All language subtitles for MasterChef Australia - S18E36-Eng

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VOICEOVER: Previously
on MasterChef Australia....

Please welcome Adriano Zumbo!

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

..Sweet Week brought a swag
of excitement.

Fish sauce.

Kombu.

(CONTESTANTS EXCLAIM)

JEAN-CHRISTOPHE: Barberry.

Ooh!
Oh, yeah!

..and their cooking
hit the sweet spot...

This is on the money,
so well done.

ANDY: I freaking love this.

JEAN-CHRISTOPHE:
Bing, bang, boom!

..then Jess Lemon was unbeatable
in Beat The Chef.

And their first
taste test elimination

was the end of the journey
for Jackie.

JACKIE: This has been
the wildest ride,

and I feel so lucky
and so grateful.

Tonight,
we kick off Masters Week

with an icon of the industry.

LUKE: Let's do it, team.

Hello!

Oh!

OK.
OK!

It's a box, yes!

G'day, everybody!

Welcome to a new week.

It's a mystery box!

Mystery box?
Love mystery boxes.

You just have no idea
what you're gonna find.

Mystery box!

And I find that quite fun.

I feel like it's
a very even playing field.

You lift the lid,
and then you just have to,

like, build a dish
then and there around it.

And I kind of feel like that's

where some of my best work
comes out.

I hope you are all
fired up this week

because it is going to be
an absolute belter.

Ooh.

Can you believe by the end
of it we'll have our top ten?

(CONTESTANTS EXCLAIM)

The competition,
it is shifting into top gear.

So we thought it was time
to step it up.

Bring in a line-up
of very special guests.

A line-up? Ooh.

Each day this week,
you'll meet a master.

Ooh.

Chefs who have spent years
perfecting their skills.

Experts at the absolute top
of their game.

Oh, my God.

They'll teach you,

they'll inspire you
and push you to your limits.

Welcome to Masters Week.

The master
who set your mystery boxes

is an absolute legend.

He's one of the most innovative

and revolutionary chefs
of his generation.

He's an award-winning author
and an acclaimed restaurateur.

He is undisputed king
of sustainable seafood,

with his pioneering
fin-to-gill philosophy.

Please welcome from
Fish Butchery and Saint Peter,

the fish master, Josh Niland!

(CHEERING)

Oh, my God! I cannot believe it.

Josh Niland

is, like, making lamingtons
from fish scales,

and then he makes ice cream
from fish eyes.

Welcome back.

Josh, you're back!

Just, like, so awesome
how he approaches seafood.

Alright.

Josh.
G'day.

It's so good to have you back
in the MasterChef kitchen.

Congratulations on the success

of Fish Butchery
and Saint Peter.

Thank you.
Three-hatted restaurant.

Yeah, again. Phew!

And Saint Peter
is turning ten this year.

Yeah, it's ten years.
Makes me feel old.

But when you enjoy what you do,
I think we could do

another ten years
and it'd still feel wonderful.

Alyona, your face dropped
when Josh walked in.

Can you believe he's here?
No.

It's like,
it felt like a dream come true.

To be honest,
I'm getting even emotional.

I'm such a big fan.
Aww.

I grew up in Russia
and my grandfather

used to teach me how to eat

all the weird bits of fish
all the time.

So seeing what you're doing

in your restaurant,
going through your books,

it's just mind-blowing.

So I'm just...
I'm so happy you're here.

Oh, amazing.

Casper, you looked
a bit giddy there.

Are you a big Josh Niland fan?

Yeah, yeah, huge fan.

Like, your restaurants
and yourself have

a pretty big part in my
and my partner's life.

Like, one of our first dates

was getting a cheeseburger
and fish and chips...

Ah, cool.
..from Fish Butchery.

Um, and then we had

our first anniversary
at Saint Peter.

Wow.
We had dinner there.

So, yeah.
Proper.

I'm a big fan of Josh Niland,
yeah, yeah, yeah.

He's got a very special,

special place in my heart,
I feel.

Josh, I think
these guys are dying to know

what's under that mystery box.

Would you like to show them?
Absolutely.

Oh, my God.

Today, I've brought you...

..flathead.

(CONTESTANTS EXCLAIM)

Yes! Fish and chips.
Yeah.

This is a rock flathead,

so this is coming out
of the corner inlet in Victoria.

You can't get
a better eating flathead.

It's something
that we serve at Saint Peter,

something
that we frequently sell

over the counter
at Fish Butchery as well.

As Australians, we have

a really solid reference point
for a flathead.

It's almost iconically known
as fish and chips,

but oftentimes we don't know
that we could also eat it raw

because it's an incredible fish
to eat raw as well.

I'm going to show you
my three favourite techniques

for butchering a flathead.

Cool.
Sweet.

So I'm going to show you
butterflying,

reverse butterflying
and then filleting,

but with the head and tail
left on.

PETRO: This is really special.

This is why I came
to MasterChef.

Like, this exact scenario
right now

is exactly why
I wanted to be here.

So I'm just gonna lap it up.

I'll start with probably
the most complex technique,

which is
the idea of butterflying

with the head on.

So what we're going to start
by doing is scissors first,

and we're going to take off
all of these little fins.

Now we've got something
really nice to start with.

What I'm going to do
is draw the blade

down...

..the back of this fish.

What I'm looking for
is the moment

where then
I can see the spine.

I'm going to angle my knife
in underneath the spine.

I'm going to work my way
as low as I can

without putting my knife through
to the other side.

In this space right here
is where all the rib bones are,

pin bones are.

Important to know
because then I know

exactly where to put
the bottom blade of my scissor.

So I put that
under the first rib.

This then scissors
all the way to the top.

I go between the eyes, I cut.

Let's open this up.

And now, turn this over.

And this is now
where we start the next cut.

You want to puncture in here,

and then I'm drawing the blade

from tail to head,

with the blade angling down
towards the frame of the fish

so that I can find that spine

just like I did
on the other side.

