Original subtitles

NARRATOR: Previously on MasterChef Australia...

(CONTESTANTS CHEER)

..with a global superstar in the house...

It's so tender, this squid. You're gonna love cooking with it.

..this two-round elimination was no 'Squid Game'.

CATH: There's nowhere to hide with this dish.

Oh, bloody hell!

I'm gonna play my pin. Yeah. (CONTESTANTS EXCLAIM)

Yeah. CATH: Declan!

They levelled up with exquisite dishes...

ANDY: That's an absolute cracker peaking with flavour.

It's just simple perfection. Well done.

..but it was Phil who said farewell to the MasterChef kitchen.

PHIL: Not only as a cook, but as a person,

I've just changed and grown so much

and I've loved every single minute of it.

(CONTESTANTS CHEER)

Tonight, an exceptional mystery box

reels them in hook, line and sinker.

THEO: That's what this kitchen is all about.

You need to push yourself, so let's go.

(BRIGHT MUSIC)

GRACE: I wonder what surprise is gonna be behind those doors.

(INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS)

DECLAN: New day, new opportunity.

Let's get it.

(CONTESTANTS EXCLAIM)

(JUDGES APPLAUD)

Yes, it's Monday Mystery Box day. Come on.

WOMAN: OK.

RHIANNON: I actually like mystery boxes.

I feel like I go in there relaxed and I can get creative.

I can get weird.

Well, we've got some good news

and it might not feel like it just yet,

but you are halfway through this competition.

(CONTESTANTS CHEER) Yeah!

Every single night this week,

we'll be joined by some of the most legendary and iconic figures

in the industry...

(CONTESTANTS MURMUR) Oh, my goodness.

..starting with the chef that set this very mystery box.

He has cooked all over the world

before opening his first restaurant to great acclaim seven years ago.

He's won every award under the sun

and was the only Australian to make

the Top 100 Best Chefs in the World list for 2022.

He has changed the way that we think about fish

and, in turn, the way we think about food.

You gave it away. (ALL LAUGH)

Please welcome from Saint Peter and Charcoal Fish in Sydney,

Josh Niland!

(CONTESTANTS CHEER AND APPLAUD)

(CONTESTANTS CHEER AND WHISTLE)

(LAUGHS) Wow! Josh Niland!

He's the icon of fish in Australia

and has just been someone who I've followed for many years

and practised a lot of his methods.

He's definitely a huge inspiration for me.

WOMAN: Oh, my goodness.

Josh, welcome back to the MasterChef kitchen. How are you, mate?

Good to be home. (ALL LAUGH)

What have you been up to, mate?

The team at Saint Peter just got two hats, which is exciting.

Mate, congratulations. Just, like, come on.

Petermen is a new restaurant Julie and I have undertaken

and then the third book coming out end of the year,

'Fish Butchery', so trying to encourage people

to see more than just the fillets.

As if you haven't got enough feathers in your cap.

That's right. Alright.

Josh, you're here for a particular reason.

Let's not wait any longer. Let's get on with it.

Yeah? Shall we get on with it? Good.

So, probably no surprises at all what's under here.

It's a beautiful John Dory.

Oh! (GIGGLES)

And I'm gonna show you how to break it down.

CATH: Josh Niland is in the house today

and he's about to give us the most amazing masterclass.

I'm so excited. Here we go.

So, we're starting with a whole product.

The organs are intact, the gills are in place.

The best way to do it is always to cut the gills behind the collars

at the very top

and then cut it off the back, off the spine, there.

So, once that's done...

..the tip of the scissors go into the fish's bottom

and don't go in too deep

because the organs have the potential

of carrying some kind of culinary opportunity.

Separate the collar now away from the gill.

And now everything comes out in one piece.

And so...

Wow!

..it's far less gnarly than just...

You know, just cutting in and then sweeping out.

And now you have visibility over what's inside.

Oh, what?!

This one here, this is the roe.

Within this membrane carries millions of tiny eggs.

Wow, that's amazing.

These can be cut open.

Wow.

And it's just to push all of these many, many many eggs out.

And now you've got individual fish eggs

that can get stirred through a polenta,

can go through scrambled eggs,

can go through a great potato bake.

Yeah. That's amazing.

ANDY: You guys are gonna take a lot away from this,

but even that just first step,

I mean, we've all, you know, gutted a fish,

but we've never done it like that.

That is, like, such an easy technique to do

and you're left with so many goodies to play with.

RALPH: Seeing the way Josh interprets just a fish...

Moving on to the bigger part of the fish.

