then the garlic,
then the onions, then celery,
and fennel on potatoes,
then sauté it. Yes.
No, I think two might be a lot.
Just saying.
-I did say two.
-Alright fine, go on.
-Mum? It's in the pan, yeah?
-Yes?
-Qidi, one second.
-Yes?
We need to know
what we're doing.
Fish in the pan,
to make the stock.
The fish?
-Make the fish, fry them.
-And then?
Alright, please can you not stand
in the middle, I need to get something.
[Qidi groans] No it's not too much!
-Mmm, harmonious kitchen? No, not always.
-No, no.
I'm the head chef, of course!
My way's the best way, you know.
Your hands cannot be like this,
always first, second, third.
We lived all over Southeast Asia,
and have traveled a lot.
[Qidi] That's how I start
to get interest for cooking,
because lots of different kind of food,
so that make me, you know,
go home and try.
Fine, this is boiled.
Qidi has made the perfect start,
frying her seafood to make
a rich fish stock.
Everything is going in my pan, the fish,
the prawn.
-Fish stock.
-Fish stock.
And passata.
Yep, ready?
[Andrew] More tomato paste
It's too red. Taste it.
[Qidi] Don't ask me, you taste it.
[Andrew] It's too tomato.
[Qidi]
Yeah, too many, you put too much in.
-I can't do anything about it now.
-It's not bad.
The taste is similar,
but the color's different.
This challenge has certainly put
the pressure on the family.
The Whitakers are annoyed
with the amount of passata
they've put into their dish.
And rightly so,
because passata isn't even in
the recipe.
What do you think of this challenge,
do you think it's tough?
It's caused some tensions
in the family.
-Ooh.
-Yes, definitely. I agree.
So, we've basically made a fish stock,
and then we've fried off the onions
and the rest of the vegetables,
but we're a bit red.
So is there anything you wish
you hadn't gotten?
-I think he put too much.
-We put too much, maybe passata, not sure.
Maybe we put too much in.
It's gone too red.
I mean it's tough, because there's
no recipe so you're having to think,
think on your feet,
but do you think your processes
are going in the right direction?
-It's not far off.
-Hope so, hope so.
Hey listen, just keep going.
We still haven't finished.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
We'll try our best.
Thanks very much.
Have you done-- Shall I do parsley?
Yep, parsley.
What do you call it?
-Parson.
-[Jack, mockingly] Parsley.
The Whites have chosen
not to make a stock.
[William] They seem to be making stock
all around us.
Do you think we should be making stock?
It's always a bit scary when you hear
the food processors going,
thinking, "Well, we're not putting
anything in a food processor."
People picking up fish heads,
and you're thinking,
"We're not making a stock," so...
I don't know, but Spanish cooking,
it's supposed to be simple, isn't it?
[Waleed]
It's more pungent than that one.
[Pinki] Initially we did think
we'd make stock separately,
but we've actually just put everything
in this dish,
and cooked-- made our stock in the dish,
and then added the fish to it.
We've not used the fish bones
or anything like that,
so we've gone straight
with the good cuts.
-It's 100% the right flavor.
-It was, it was.
[Tommy] Good fish stock provides
the base flavor
that makes this dish truly delicious.
I'm not sure the Whites
or the Gohil and Al-Sheiks
have cooked with fish much before.
-Anyone know how long mussels take?
-It probably needs...
No.
Half an hour left.
-Oven, it's got to go in the oven.
-Okay, okay!
With half an hour to go, Pinki has finally
decided she has to taste the fish stew.
I've just had a taste, and I think ours
is looking and tasting
a little bit more flavorsome,
so I think we might just tone down
the flavoring here,
but we've still gotta add quite a few of--
We've got to have the fishes
and the herbs as well,
so I think it'll balance it out.
[William] How's it doing?
-[Molly] Do you want to taste it?
-Yeah.
Don't be neggy.
It does have a similar
sort of flavor, I think.
The tomato is getting less
a little bit now. What do you think?
Ooh, that doesn't taste
anything like it.
-Dad, you're so negative.
-You're so negative.
[Jack, with accent]
"Potato." That was good, wasn't it?
How long do these things take,
'cause they've got to open, haven't they?
Oh yeah, let's put them in now.
Well, it would be a shame if we poisoned
anyone, um, let's put them in.
[Oh, jeez.
[Jasmyn] Ours looks really red
compared to everyone else's.
Yeah, 'cause he put half bottle in there.
Color's off, this is definitely
more brown.
-Not sure why--
-I know why!
I'm sure the judges will tell us
at the end of it.
-[Jasmyn] Hasn't got the seafood taste.
-Two types of white fish,
-mussels, prawns.
-I think it's too much.
-Yeah, definitely.
-Fish stock,
-lots in there.
-I know, he never think about it.