Now, scissor,

cut at the tail here.

And then cut
just beneath the spine.

And what I'm trying to do

is I'm trying
to get this frame out

without disturbing the flesh.

And you can hear
the little clicks of ribs

coming off.

All the way up,

making sure we leave the head
as intact as possible.

So, flathead bone from
head to tail comes out.

There's a whole Zen about it,
but it's also,

for lack of a better word,
a religious experience,

because you see how precise
and how meticulous he is.

Gills come out
with the organs intact.

All the jibbly bits.

But now the tedious work
of removing rib bones

and pin bones.

AARON: But he does it
with such ease and precision,

he makes it look so simple.

But the hardest things
in the world

are usually things
that look simple.

So all pin bones out,
all rib bones out.

First one - butterflied,
head on.

(ALL EXCLAIM)

We crack on.
We've got the next fish.

So this is now
reverse butterfly.

Fins off.

You see on his Instagram,

like, all of these flat layers
of all of the organs.

And, like,
we're watching him do it now.

Cut the ribs off the spine.

He's very clean.

He's very neat.
It's so effortless for him.

It's amazing.

Are there specific times
when you would opt

for a normal butterfly
and a reverse butterfly?

Yeah. So the reason
why I butterfly

is that gives me
the ability of crumbing,

because it's not obstructed
by the bone

that would sit
through the middle.

And then for
this reverse butterfly method

that I'm doing now, is more
conducive to grilling.

Reverse butterfly,
I've done quite a few times.

Scissor along.

And I learnt how to do that
from watching Josh Niland, so...

Again, pin boning.

..it's pretty cool
to see him here right now

showing me how to do it again.

I scissor the bottom jaw open,
like so.

Flathead now
reverse butterflied.

And finally, filleting,
but with the head and tail on.

ANNABEL: I normally
just take the head off,

take the fillets off the frame
and make a little sauce

out of the bones
and the head and the tail.

So this is wild
seeing them

still attached to the fillet.

I'm like,
"What do we do with it?"

The trickiest part
of this particular cut,

you need to split this tail
in half

so that both sides
have a bit of tail each.

(ALL EXCLAIM)
That is crazy!

The head obviously
carries some beautiful meat,

but more than anything,
the reason why we do this

is to show revenance of place

and craftsmanship.

This is fish magic.
This is outrageous.

When you get a skinless,
boneless flathead fillet,

it could be from anywhere,
from anyone.

It's almost flaunting
what you've got.

Like, if you've got
this spectacular fish,

we should be
really showing it off.

BELLA: The fillet
with the head and tail

is a really interesting one.

I've never even heard of
serving a fish that way.

Pin boning,

rib boning - so important.

And I'm not even sure
how you'd cook it

once it's in that form.

Alright, last fillet
goes across.

And, guys,
they're the three techniques

that we've now applied
to our flathead.

All three of them
can be grilled.

Butterfly is a great method
for crumbing.

The reverse butterfly -
perfect for the grill.

And then fillet, to me,

we don't necessarily
always have to apply heat.

You could do a raw product.
You could grill the head.

We could do two
different methods of cookery.

But good old-fashioned
fish and chips

is always a perfect one
for the fillet.

Josh Niland, everybody!

How he prepares his fish
in such a beautiful way

to present on a plate
is incredible.

I'm feeling so inspired.

That was an incredible display
to watch

and I hope you paid
close attention.

You have 75 minutes to create

a dish with the flathead
under your mystery boxes.

You must use one of these
three Fish Butchery techniques

that Josh just taught you.

The pantry and garden are open,

so you have all the flavours
and ingredients

you could possibly need.

The top three dishes

will be safe
from tomorrow's elimination.

Josh, anything to add?
Good luck.

No, we're talking about a fish
that is very lean.

It doesn't take
a great deal of time to cook.

However, it does take
quite a while to prepare.

So organise yourselves
thoroughly.

Are we all ready?
ALL: Yeah!

Your time starts now!

Come on!

Ooh.

Whoa, a fish!

Oh, you got all the... Ooh!

Go, go, go!

Alright.

Garlic, onions, carrots, fennel.

Fresh chilli, ginger, garlic.

How cute are these fennel?

Oh, that's a big one.

As a nurse, I'm probably
a lot more comfortable

approaching anatomy of,
like, fish or meat or humans,

so I think today might be
a good challenge for me

and I don't find it
too daunting.

Snack.

I want to do something
that I'm comfortable

in the fish butchery so that
I can do that really well,

but then build a really cool,
awesome, creative dish

that hopefully Josh will be
like, "Oh, that's awesome."

Ooh!

Today, I'm going to be using
the reverse butterfly,

and then I'm going to stuff it
with like a breadcrumb stuffing,

kind of like a roast chicken,

and then truss it and tie it
and then roast in the oven,

and then make a beautiful jus

out of the bones
from the flathead.

I kind of want the judges
to experience it and be like,

"If I close my eyes,

"I can kind of taste like
I'm eating a roast chicken,

"but it's actually a fish."

Josh is, like, a crazy chef,

so a crazy cook
for a crazy chef.

Like, why not?

I'm gonna treat this fish today
as a roast,

and every single roast
needs a good gravy with it,

and that's what the role
of this fish jus is going to do.

I'm just gonna get
some vegetables

roasting in the oven,

so I'll get a bit of, like,
caramelisation on,

then I'm going
to throw the spine in

and then make
a beautiful fish jus with it.

So it's just gonna be like
fish, fish, fish, fish, fish.

Who would have thought putting
that in would be so hard?

You have just completed
the most amazing demo

with three different ways on how
to butcher the common flathead.

JOSH: Yeah.
What do you want to see?

Oh, like, I mean,
what I'm desperate to see

is if they were
paying attention.

So let's see
what the knife work's like.