-Shall we put the prawns in at 10?
-Prawns in, yeah.
-Put it in now.
-Let's put them in 10.
[Molly] Oh, dear.
-Ah, sorry.
-Put it on properly.
-[Jack] It is on properly, you moron!
-[William] Don't call me that.
All under control.
Actually, let's just get
that bottle of cava.
-Into this. A little bit more?
-Fine.
-[Prachi] We're going nuts about nuts.
-[Mitesh] Nuts about nuts, yeah.
We are seriously going nuts
about the nuts.
Another challenge for our families is
getting the piccata topping just right.
Is it definitely almonds
in it, yeah?
I don't know if there's almonds in it.
-I can't see any.
-It didn't taste nutty.
The Whitakers are asking the same
question: is it hazelnuts or almonds?
-This one, this one.
-What's from Spain?
That's almonds, that's hazelnuts.
[Prachi] I can tell you it's hazelnut.
I think it's Mitesh
that's the deciding vote.
-Can I make a decision?
-Yes.
-I think it's almond. Yeah.
-Yeah? Okay.
[Tommy]
Okay, so we've got five minutes left.
It's definitely a similar taste, isn't it?
Yeah. It's too tomato-y at the moment,
but hopefully that'll...
[Molly] I think we just need to cook it
a bit longer.
[Jack] Oh, you are good.
[William] Well, it's blind
leading the blind, isn't it?
[Waleed] Color's alright.
[Gemini] Yeah, I think so.
You're just worried about nothing.
[Pinki] Well, if Tommy's made that,
he's a chef, we're not chefs,
-so if we get it--
-If we get it exact.
Go get a job with him.
Try this one.
Not far off, is it?
That one's still better.
-[laughs]
-[Qidi grunts]
[Molly] What about the potatoes,
are they cooked?
So can you just tell me in plain speech,
are they cooked?
I'll try.
No they're as hard as nails.
Is there anything else over there?
[Gemini] It's too late to add anything,
let's not stress about it.
That's what we did last time,
there's no point.
We've done what we've done.
-This is meant to look exactly like that.
-But...
-That's mushed up.
-How many times...
You have to argue with me
all the time.
One minute left now.
Yeah, I'm just going round first,
then I'll do a second round.
Shall I put another couple
of sprinkles on?
Yeah, I reckon right at the end,
right at the end.
Why do you insist on doing everything
right at the end?
-It adds to my stress, I'm not doing it.
-Dad, we need that still!
-[Molly] I'll do it.
-Quick, they're gonna call it.
Sprinkle, sprinkle, sprinkle,
more, more, more.
The Mistry men must do this taste test.
Good job.
-Is that enough?
-We're done, we're done.
Loads of time.
We're done, we're done.
-[Angellica] Five.
-[Tommy] Four.
-Three.
-Two.
-One.
-Stop.
-Should we turn it off?
-Should we turn it off, or...
Shall we turn it off?
With the fish stew done,
our families can compare notes.
I think ours a bit too red.
Andrew put in too much...
-Tomato?
-Yeah.
Ours is a little bit on the tomato-y side.
I think we're all tomato
by the sounds of it.
Clearly, that's what's meant
to be in it, no?
First up with their version
of a Catalan fish stew are the Whites.
[Angellica]
It's difficult to judge the fish stew,
because at the end of the day,
it's lots of ingredients in a pan.
I would have probably added
a little more green to it,
just to lift it,
give it a bit more color.
You could've been a bit more
generous with the picatta on top.
You know, this sort of big fish stew,
it's about being generous
and hearty and it feels a little mean.
But the color of it looks pretty on point
with what the original was.
First, we want to tell you,
you are the family who got the most
ingredients correct for this dish.
-Didn't expect that.
-It's a minor miracle.
But even though you had
all those ingredients,
it is a little bit disappointing.
Your potatoes are undercooked
and some of your fish is a little bit
overcooked as well.
And there isn't enough fish flavor
running through the whole dish,
even though there is fish in it,
because you know the base of it
is a fish stock, which--
-Did you do that or not?
-No.
The way to get flavor into stew like this
is you sweat off all them vegetables first
and cook 'em really evenly.
You should have cut them a bit small.
That would've got this base flavor,
And then you would make a stock
with the fish heads,
and the prawn heads,
get this real strong fishy stock.
And if you mix that
with the base of the vegetables,
and all the aromatic herbs and spices,
and the fish goes in, that's how you make
a brilliant fish stew.
You had all the ingredients,
but not quite the technique today.
And because of that,
your sauce tastes a little bit watery.
It just seems bland.
it just doesn't have the flavors we are
so used to you guys presenting to us,
so I'm so disappointed for you.
This, I think, is your worst dish
you've presented.
Next, the Mistrys with their take
on the Catalan classic.
On presentation I think
this could look a little bit fuller.
You could be a bit more generous.
I'd like to see some of that pacatta,
give it that texture on the top,
but it is a fish stew,
so the proof is in the tasting.
You've cooked your vegetables really well,
and the fish is tender.
But I think the main thing
that's lacking
is that fishy, Catalan flavor
that we really wanted to get.
The first time I saw you
in this competition
you made that amazing
prawn biryani,
you mashed up all the prawn heads.
You made this beautiful flavored,
sort of perfume-y prawn stock,
and I just don't see that in this dish.
The flavor just hasn't come through,
which is what I would never say
about a Mistry dish,
that it's actually a little bit bland.
The cooking's on point,
but it just lacks
that real depth of flavor
that I associate with your cooking,
I think you've missed on
some of the aromatic ingredients,
some of the spices
which should've been in there.
It's a real shame, 'cause we know
you can cook well with spices,
and you know your flavors,
but this is the tricky thing
about this challenge.
It's recreating something
that you don't necessarily know
or have cooked before,
and that's why it's been
difficult for everyone.
-Yep.
-Okay.
Next, the Gohil and Al-Sheiks,
led by fish-averse Pinki.
[Tommy] It's presented
really nicely.
You've been very generous with the parsley
and the picatta on the top,
because it's not the easiest thing
to present,
a fish stew all in one pot,
but I think it looks really appetizing.
I think it's the best-presented
Catalan fish stew we have,
and you want to delve in and find out
what lurks beneath the surface.
[Tommy] Good thing,
putting that picatta on top.
It's lovely, gives a lovely texture
to the dish.
Thicken up the sauce a bit.
Lovely garlicky flavor.
It's really tasty.
The fish is cooked very well,
but it doesn't really taste
like Catalan stew.
it's quite spicy.
You put chipotle in there.
Why did you put chipotle in there?
We thought we could taste something
that was a bit smoky,
and then we had paprika
and we had chipotle,
and we opted for the chipotle over...
Well, the thing is, chipotle makes
anything taste good, doesn't it?
[laughing]
You know, it's that smoked, dry jalapeño,
and that's what gives it this kick.
And I think, as Tommy said,
this is a delicious dish,
but it's not a Catalan fish stew,
so we just got to weigh that up.
Next time you're cooking a Catalan dish,
just go for the paprika,
rather than the chipotle sauce.
Yep, cool. Thank you.
And last, the Whitakers,
who started their dish with a rich stock.
[Tommy] It is the reddest
of all of the fish stews.
I think the presentation
looks really nice.
There's a nice sort of chunky picatta
on top of there,
which looks like it's tasty.
You'll probably be interested to know
you actually got
the least ingredients right
out of all the families.
Yeah.
-I was surprised!
-[Jasmyn] No way.
However, this dish has brilliant flavor.
You've made a lovely fish stock,
and that's flavored the whole dish
and actually made it taste
really quite authentic,
'cause the base of that Catalan stew
was a wonderfully flavored fish stock,
and you've done just that.
The vegetables are cooked perfectly,
the fish is cooked perfectly.
It's actually, yeah, it's perfect,
it's just isn't quite...
Apart from the ingredients.
-[laughing]
-It isn't quite what we asked for.
The reason it's red is 'cause
you used pasatta.
There was no passata in the recipe.
It should have just been
a bit of tomato paste.
The piccata on the top
was supposed to be almonds.
You used hazelnuts.
But, I think it's the tastiest dish.
A few little tweaks,
and it would have been outstanding.
[all] Thank you.
The Whitakers, theirs tasted the most
like a Catalan fish stew,
-and it was delicious, fact.
-It was really good.
The Mitsrys though,
theirs did taste like a Catalan fish stew,
but it lacked that real depth of flavor
we were looking for.
On the other hand,
the Gohil and Al-Sheiks'
was packed full of flavor,
just the wrong flavor.
It didn't taste like a Catalan dish.
-So we're saying they're neck and neck.
-I think so.
Okay, then we have the Whites,
and I think they were a big surprise
for both of us today,
because so far
they haven't put a foot wrong.
But today, it probably was
their worst dish they've served up.
Yeah, so far.
The pressure is now well and truly on.
And today's second challenge
will be the last for one family,
as four will become three.
As a chef, one of the things
I really strive for is zero waste.
Whether we're cooking meat, fish,
or vegetables, I want to use it all.
So in front of you you've got
a beautiful whole salmon.
And this challenge is simple.
We want to see exactly
how much of it you can use.
Anything that you don't use
you need to put in the little bowl
of the front there,
and we can see exactly how much
you've wasted.
We've given you time to practice
this round,
so, let's see what you're made of!
You have an hour and a half,
and your time starts now!
Alright, let's get cracking.