But as well as that,

the cookery of this
is the biggest challenge...

Yeah.
..I feel.

And, you know,
when we talk about fish,

we always say
it's a matter of seconds

rather than a matter of minutes.
Mm-hm.

And I would argue that
sometimes.

But when it comes to a flathead,

it is kind of
a matter of seconds.

Yeah.

You really need to find
that little window that exists.

But what we don't want
is a mouth full of bones

and a dried-out piece of fish.
Yeah.

LUKE: Yeah, it's pretty awesome
today to have Josh Niland

in the kitchen
to kick off Masters Week.

I mean, what a way.
Like, master of his craft.

He knows his stuff.

The plan is go
for the half fillet

with the tail and head on.

Oh, hello.

I'm gonna cure the body,

and then I'm just gonna
absolutely blast the skin

so I'm going to hibachi.

The tail and the head
are thinner than the other bits,

so they will get cooked,

but then the bit
that's been cured will be raw.

I don't know if it'll work,
I've got absolutely no idea,

but if it does,
it'll be pretty cool.

Hey, Emily.
Hello. How are we?

Good.
G'day.

You haven't attacked
your flathead yet?

No, I have not yet.

I'm actually thinking of doing
the head-to-tail filleting,

and then on one side,
I'm going to hibachi it,

and on the other side,
I'm planning to make sashimi.

Wow.

And I want to present everything
as a meal.

Basically, when you go to
a Japanese restaurant,

they have the rice
with the miso soup,

so I'm going more towards
that line of work.

Beauty. You don't need us, then.
No!

I need time, I think.

(BASHING)

ALYONA: I've never done fillets

with, like,
the head and everything

but, yeah,
it's very interesting today

to try new techniques.

That masterclass was amazing.

I'm gonna attempt to recreate,

like, a Russian soup
called 'ukha'.

So I'm filleting the fish
and I'm using the spine

to enhance some more flavour
in my fish broth,

and then I'm gonna serve it
as a broth

with the pan-seared fillets.

Come on, come on,
come on, come on.

It's Masters Week, and we want
you to master the flathead!

One hour to go!

AARON: Damn!

I'm just trying to tackle
this fish right now.

Just trying to do it
with the butterfly method.

I haven't done

this particular technique
with the fish before,

so it's kind of like
a masterclass

and a challenge all in one.

Basically, what I'm trying to do
is I'm trying

to make a fried flathead

on a beautiful sauce
that has some turmeric,

some spices, some lemongrass
going through it.

So it's like a
South-east Asian-inspired sauce

and just have some herbs on top,
just to really hero the fish.

The pin bones are getting me.

The main thing when butterflying

is to make sure that
you get rid of all the bones.

I see you!

There's so many little bones

that run along
the belly of the fish.

It's really hard

to locate these bones
under the flesh.

It's stressful.

On top of that, if you are
too aggressive with it,

you could snap the bone.

But you could also
tear the flesh of the fish.

These bones are so annoying.

There it is.

It's really important to me

that this butterflying work
is perfect.

Oh, my hands are shaking.

I live right by the beach,

and the ocean
is like a really big,

important part of who I am.

Actually, wait,
this little fish tat.

OK, I reckon I'm done.

I just really want
to impress Josh today.

He is so incredibly inventive
with his approach to seafood,

and I'm thinking
of sort of taking

a little bit of that on today.

Hey, Grace.
Hi.

How are ya?
Good.

This looks really good
before you get into it.

Oh, thank you.
Yeah.

Well, you won't be pleased
to hear that I'm thinking

about going further than this,

and I want to make a sausage
out of the body meat.

You've done
such a good job here.

To now put this through
a mincer and make a sausage,

what's the point of doing that?

I'm thinking I want to make
a sausage

out of the body meat.

We use sausages at Fish Butchery
and Saint Peter

to utilise a significant amount
of trimmings and bits and bobs

that accumulate themselves
over the course of a week.

Mm-hm.

We're not talking about fish

that was literally
in the water last night.

Mm-hm.
Highlight the flathead.

Highlight the technique.
Cook it perfectly. Well done.

I think
there's sort of two options

with Josh here today.

My initial choice

was to take the really creative,
sort of wacky side

of what he does,

but what I, of course,
should be doing

is going more over to his ethos
of beautiful fish cooking

and really honouring
the product.

No sausage. Update - no sausage.

I just have to trust
my intuition

and come up
with a solution ASAP.

You two,
my fish is on the top shelf.

Yep.
Thanks.

CASPER: Um, Chef?
JEAN-CHRISTOPHE: Yeah?

Is that the roe?
That's the roe, yeah.

That's the roe. OK, cool.
Yeah.

The presence of Josh

in the kitchen
has really inspired me today

to make the most of this fish.

Today I'm doing the fillets with
the head and tail on,

and I'm going to do
one side fried

and I'm going to do
one side grilled.

So I want to do like
an Indonesian sort of style

With the head-on,
tail-on fillet,

I can almost get
that mirror image on the plate,

one side
looking really rustic, fried,

and one side looking
a lot more elevated, grilled,

but then still have them
connected with the flavours

through the sauce
that are still very much

like Indonesian.

Should be
a bridge between them.

I'm making a sambal.

And so for the fried one,

I'm just going to serve it
fried, nice and crispy,

and then the sambal on top.

And then the grilled side,

I'm going to do like a sambal,
um, it looks like a jus.

I'm gonna try use the roe
as well in the sauce,

be a bit more technical with it
as well.

PETRO: Is there
some smaller fish tweezers?

These are huge.

I'm making
a reverse butterfly flathead

on the hibachi.

I'm definitely
feeling the pressure

because of my last hibachi.

I'm a fish cook.

I'm sure we all remember
what happened

the last time I cooked
a whole fish on MasterChef.

Oh!
Jesus.

Oh, my gosh!
Oh.

It went up in flames.

The fish, the flesh
has cooked perfectly,

but the skin,

it's burnt
and it's quite bitter.

It's about making it up today

and getting a little bit of,
uh, hibachi redemption.

I'm gonna do it

with some boiled Kipfler
potatoes,

herb dressing with anchovies,

capers, lemon zest, lemon.

I'm just seeing

whether these anchovies
are the ones I want to use.

I've got two types.

I'm just going to see
whether it's going to fit

the flavour profile or not.

Apart from the fish
being the hero, this is probably

the second most important
element.

I like it.

All my other elements
are pretty rich and fatty.

The fish is really sweet.

This is going to really tie
everything together.

I would love to be
in the top three today,

top ten around the corner,

and that would just mean
one step closer.

Mm.

Hey, Pat.
G'day. How you doing?

How's it going, Pat?

So I've done
the reverse butterfly.

Nice.

Wow.

This isn't your first flattie.

We did grow up
fishing for flattie.

Yeah?
Yeah.

So you've done this kind
of preparation?

I know how to do
the old down the side,

flip it over, get the other,
fillet off, like, the quick way.

That's brilliant.
Yeah, thank you.

What's the dish?

Um, so I'm doing, going to
barbecue on the hibachi.

Brilliant.

And then I'm doing it
with a Thai green curry sauce

and a Thai basil oil,
and hopefully some rice.

You're in a good place.
Alright.

Good luck, mate.
Good luck.

Thanks, guys.

Hey, Hannah.
Hello, ladies.

That looks beautifully done,

I have to say.
So what are you doing?

When I was listening to Josh,

he said a couple of times,
this fish goes really well raw.

So I'm going to take the fillets
off with the tail and the head,

and I'm going to roast
the tail and the head,

I'm going to cure the fillet
and I want to present it

so you can have
the roasty and the raw.

So it looks like a whole fillet.
Yes.

Very ambitious.
Am I crazy? Yes.

Yeah.
Ha-ha!

VINNIE: There's a bloody lot
of bones in here!

It's like extracting teeth.

I'm using the butterfly method

and I'm going to be cooking
my fish over the hibachi,

so kind of like a barbecue.

I'm going to have like,
a little bean puree,

bit of chilli oil,

and some nice fresh herb salad
to go with it.

OK.

Hi, Bella.
Hi.

How was your shop?

Um, OK.
OK.

And I'm now trying to work out
what to do with this fish.

So, where are you at?
Um...

I was thinking,
like, a slaw and an aioli,

maybe some tostadas,
or, like, tortillas,

almost like going down
the fish taco kind of road.

If you want to do tostadas,
I think do it, just get...

Commit to something.
Yeah, commit to something.

OK.
Good luck, Bella.

Good luck.
OK. Thank you.

Um...

Everyone's taking
to this fish butchery

like a duck to water.

It looks awesome out there.

Annabel, I'm pumped about

because
she's butterflied it out.

She's then thinking about
stuffing the flathead.

tying it,
and then roasting it whole.

Whoa!
So that really excites me.

If she can pull that off...
Whilst there's excitement,

I've done
that specific technique a lot.

It's really hard.

When Josh Niland says it's hard,
you know it's bloody hard.

My favourite's Grace.

I think she's absolutely nailed
the technique.

Yeah, we were excited,

but then we were a bit worried
when she said,

"I'm going to now turn it
into a sausage."

Oh, no!
Yeah.

Technique aside...
Flawless.

The technique,
she's done an amazing job.

GRACE: Alright,
I've decided on my flavours.

I'm feeling really good.

My mum always says,

like, one of the best things
that you can eat

is a beautiful piece of fish
with a sauce and a side,

and so today
that is all I need to do.

I'm going to cook
my reverse butterflied flathead

on the hibachi,

and then serve it
with a clam sauce,

just beautiful, light and fresh,

and then go a little bit wacky

and pretty and gardeny
with all of the garnishes.

Sink or swim.
You have 45 minutes left to go.

VINNIE: I'm done. Awesome.

Oh-ah.

Looking around me,

I'm seeing Annabel next to me

and she's already
well on her way.

Pat's well on his way.

He's moved on to something else

and I'm still here trying
to pick bones out of the fish.

Oh, gosh.

I think I'm the only one doing
the butterfly technique,

and even though Josh said
it's the hardest one to do,

it's taking me a lot of time

and it's making me
really nervous.

I still have a whole dish
to make and the fish to cook.

Hey, Aaron.
Hey, what's going on?

Look at this.

Wow.
Trying.

OK. Brilliant.
Thank you.

What else are you planning?

So I'm planning
to lightly batter this

in a very light
sort of tempura batter

with a bit of turmeric
through it.

And then I'll have a beautiful

South-East Asian sauce
underneath.

Beautiful.
Yeah.

Sounds epic.
Time is my only worry...

Time, yeah.
..my fear for you.

Like, you're basically going
to have to finish pin boning,

get onto the sauce,

and have everything
fully developed in 40 minutes.

Yep, that's my concern as well!

In order to have a dish,
you've got to get this done.

Yeah.

(EXHALES)

It may not look it,
but I'm actually freaking out.

The judges said
that I don't have much time,

so I've got to motor.

Less than 40 minutes to go,

I've literally just tried to get
as many of the bones

as I can out,
but I've got to move on.

If I don't,
I won't actually have a dish

to serve up
for the judges today.

I've finished filleting my fish,

so that's all butterflied
and ready to go,

and I've just got to make
my paste.

To go with the butterflied fish,

I'm gonna have
a turmeric-based curry sauce

that's got some creaminess
from the macadamias.

It's got a good hit of heat.

Lemongrass, shallots, garlic,
ginger.

I'm just about to blitz up
my paste,

and then I'm gonna
get it frying real quick,

so I get the aromats going,
and that will be my sauce done.

Um, from there, got to batter
the fish, and fry it.