There's not enough time.
[Pinki] Gem, we need to get this going.
No, I need to sauté the vegetables first.
-You only need one knife, yeah?
-Yep.
[Tommy]
This challenge is my style of cooking.
They've got a whole salmon,
and they've gotta use as much as they can.
And what's great about salmon
is that it's versatile,
you can use all the different parts
and cook with them.
[Tommy]
The fillets are clearly delicious,
but the belly is
an absolute delicacy as well.
The bones you can make stock from,
and if you remove the skin separately,
you can make it nice and crisp.
[Angellica] Interesting to see what twist
each family brings to this challenge.
[Waleed] Considering I've only filleted
a salmon twice before,
um, I don't know if you would say
I was the most qualified,
but maybe the most qualified
out of the 3, 2 of us, or the 3 of us,
but other than that, yeah, I'm not--
I'd say you basically had to do it,
you didn't really have a choice.
-No.
-We kind of, um, volunteered him.
The globetrotting Gohil and Al-Sheikhs
are making
Sammy the Salmon Fusion Platter.
Comprised of teriyaki salmon kebabs,
salmon bonbons, ceviche,
salmon skin chips,
and salmon head broth.
So Pinki hates fish,
so she is steering well clear of it,
which leaves Waleed
to clean and fillet it,
but he doesn't look that experienced
at that job.
How come it got so butchered?
I think when I took the skin off,
it just didn't work.
[Pinki] Gonna add this in.
Whoo! Hello, Sammy!
[Gemini] So we've named our fish Sammy.
-Sammy's versatile, right?
-Sammy has got a vibrant personality,
very versatile and flexible,
and he likes to be used
to the best of his ability.
-And he's got taste.
-And he's got really good taste.
[Waleed] I'm hoping
the waste we have in the bowl
is the max we're gonna have now,
and not really much more added to it,
fingers crossed.
Zero waste is a really difficult
challenge, I think,
and with fish,
considering I've never done it before,
I think it's even more difficult.
[Andrew] Taking out bones
from the salmon,
because you don't want any bones
in your salmon.
And so it takes
a little bit of time to do,
and you've got to be patient.
Well, I'm not that patient.
Can you feel any bones?
-Yeah. Here!
-Where?
-So I missed some.
-You missed a lot.
The Whitakers are making a salmon platter
that showcases flavors from across Asia:
salmon with bulgogi and congee,
sashimi, teriyaki salmon,
sushi, clay pot fish head,
crispy skins, and a salmon dip.
I'm basically using all the bones
and the leftovers of the salmon
to make a stock out of it,
to make our congee in.
Congee's a traditional dish in Asia,
it's made from rice.
Today, we're making a Thai-style congee,
so the flavors will be
quite salty and quit flavorful,
so hopefully that'll be alright.
The Whitakers have spent years living in
five-star Asian hotels.
We are very privileged because
lots of chef working at the hotel,
they're really the top chef,
so sometimes I go into the kitchen
to see how they do things,
so I learned a few tips from the chef
that was really, really good.
Oh, wow.
-Waste not want not.
-Waste not want not.
We have a lot of things going on today,
Qidi's got it all in her head.
Where does the little knife
come into it?
This one? [exclaims]
[laughing]
Karate chop!
You know what, guys,
this is not a salmon,
this is a whale. It's huge!
You feel a bit more calm?
Calm this afternoon,
we know what we're doing.
-Yeah, we're time cautious this morning.
-Just a bit time cautious, I think.
We've got a lot of things to do,
but we have practiced a few times
so it should be okay.
Should be okay.
What?re you doing with the head?
I can't see the head.
The head is in the fridge,
and we're making a head stew.
I love head stew.
Yeah, we're gonna-- Do we have to eat
the eyes and everything?
The eye's gonna looking at you later!
[Andrew]
You don't have to eat the eyes, no.
-No, but some people are eating the eyes.
-Good vitamins. High in calcium.
My granny used to say, eat the eyes,
you're following the brief.
-So we're on our way, yeah.
-Good.
[Andrew] These are items we're not using,
so we've got gills,
we got a little bit of bone.
Hopefully everything else,
gonna use as much as we can.
-Where's the salmon for the--
-Dip?
-Do you want me to mix it 'round?
-Yes, toss it around.
I'm gonna have to get my hands dirty.
Ooh!
Jasmyn!
Salt or sugar?
[Jack groans] Salt.
We're not feeling that confident,
No, we're feeling sort of confident.
I mean we practiced it,
but there's quite a lot to do.
I think we're pushing ourselves
probably more than we have
in previous rounds,
as fish isn't something
that we normally do, either.
So, yeah, so I think we've got
a lot to do, haven't we?
[Molly] Yeah, a lot.
Probably too much.
The Whites' salmon surprise is a mix
of their beloved British flavors,
mixed with Asian.
Sushi, baked side of salmon
with pickled cucumber,
teriyaki salmon collar and bellies,
miso salmon head soup,
and a crispy salmon skin with salmon dip
and a broad bean salsa.
[William] I'm mullering this fish a bit.
It's not going to look much like a fillet
once I'm finished with it.
The Whites' inexperience with fish
made the last task very difficult,
and the whole fish looks to be
even more challenging.
Jack, here's a little bit of skin.
Hopefully there won't be too much
in that bowl.
-Oh, lots of things.
-Mopping your brow?
Yeah.
-It's hard work, isn't it?
-It's hard work.
It's all about being thrifty, isn't it?
What's your motto?
Oh, do you know,
my stepdad always used to say,
"Angelica, the best bargain's the one
left on the shelf."
-Very good.
-Yes.
We have some White-isms of our own
we developed
when the kids were growing up.
Tell us, tell us.
"A White never gives up,"
so when somebody's flagging,
we always say, "A White never gives up."
-Are you listening?
-Yep.
-We'll remind you shortly.
-Well, yeah.
So these broad beans, they've just had
a little blanch, have they?
Yeah, well,
I tried to run them under cold water.
You've brought these yourself,
haven't you?
They're from my garden,
so yeah.
-Home grown.
-Is there anything you guys don't do?
-Catalonian stew, it would seem to be.
-I want to be a White.
-Ah, bless.
-Can I be a White?
You can be a White for a day, if you like.
For a day? Thanks for that.
When we were practicing at home
it kind of went to plan,
but we were a bit over on time,
so it's just...
If we can get it all done now today,
hopefully it'll all be good,
and a White never gives up.
[Tommy] Important not to bite off
more than you can chew.
The Whites are doing 8 dishes.
We said we wanted to use all the salmon.
We didn't say you had to do
lots of dishes.
You know, being so close to the finals,
I think it's really daunting,
but I think we're doing our best
and we're pulling it together,
so I hope the best person wins.
The Mistrys are doing a Southeast Asian
platter of baked Asian fish parcels,
ceviche, mahinga fish soup,
fish skin bhel, and salmon skin crisps.
I'm feeling like a cooking goddess
right now,
with like, you know,
the Indian goddesses with 4 hands.
I'm like this.
-Military precision?
-Yes.
-On it, Prachi? Good.
-Yes.
-Sorry.
-[Anup] She's in the zone.
You are in the zone.
I love cooking
so this is how I generally cook,
because I cook
only one day in a week.
So I make all the dishes on one day,
which is Saturday.
And this is literally how I cook
every Saturday.
So I'm used to this.
And you'll cook and then
you'll freeze things? Brilliant, yeah.
I cook and I freeze,
and that's how we roll.
Yeah, that's how we roll,
I love it!
Are you going to be
bhangra dancing again today?
Once the fish is done
I'll start bhangra dancing.
No, come on! What else have you got
in your repertoire?
-I can do a Bollywood dance.
-I love that!
How do you do that with your...
Like this?
Is that right, is that right?
Aw, I love it!
Sorry, we're dancing over here,
we're dancing over here
and you're just talking fish.
And you do this.
Ah, ah!
Bye, bye.
The Mistrys come from a long line
of family cooks.
My mum loves to cook,
and everyone in the family
gets together during festivals,
so food has always been a part of me,
all around me,
and that's how I learned how to cook.
[Mitesh] It all began for me
at university.
I phoned Mum, I said, "Right, tell me
how to make some rice,"
so I started out with plain rice,
and it's gone from there
to become one of my passions.
[Anup] In terms of my cooking experience,
I started quite young,
watching my gran and my mum cook,
and thinking, "I want to try that."
[Prachi]
The recipe that we've chosen is difficult.
We've not gone for a roast salmon,
but salmon parcels,
so it's more intricate.
We've take the skin off
and made a snack out of it,
we've taken the head and the guts
and everything and made a stock,
and that stock I've used
in the mohinga soup,
And Mitesh is making the parcels,
the rice parcels
from the flesh of the salmon,
so we've used the whole salmon.
[Tommy]
The Mistrys' bowl is completely empty.
They've used every single part
of this whole salmon, even the gills.
If their food is all delicious,
then they've done a brilliant job.
[Molly] I forgot to rinse my rice.
[Jack] It's gone a bit gloopy.
The Whites and Whitakers
are both making sushi,
but cooking sushi rice is difficult.
In Japan chefs study the art
of making sushi rice for years.
It's not meant to be gloopy at all.
So... And one of the main rules
of sushi rice is to rinse it,
-which I haven't done.
-What about doing another batch?
-Or is that too late?
-It's too-- Yeah.
Well, just do it as it is Molly,
I wouldn't worry.