I've butterflied my fish
and then pin-boned it,

so I'm happy with that.

I just need to get it stuffed
and tied and get it in the oven.

My idea for this roasted,
stuffed flathead

kind of comes from
a roast chicken dish

that my sister and I
like to cook at home.

We stuff it
with this breadcrumb stuffing

that's got capers
and preserved lemon

and herbs and garlic
and shallot.

But I'm going to punch it
really, really hard

with anchovies
to try and really lift up

that fish flavour
throughout the dish.

Just gonna get some colour
on that skin.

Hot!

How are you doing?
Good.

I just put it in the pan
to get the skin nice and dry,

and I did the body
for longer than the tail.

Yeah.

Then I'm just going
to finish it off in the oven.

Well, how long are you planning
to cook this for?

Like, six minutes.
Have you done this before?

Once, and I overcooked it.

So I don't want
to do that today.

Good luck.
Yes.

Gotta...

She's gone.

You've got a big fish to fry!
30 minutes to go!

LUKE: I'm kind of just
working my beurre blanc.

I'm just getting ready
to cook my fish very soon.

I've got my chilli oil done.
This could all come together.

I just really need to be careful
with cooking the fish

so it doesn't stick,

and that I get the skin crispy,

but the rest of the fish
is cured.

Alyona!

ALYONA: Hi, how are you?
Tell us how you're going.

So I made a Russian broth
called 'ukha'.

Then I'm gonna put a little bit
of a shot of vodka in it

to enhance all the aromatics
and flavours.

I, like,
deliberately did the fillets

because that was the only choice
where I could get the frame.

So I put it also in the broth
to get that extra flavour.

Got it.

And then I'm gonna serve it
as a broth

with the pan-seared fillets.

I'm looking forward to it.
Thanks, Poh.

EMILY: I have a lot going on.

I have half of the fish
filleted,

ready for the hibachi.

I've got rice going on.

I've got a fish miso soup
going on.

I've got sashimi going on.

Trying to get as much done
as I can with 25 minutes to go.

GRACE: A couple
of these bad boys

do not want to open.

So I'm gonna do
a butterflied flathead

on the hibachi.

And I'm doing a clam stock sauce

with some fennel as well.

OK.

I really want this sauce
to be really nice and salty.

Like, I want it to be
a little bit reminiscent

of salty sea-watery flavour...

Vin, have you got any vinegar?
Vinegar? Yeah, white wine.

Yeah, do you reckon
I could have some?

..but then also

be, like, creamy and smooth,

but also quite fresh
and buttery and silky.

Everything's tasting good.

I'm getting
a little bit worried about time.

Um...

I haven't done anything
with the fish.

I want to cook it
on the hibachi,

so I just need to make sure
everything is prepped

so I can make some room
to get this hibachi on my bench.

I'm just, yeah, motoring now.

I don't really know
how I'm cooking the fish, but...

I've got all
the other components of my dish.

Um, some coleslaw, salsa
and the, um, tostadas.

My slaw is mainly cabbage
and I'm dressing it

with a macadamia aioli.

I've got some cumin, lemon.

In my salsa today,

I'm putting pineapple, chilli,

lime, a bit of fish sauce.

The tostadas are frying.

I'm hoping that the flavours
sort of all work together.

I'm avoiding dealing
with this fish,

but the clock is ticking

and I know I need
to work something out quickly.

Um...

Chucked my whole fish
in the deep fryer.

I'm just hoping
this is the right decision.

I don't know, I've never
cooked fish like this before.

Don't flounder, focus!

You have 15 minutes to go!

Solid. That is solid.

CASPER: 15 minutes left
in the cook,

and I've got
my fresh sambal made

and
my sweet and sour-style sauce

is pretty much done.

I've got to stir the roe in
at the very end.

But I really need
to get my fish cooked.

Casper.
Chef, how are you going?

Talk to me.
You'll be cooking the fish,

two different fillets
with the head and the tail on.

Yes, that's right.
Differently.

Yeah.

Do you think
that could jeopardise

your chance
of doing one correctly?

Um, I like to think that,

by doing
two different techniques,

I'm sort of showing a range
of styles

that you can do with it.

Can't wait to see it.
Thank you.

I really want to nail the cook
on the fish

two ways, to show that I do have
this range of technique.

If I don't get one of
those top three dishes today,

I'm going to be
pretty disappointed.

One of your heroes up there

doesn't pick your food
to be the best on the day,

you're not going to be
too happy.

Just a kiss. Just a kiss.

PETRO: All my elements
are pretty much taken care of.

The only thing I need to do
is cook this fish

and also toast off
my almonds in ghee.

Hey, Petro.
Hello, how's it going?

G'day, mate.
Josh, how are you?

Nice to meet you, mate.
You too.

We are loving the idea
behind this dish.

Oh, OK.
Yeah.

That's a good start.
It seems like

it's going to be punchy,

there'll be
some beautiful potatoes.

What we're interested in,
though - surprise, surprise -

is the cooking of the fish.
The fish!

Yeah.
Yeah!

So, Petra, I hear
there's a bit of a legend

of your carbon trout

that you served
earlier this year.

Yeah, it was carbon.

You could have definitely used
the trout again

to light up the charcoal

for the next cook.
Goodness me!

So we're grilling it
on charcoal today?

Yes.
Alright.

I just wouldn't leave
your fish too late, man.

Yeah.

Are we putting it on ASAP?
100%.

I feel like
I've got a point to prove

and I'm going to do my best
to prove it.

I'm at
the most crucial point here.

I really want to redeem myself
quite badly here,

but I'm just as equally nervous

that everything
could just go up in flames.

Oh, my God.

Oh!
I'm so sorry.

Ha-ha!
I didn't see you.

Top three
is where you want to be!

Ten minutes to go!

Oh, my God, this is so exciting.

GRACE: Time is flying!

PAT: Oh, no! That was my basil.
Don't want to throw that out.