Yeah, I'm just gonna have to roll with it.
-Literally.
-Literally.
Fan it, fan it, chef.
[Tommy] Wow.
That shows real attention to detail.
You know, they're very experienced
at cooking Asian foods,
so I think they might be quite good
at sushi rice.
-Rice cools down pretty quickly right?
-Yeah.
[Molly] This whole thing is very tricky.
I've never done sushi before, so...
it's definitely an art,
and I'm probably absolutely murdering it.
While the Whites have never
made sushi before,
for Qidi, it's just like packing
a school lunch.
[Qidi] This is what I do in the morning.
The kids sometimes go to school,
they want to show off, they said,
"Oh, Mama, make me fresh sushi."
So, I need to get up 5:30
to make them fresh sushi
because sushi rice
once go in the fridge
is like stone, it's no good at all.
So Japanese,
they never eat overnight sushi,
or in the fridge.
So...
I try to make fresh for them as well.
-[Jasmyn] She's the best mother ever!
-[Andrew] Mum number one.
The Mistrys have an unexpected problem.
But they look like they already
have a solution.
So the salmon that we practiced with
was really small,
and this one's like a beast giant,
so we just improvised.
So I'm pretty glad
we're using all the salmon.
We're making fish pakoras.
That's our surprise dish for today,
for everyone, including us.
[Angellica] I love what they're doing,
they're thinking on their feet.
So they're now making salmon pakoras,
an extra dish that wasn't on the menu.
-I wasn't expecting this big fish.
-[Mitesh] Neither was I.
It's huge, massive.
[Tommy] Okay, we've got 15 minutes left.
Right, we're running
out of time now, so...
we need to just work out
what we've got to do, who's doing what.
-Well, I've got these.
-Dad, what do you have to do?
I have to finish the soup,
I've got to do the teriyaki.
I'm going to start doing the teriyaki now.
I'll put those crispy bits in the oven.
Cook the bellies.
But I've got to get them marinated,
so hurry, hurry on the teriyaki, yeah?
Are you going to do the frying
of that belly, Dad?
No, it just goes in the oven, I think.
I don't really know what I'm doing.
Just keep reading the instructions.
You'll be fine.
[Jack] And following them, even better.
The Whitakers are already thinking
about presentation.
-[Qidi] With a bit of flatbread on top.
-[Andrew] Yeah.
[Jasmyn] Salmon extravaganza.
Concentrate on what you're doing,
we've got a few minutes left.
Salmon extravaganza.
[Tommy] We've got five minutes left.
[Waleed] I'm not sure if these skins
are gonna work.
With five minutes to go,
the Gohil and Al-Sheiks' salmon skin chips
are not going to plan.
The skin is somehow stuck to the paper.
I don't know how.
But yeah, it's stuck. I'm gonna see
if I can still use bits of it,
but it probably won't be all of it.
[Jasmyn] Oh, my gosh, it makes sense,
it's like salmon.
-Of course it is.
-Yes...
That's why I put it this way, Jas.
I only just realized.
That's the thing we can't fit it in,
you have to put it here,
-Is all congee in my pot?
-Yes. Well, no, there's more to go.
Well, put as much as you can.
-That's what I said but he was like, "No."
-Put more, put more.
While the Whitakers are almost done,
our other families are desperately trying
to beat the clock.
[William] Oh, my God, that's salty.
The miso's quite salty.
Is it too salty?
-It's too salty.
-Okay, let's do it again, we've got time.
-Take those--
-No, we haven't got time.
-Yes, we do, we do.
-We haven't-- Just drain a bit.
Alright, hurry up with your ceviche,
everything else is done.
[Prachi] Anup, you're on it, right?
-Yep.
-Thanks.
[Gemini] Ohh, the lettuce broke apart,
or is two lettuce?
It's two, I didn't realise.
-[Pinki] It's too small.
-Didn't realize it was two, sorry.
Where are the noodles,
can you add the noodles in here?
Why don't you turn the tray?
Be careful!
Just leave it, just leave it.
You've one minute,
one minute left.
-My salmon, quick--
-Dad, Dad, Dad!
Where are we gonna put it?
[Gemini] That's not done
what we've wanted it to.
-Okay.
-So, we just...
-Place it on?
-Yeah, quick.
[Tommy] 30 seconds left!
[William] Grab another spatula.
Just put it on the plate, pronto.
The chili, no, that's fine,
it's just my touches.
It has to be perfect.
-[William] Here, I'm ready. Go.
-Ten seconds!
[Angellica] Seven, six,
four, three,
two, one.
That's it!
Oh, my god.
-We're never doing that again.
-Oh, my god.
How do you guys feel it went?
-It was tough. I think the time was hard.
-The timing was tight.