Pat, how are you?

I'm good, thanks, Chef.
How are you?

So, tell me -
technique, butterfly?

Yes, reverse butterfly.

I'm gonna barbecue it
on the charcoal.

I'm gonna serve it
with a green Thai curry sauce.

Nice and spicy.

A bit creamy to help
the leanness of the fish.

Hopefully it goes along well
with the charcoal flavour.

HANNAH: My fish is curing.

I've got the tail and the head
ready to go in the roast,

and I'm hoping to serve it

with a little bit of
yuzu creme fraiche,

a pickled cucumber,
a shoyu goma pearl

and rice nori crisp.

Kind of all systems go.

I haven't really used
the hibachi here

in the MasterChef kitchen yet,

so I'm trying to keep a very
close eye

and trying to do it
as slow as possible.

The good thing about my dish,
I feel like,

is everything kind of comes
together really quick

once you've done all the prep.
OK. Chilli oil done.

Vin, do I need to put oil
on the skin?

I put a little bit, yeah.

What would I do without you
next to me today?

Genuinely fail.

OK, this is nice and warm
and ready.

Ten minutes to go,
I need to get this fish on.

I'm really scared!

But I'm doing the flathead
on the hibachi.

Flathead has quite thick skin.

If you go too high on the heat,

the skin will burn before it
cooks.

So I'm going for like a medium
to high sort of heat.

And I'm actually moving it
around quite a lot

to ensure that it has
a really nice even cook

across the whole fish.

I'm really scared, to be honest,

'cause I really don't want
to fail.

This dish is a fish with a sauce
with some garnishes.

If this fish isn't cooked
perfectly,

I've completely stuffed
the whole thing up.

Oh, my God, this is so scary.
Time to reel it in.

Five minutes to go. Come on.

Yummy! Not bad!

This curry sauce is tasting
good, actually.

So next thing I have to focus on

is making a batter for the fish
and deep-frying the fish.

Yeah, I only wanted a very
light batter on it

just to give it, like,
a bit of crunch.

Hope it works.

SOFIA: Three minutes to go!

Argh!

Done! Blowtorch!

I'm really happy.
It looks like a whole fish.

You'd have no idea
that I've opened it up,

stuffed it, closed it back
up and roasted it.

I'm just going to make a stock,
a little jus.

I've roasted
a bunch of vegetables down.

I'm deglazing with a bit
of white wine,

a bit of stock from the pantry.

I'm adding Shiro Dashi,

which is this beautiful
Japanese condiment

that has, like, smoky bonito-ey
fishy, umami.

And I'm hitting it with a little
bit of butter

just to make it beautiful
and glossy at the end.

Yum.

I am caressing this flathead.

I am really making sure

that this cooks perfectly.

And I'll be pairing it with
all this stuff

that's really going
to complement the fish.

A herb dressing,
roasted tomatoes in butter,

boiled Kipfler potatoes,

and then I'll be topping
everything

with some ghee-toasted almonds.

I know that my flavours
are there.

I just hope that fish is cooked
absolutely perfectly.

Get your fish on the dish!
One minute to go.

Oh, my God.

OK, here we go.

Alright, come on. Ho-ho!

Really happy the fish
is cooked perfectly.

Hopefully it delivers
for the judges.

I'm really happy
with the cook on both of them.

The fried one is really nice
and crispy.

You've got the frills
that I wanted,

and then I got a really
nice crispy skin

on my hibachi one.

The final thing I need to do
is mix my roe

into my sweet-and-sour-style
sauce.

God, my heart rate! Full on!

It's really down to the wire,

but it looks so beautiful.

I'm so happy with the plate
that I chose.

I'm happy with the way
that my fish looks.

Oh, my God!

I would be so proud
if Josh loved my food.

We want something off the hook
in ten...

JUDGES: Nine, eight, seven,

six, five, four, three,

two, one!

That's it, everybody.

Great work.
Oh, my God, you're so sweaty.

Down to the wire.
Look at this.

You can't see it.
Oh, it is wet!

That's called hard work, mate.
That's called hard work.

I'm feeling pretty good.

I had a couple of time issues
there

and I was a bit, a bit pressed

with the, um, the filleting of
the fish.

But, yeah, like, I had a vision.

And it's on the plate now
and I'm pretty happy with it.

I'm hoping for top three today.

I didn't burn my fish,
which is a big bonus.

So hopefully I've got
a bit of redemption today.

The fish master, Josh Niland,

set you a flathead butchery
challenge.

Let's see how you went.

The dish we'd like to taste
belongs to...

..Grace.

I've definitely been through
a real journey

to land this dish
in front of me,

and I think some good feedback
from Josh

would be a really amazing source
of, like,

validation and inspiration to
keep pushing.

JEAN-CHRISTOPHE: Ohhhh.

Grace, I'm just gonna say it.
That looks unreal.

Far cry from a sausage.
Yeah.

What is it?

I did a reverse butterflied
flathead

on the hibachi with some clams.

I made a clam sauce.

And then there's some
fried saltbush,

some caper berries,
and some tarragon.

Let's eat it, shall we?

Grace, there is some stunning
cooking going on here.

Firstly, the fish.
It was cooked so beautifully

and then everything else was
there

to support the beautiful fish.

Today's challenge.
It was to choose

one of Josh's techniques
and make that the centrepiece.

And, oh, my gosh, that is
exactly what you've done.

You couldn't be anywhere else
but Melbourne.

Eating something in Australia.

It's identifiably our own plate
of food

and I think that's
a wonderful measure of a dish.

So, it was brilliant.
Thank you so much.

POH: Grace, you focused on
all the right things.

You celebrated the technique

and these clams were cooked
so beautifully,

so succulent and sweet.

Well done.

GRACE: Thank you.

It's fantastic.

Job done, well done.
Thank you so much. Thank you.

Next up, Annabel.

I'm so happy with how it looks.

I just don't know
how it's cooked.

I haven't actually tasted it
all together

because I had to serve
the fish whole.

(GASPS)

I'm just hoping that
that fish is perfectly cooked

and that it doesn't fall apart
as soon as they cut into it.

POH: Wow!

Wow.

Annabel, what have we here?

I have done a reverse
butterflied

stuffed roasted flathead
and a fish jus.

You really went all out.
How do you think it's cooked,

if you had to guess?

I'm not gonna lie.
I did a temp check on it,

and I was like,
I actually don't even know

what a whole fish
is meant to be.

(LAUGHTER)

OK. Would you like us
to find out

how it's cooked, Annabel?

I don't know. I feel like

I could say quite a few
things...

..but I think I'll just give you
a high five.

Yay!

Amazing.

People looking at this at home
need to understand

how extremely difficult this is
technically.

The most difficult thing
I've always found about this

is taking the string off
post-cook

and not removing any of
the skin.

There's no imperfections.

Everything's got their
intentional bands

that I could then cut five
really uniform slices from.

I hope everybody appreciates

just how remarkable that was.
So, well done.

It's just unbelievable
what you've achieved.

What is amazing is,

is there is no eggwhite in
your stuffing, no combiner.

And it's nice and tight
and very delicious.

It's just incredible.

That sauce.
It is drinkable stuff.

It's like somebody's made
a roast chicken gravy

and hidden some anchovy
or some umami in there

to just make it even better.

I would have that on absolutely
any protein.

Top class. Well done.

ANNABEL: Thank you. Thanks,
guys.

This day and this cook
and this feedback

in the MasterChef kitchen

is something that I am going to
hold very, very closely

for the rest of my life.

Well done, Annabel!

Best day of my life!

There's no way I would have
been able to do this

at the start of this
competition.

So I think this is a real moment

where I'm able to sort of
look back

and really reflect on
my progress,

and that's a really nice
feeling.

Next dish we'd love to taste
is Emily.

This is Kochi teishoku.
I did the head-to-tail fillet.

I did a hibachi grill
for one piece,

and I used the other side of
the fillet to make a miso soup.

And then I did a sashimi.

Raw rock flathead.

It's wonderful. The way
you've sliced it

shows off the texture of
the fish, the little soup,

you get that lovely toasted
flathead note throughout,

which is very delicious.

Pat!

I've reverse butterflied
and barbecued the flattie

and then served it with
a green Thai curry sauce.

JEAN-CHRISTOPHE: Oh, look at
that.

SOFIA: That looks amazing.

The delivery of your sauce
is unbelievable.

You know, all the accompaniment
is just generally superb.

Hannah.

I've made you hot and cold
flathead.

I made a yuzu creme,
a shoyu goma pearl,

a pickled cucumber

and served it
with rice crackers,

fish skin and nori salt.

To me, the flavour
that you're left with

is the most pleasant thing
about the whole experience.

That beautiful yuzu,

the fattiness from
the creme fraiche

and the quality of the fish.

It is a really enjoyable
experience.

Thank you.

Next up, Bella.

I don't think I knew
what I wanted

to present to the judges today.

I'm just happy that
they get to eat a dish.

The fish has been filleted
right to fit the brief.

So that's a big win for me.

But I just hope that
it's cooked through.

Bella, what have you made?

I've made you fish tostadas
with coleslaw,

a pineapple salsa
and a macadamia aioli.

And you did the fillet

leaving the head
and the tail on.

Yeah. That's right.

Bella, it's really bloody tasty.

The cook on the fish is
delicious, flaky,

and firm enough to hold
for a dish like this as well.

You've got this lovely kind
of roasty flavour

in your tostadas.

Beautiful, beautiful, sweet,
sweet pineapple.

And then your slaw. It's got
the right amount of acid.

Right amount of salt.

I think I was ready to be
underwhelmed and then I ate it.

And it's delicious.
Like, it's really tasty.

The salsa was delicious.

And I think that
and the flathead alone

without anything else
was fantastic.

POH: Make sure you have faith
in your ability

and remember
that you understand flavour.

And you've got a really great
palate.

Thank you.
Thanks, Bella.

JEAN-CHRISTOPHE: Thank you.
Well done!

Next one, Casper.

When you're serving your food
to, like, one of your heroes,

there is a little bit more
pressure

because you get, like, one shot
to really impress this person.

So, hopefully Josh loves
my dish.

Then I have that chance at
immunity.

Casper, what have you made?

Um, I've done the flathead
two ways,

so I did the head-on
tail-on fillets.

I've done one deep-fried,
more like Indonesian style.

So I've got a sambal
on the side.

And then the second one,
I've done on the hibachi

and I've used a bit
of the sambal as well

to make an Indonesia-like
sweet-and-sour soup.

Two sauces, two cooking
techniques...

..and double the risk.

Yes.

We are going to taste it, yeah?
Good luck.

Interesting.
Oh, I can smell the blatjang.

Crispy.

Casper, mon ami!

It's very well done.
Thank you, chef.

The complete package is
so inviting, a pleasure.

It's true,
it's like a masterpiece

in two different ways.

And your sauces are
the stamp - bang, bang!

When I think about that dish,

obviously I love the crispy one,
like, with the sambar.

I think that's delicious.

Probably even better than
the grilled.

I almost see the sambal
and the method of cookery

that you've done there

as a way of making
lesser-known species -

they're a little bit cheaper
and pushed aside -

as a way of elevating them
into the spotlight.

Do that same process,
serve it with the sambar.

It'll be a hit.
Yeah.

Really good.

POH: It's just so delicious.

And I love that
sort of yin-yang plating

on the asymmetrical plate.

And very clever decision
to not bother with rice

because you've been able
to focus on

really beautiful filleting
and cooking of the dish.

And then you kind of, uh,
repurposed your sauce twice.