[overlapping chatter]
[Jack] You've got a massive,
massive salmon,
and you have to use all of it,
so you're forced to do
so many different things.
-Yeah.
-Yeah.
We were just sort of--
Everyone was everywhere.
It was difficult,
hour and a half was quite tight,
-but I think we did all right.
-Very. Yeah.
It was hot, it was really hot
in the kitchen.
First up are the Whites,
with their salmon surprise.
Sushi, baked side of salmon,
teriyaki salmon,
miso salmon head soup,
and crispy salmon skin,
with salmon dip
and a broad bean salsa.
Well, wow, what a feast.
So much going on. Was that hard work?
-Yeah.
-Very.
[Tommy]
Yeah, you had a bit of a sweat, William.
Yeah.
Wrestling with that salmon.
Well there's not much waste in the bowl,
so that's a good start.
Well, you can see that,
'cause there's a lot to be going at.
This just has the whole White signature:
neat, clean, precise,
and really appetizing.
[Tommy] Belly on the salmon's usually
something that gets thrown away,
no one really shows it much love or care,
but you really have.
I love those teriyaki flavors on there.
I think that's a real treat, is that.
A real clever thing to do as well,
when this challenge is about
not wasting anything.
[Angellica] The garnishes on your platter
are really good.
The pan-fried salmon with that cucumber
dressing is just amazing.
It's really light and fresh
and compliments the salmon.
The fish skin, I think you needed
to get all the fat and flesh off it
before you crisped it up.
With salmon, you've got that layer
of back fat underneath the flesh
next to the skin, and when you try
and crisp that up with the fat on,
it becomes very oily and greasy,
which makes it quite hard going
when you've got all this food to eat.
[Angellica] It's such a shame
about your sushi.
It wasn't washed,
so therefore it was starchy,
and it is undercooked,
but all in all there's
some really nice flavors on here.
[Tommy] The salmon you've baked
in the oven,
I love the mustard on the top.
That really works. It's nicely cooked.
But maybe you can see there's still
the bones on the top there.
I'd have took that spine out
and all them bones as well.
Just makes it easier to eat.
I think it's a really good effort.
The Whitakers are up next
with their platter:
Salmon with bulgogi and congee,
sashimi, teriyaki salmon,
sushi, clay pot fish head,
crispy fish skins, and a salmon dip.
[Angellica] I have to say,
you've made salmon
the centerpiece of your platter.
You're the only family to put
the fish head actually on the platter.
Like you said, it was a whale.
It is a whale.
Gonna eat that eyeball, Angelica?
That eyeball's looking at you.
-[Angellica] Don't even...
-I'm gonna have that cheek, look at that.
Just...
I'll eat another cheek,
or turn the other cheek.
I'll eat the eyes in my own private time.
I don't know actually where to start
because there's so many things I've tasted
that just taste great.
The fish head is lovely and soft,
the cheeks melted in my mouth.
[Tommy] The sushi rice, you went
to a lot of effort fanning that.
You were fanning rice, not yourself.
You were getting hotter and hotter.
We want blood, sweat and tears.
This is the finals, and it's worth it,
'cause that rice is perfection.
Thank you.
To me it's that congee.
Something different that you've brought
that I've never tasted before.
-You say it's rice porridge.
-[Qidi] Mm-hmm.
It's just light, flavorsome.
I don't think there's many faults
I've got with this,
so I think I'll just finish.
-[laughing]
-Thank you.
I think it's a masterclass
in fish cookery,
and that is how you cook salmon.
It's perfectly pink,
and the skin...
I love the attention to detail,
and you've used salt with it.
It's really dried out.
Got it really crispy.
And it's got the perfect snap,
It's all protein,
there's no vegetables,
and I couldn't care less.
I just want to eat all that salmon.
It's brilliant.
Now for the Mistrys with their flavors
of Southeast Asia:
Baked Asian fish parcels, ceviche,
mohinga fish soup, fish skin bhel,
and salmon skin crisps,
with additional salmon pakora.
Well, I think everybody's embraced this
challenge quite well of having zero waste,
but you've really got zero waste.
Even the gills have gone into it,
which I'm interested about.
And pakoras, that wasn't
on your original plan, was it?
So there was so much fish
you just decided
to make something extra?
[Prachi] Yep.
-Fair play, I like that.
-It's really, really good.
[Angellica] The fish soup is great.
There's so much texture in it.
You can taste the salmon,
taste the fish,
but also you've got the banana blossom
in there, the chilis,
so there's a lovely aftertaste of heat
that comes through.
But I've got to say for me,
it's the salmon pakora
that really add to it.
[Tommy] The pakoras were an afterthought,
but they were an inspired one.
They're absolutely delicious,
I could have a bucket full.
Maybe two buckets.
The parcels,
what an interesting way to cook fish.