It actually gives people
two textures

and two versions of the sauce.

Very, very clever.
Good stuff, mate.

Thank you.

Thanks, mate.
He's back.

The kid's back.

JEAN-CHRISTOPHE: Next up, Aaron.

There's been some phenomenal
dishes today

and everyone's vying
for that top three spot.

I'm the only one who's done
the butterfly technique today.

I'm really hoping I've done it
well.

I really want to put myself
in the position

to be in the top three
and be safe from elimination.

Aaron, tell us,
what have you made?

I've made a battered flathead
with a curry sauce.

Mm.
Wow.

Smells amazing.

Thank you.

I won't take any risk.

Aaron...

(SIGHS)

There are pin bones left.

It's a shame
because you were that close.

I absolutely love your sauce.
I love your presentation.

It would have been
the most smashing dish today.

Yeah. Unfortunately, it's just
a mouthful of pin bones.

And if you ever do that
in a restaurant

and you give somebody one
and then maybe two,

you've lost them.
Yeah.

Like, the trust is gone.

Mate, nice work on, you know,
going all out

and butterflying the flathead.

So I just love that you're like,

"Get me the challenge,
I am ready."

You've just also got to be
extra careful, that's all.

And next time, I guarantee
there's not a bone in sight.

Thank you.

Vinnie.

I did a barbecue flattie

with a bean puree
and a herb salad.

Vinnie, when it arrived,
I was like, "Oh, my God,

"there is a real forest
of herbs on there."

But I love that it was
actually hiding

all this little surprise on
the bottom,

which was that bean puree.

It acted like a sauce.

My piece of fish was over,

but I would not be upset about
this dish at all.

Thank you. Yeah.

Luke.

Made a crispy cured flathead
with a miso beurre blanc

and a chilli oil.

The technique of curing
and then torching.

It's normally done with, like,

something a little bit more
oily,

like a mackerel or a bonito.

I wouldn't say it works as well
with flathead.

Alyona, you're next.

Pan-seared fillets of flathead.

There's broth that's
inspired by this Russian soup

and some dill oil.

I really enjoyed it.

All the aniseed notes

and all that
lovely toasty flathead skin.

The broth, super impressed with.

If anything, it'd be wonderful
to have a lot more of it.

Next dish we'd like to taste
is Petro's.

Go, Petro!

Oh.
Look at that.

If I fail with this fish

in front of Josh Niland today,

I may as well hang up the boot.

Look at that!

Petro, tell us
what you made us.

I've made a reverse butterfly
charcoal flathead

with a herb dressing,

boiled Kipfler potatoes,
roasted cherry tomatoes,

and toasted flaked almonds
in ghee on top.

Now, this is a little bit
of a redemption...

Oh, God, yeah.
..grill.

Last time we saw a butterfly
fish on a hibachi from you,

it was kind of cremated.
Yeah.

So let's hope
this is perfectly cooked.

Let's go, Petro.

(EXHALES)

Mate, I'm calling it now.
That's dish of the day.

Oh, my God!

Far out!

Thank you.
Well done.

Thank you so much.

The flavours aside, I think
what I enjoyed most about

that whole thing
was how you gave yourself

a solid 15 minutes to tend to
the flathead,

because you'd managed to get
so organised on everything else.

You prioritised those moments
that are important,

and to you,
the most important part

of that whole dish was the fish.

POH: Eating all of your elements
together

is just the most perfect
mouthful,

and I'm just so happy
you picked a lot of sides

that you're familiar with
so you could focus on the fish.

For me,
that's also my dish of the day.

Oh, jeez.
Thank you so much, Poh.

SOFIA: What I love about it is

the way you inject so much
flavour and texture

that complements the flathead,

the briny salty little bits
of green olive

and the capers in there,

and the crunch of
those fatty nuts.

You've just jammed so much

into a couple of simple sauces,

but you've still let the fish
sing.

Your weapon is flavour.
Like, you do it so well.

You, like, find every nook
and cranny of a dish

and you go, "I've got another
chance there.

"I'm gonna whack some in."

You are absolutely going places
in this competition

if you continue to cook food
like that.

This is exemplary.
So, thank you and well done.

Well done, mate.
Thank you so much, guys.

Thank you.

Oh, my God!

Well done.
Thank you.

I can't remember a season

where I've come in
and seen the technique

and the skills
and the standards just so high.

Judges, if you're happy,

I'm going to probably go out
the back with them

and I'll flick out
a few business cards later.

Please!

Put your hands together
for chef Josh Niland.

Whoever cooked one of the top
three dishes

will be safe from tomorrow's
all-in elimination.

That is huge - considering
where we are in the competition.

The first dish was a perfectly
cooked

reverse butterflied flathead.

Petro, well done, mate!

The next dish nailed a difficult
technique...

..a stuffed trussed roasted
flathead.

Good job, Annabel!

So now to the elusive
third spot.

This person did double the work,

took twice the risk,
and it paid off.

That was clever cooking, Casper!

Petro, Annabel, Casper,

you three did us and Josh proud.

And you're all safe
from tomorrow's elimination.

The rest of you will be fighting
to stay in the competition.

If you want to make that
top ten...

..come back here tomorrow
ready to give it everything.

Goodnight.
Later, crew.

Well done!

ANNOUNCER: Tomorrow night...

Please welcome back,
Curtis Stone.

(CHEERING)

..another master of his craft.

Ready to get to work?

Getting a masterclass

from Curtis today is insane.
Wow.

You couldn't even buy tickets
to a show like this.

But when a masterclass comes
with an elimination...

Every single one of us is only

one bad cook away
from heading out the doors.

..it's an absolute beast of
a challenge.

Ooh!

I could be going home.
This is the moment of truth.

It's the worst thing
that could happen, actually.

I'm a little bit struggling
today.

You seem quite flustered.

And this is burning.

No.

Captions by Red Bee Media