I think they're really tasty,
they're packed full of flavor,
They could have had slightly less cooking,
but because they're wrapped in that parcel
they stayed really moist.
The fish soup is delicious.
Clearly, it had everything in it,
and you can tell, 'cause it's got
that really robust salmon-y flavor.
The ceviche is wonderfully sour,
but you've got enough salt on there
that it's really balanced it out well.
There's just so many things here
that I really like and shows your skill
in the kitchen.
-Thank you.
-Thank you.
And finally the Gohil and Al-Sheiks,
with their
Sammy the Salmon fusion platter:
teriyaki salmon kebabs, salmon bon bons,
ceviche, salmon skin chips,
and salmon head broth.
Well, this looks like a real feast.
Good fish butchery, Waleed.
There's not much there,
and what is there,
I don't really wanna eat, so...
Good work, you've embraced
the challenge really well.
[Tommy] The bonbons, they're really tasty.
A little bit like a fish cake
And with the dip, it's nice and creamy,
That works really well.
[Angellica] That salmon & dill dip
you've got is delicious.
You've really balanced it out,
it's lovely.
[Tommy] The salmon on the skewers is
a little bit dry.
You could've cooked it a bit less
and coated it a lot more.
That teriyaki sauce,
such a shame that you didn't add more.
You had some left in the pan,
you could have put more over them,
just to keep them moist and juicy.
[Tommy] The ceviche,
I like the chili in it and the fruit.
and the acidity's really good,
but you needed more salt.
That would have brought it all together.
It would help cure the fish,
but also it would have seasoned
everything else.
The fish skin hasn't really worked.
If something's not working,
just leave it off.
I think we've told you that before.
Just remember that so it doesn't
bring down the whole dish.
[Tommy] The broth, though, I think is
the weakest part of the dish.
It's quite bland and the fish in it
is overcooked. I think...
There's so little fish
left in this bowl,
I was expecting something
with so much more flavor.
That's the weakest part,
but there's other elements here
-that really work for me.
-Thank you.
We've had
some really, really good food today.
We've got some talking to do
and a decision to make.
Unfortunately, one of you
will have to go home today.
[Tommy] The Whitakers have
the dish of the day.
That salmon was fantastic.
It was a 10 out of 10 dish.
That's enough to put them through.
They were phenomenal.
And then we have the Mistrys.
I think they've done enough to go through.
They didn't have a great morning,
but those pakoras were just amazing,
and those fish parcels had lots of flavor.
The tricky bit now though is,
what do we do with the Whites?
They were bad this morning,
but this afternoon,
the salmon they did really well,
they brought big flavors,
the belly was delicious,
and that miso soup, that packed a punch.
Is that enough to get them through?
And then there's the Gohil and Al-Sheikhs.
I mean, they were more consistent,
but did they cook anything that wowed us?
[Tommy] What you managed to achieve
this afternoon
with just one fish and zero waste
was very impressive.
Unfortunately, only three families
can go through to tomorrow.
So that means we have to say goodbye
to one of you.
The first family going through is...
-The Whitakers.
-Yay.
The second family going through is...
The Mistrys.
The third and final family
going through is...
The Whites.
So I'm very sorry, but that means
we have to say goodbye
to the Gohil and Al-Sheikhs,
who've been brilliant.
We do want to say this has been
a really, really good heat.
As you can see,
the finals are getting tough.
Yep. Good luck to you guys.
-Good luck, guys.
-[overlapping chatter]
[Angellica] To be honest, it was between
the Gohil and Al-Sheikhs and the Whites
as to who was going home today.
The Gohil and Al-Sheikhs were
very consistent throughout the day,
but this afternoon the Whites brought
some exceptional flavors.
It's been amazing.
Gutted, disappointed.
We're still a little bit proud of how
we did, you know, how far we got.
We should be proud right?
We're really proud of how far we've come,
but it ends here for us.
-It does.
-Sadly.
Today was super hard.
I felt the pressure in both of the rounds.
But we are through,
so final three!
No, no, no bhangra,
let's do Bollywood, thumkas.
We're through by the skin of our teeth,
aren't we?
Yep, that was very close,
closest one we've had.
I think we have to make
a new White-ism, which is,
"A White never shows their excitement,"
but I'm pretty pleased
we are where we are.
Absolutely, definitely.
Yeah, Qidi-style, rock it!
I don't know this woman.
Next time,
our final three families are back,
and we have a massive surprise
for one of them.
We are now down to three families.
We do not want to be disappointed.
Let's go.
Faster, Anup.
-Don't need to say it every 30 seconds.
-Because I'm reminding you.
We got to be more organized,
and no arguments.
[both growling]
-Haven't quite worked that out.
-When are you gonna do that?
-Probably when you stop talking to us.
-And the sass level is right up there.
The game got more interesting now.