..is spectacular.

The head.

He's done so much for food in terms of sustainability.

You can actually use a fish eye

for so many different applications,

whether you're wanting to thicken sauces,

whether you want to make ice cream.

And the head, obviously.

Full of wonderful meat and a great part.

Connected to the head, the two collars,

and with a little added finesse and intentionality,

you can clean off this meat as you would a bit of a lamb cutlet.

So, you've got a generous amount of meat on this side,

a lovely little bit of meat on this side that's boneless

and then a handle that's, you know, ready to go.

So, now the tail.

So, we can trim down the spine.

First cut.

This'd be classed as an old-fashioned cutlet or darne.

You can see the seams of the muscle.

One side has the bone present

and then the other side is then held together by a seam of cartilage.

That cartilage and gelatine carries all the flavour.

Um, and this is the kind of vernacular

that we need to generate to talk about fish more as meat.

That one goes in.

JOCK: Josh, question. Yes.

The traditional way of fishmongery

where you're just whipping off two fillets and then the head...

Yep.

..the collars and the bones, they end up in waste,

what is the monetary value at the end of that?

Yeah, the best way I can explain that to you is

when I got my first invoice, which was for the fish,

it was $4,500,

and $2,250 was going in the bin.

Mm! Wow.

The head has the same monetary value as the centre cut of a fillet

and oftentimes exceeds the weight,

and it's just for a lack of imagination,

a lack of intentionality that the head goes in the bin.

You're not only not wasting

but you're creating way more value in this process.

BRENT: So good.

Then, next, the belly. Move against the ribs.

Take the belly away from that.

BRENT: I am loving it.

Josh Niland's vision is just amazing when it comes to fish.

The next move, we've taken off this wonderful chop.

Wow. Right.

Watching him do his magic, it's got the mind ticking -

how can I impress Josh Niland

and show him that I'm sort of trying to think the same way?

And then this one here.

So, this last section, which is kind of cool,

the mid-loin chop reminds me so much of a rabbit saddle.

Wow. Look at that. That's amazing.

And then that is the last piece of our little John Dory puzzle.

So, from head to tail, the John Dory breakdown starts with the head,

the eye, the top-loin chop,

the mid-loin chop and this one here, the collars.

The next ones - belly,

the two at the top here,

the chop, the one almost like a rib eye.

Following on from that rib is another type of cutlet

and then the tail -

one carrying the spine and then one carrying the cartilage -

and then the tail for aesthetic good measure.

(CONTESTANTS APPLAUD)

Guys, how good was that, hey?

Oh, my God! Amazing!

WOMAN: That was incredible. CATH: Epic.

Did you all pay close attention? Yeah.

Good, because you've got to do that.

You've got 10 minutes to do it.

And your time starts now.

No, I'm just joking.

(CONTESTANTS LAUGH)

Adi was, like... She was literally gonna run to the bench.

I tell you what, though.

You'll be thrilled to know

that Josh has done all the hard work for you today.

(CONTESTANTS EXCLAIM)

What you see there is exactly what's under your mystery boxes.

CATH: Oh, that's amazing.

You're welcome. CONTESTANTS: Thank you.

No traditional cuts.

Every cut is true to Josh's unique style,

and that's what today's challenge is all about.

Josh, what do you want to see from these guys today?

Diversity of methods.

Don't be limited to what history tells us

we need to put with a fish.

Just open your mind a little bit more.

I like it. Righto.

You've got a total of 75 minutes

to bring us an absolutely delicious dish using Josh's John Dory.

The three least impressive dishes

will land their makers straight into tomorrow's Pressure Test,

where someone will go home.

Josh, you did all the hard work. Did you want to get 'em started?

Absolutely. Alright, guys, your 75 minutes starts now.

(VIBRANT MUSIC)

CATH: Oh, have fun, guys.

Wow.

GRACE: Course, Rhi. Straight to the chilli. Love it.

Straight to the chilli, mate. You got it.

(WHISPERS) There we go.

That demonstration that Josh just did, it really blew my mind.

Oh, my goodness. Josh Niland's in the house. It's very exciting.

Just want to get into it straightaway.

Josh has inspired me to use the fish head and the cutlets.

Never used the fish head in my life, but you know what?

Why not live on the edge and get it out there while he's here, you know?

Oh, my goodness, I cannot believe we are so close to top 10.

I want it so badly,

so I need to make sure that I do a cracker of a dish today.

So, the dish is hibachi-grilled fish head and cutlets,

nam jim dressing with a green apple salad.

Thai-inspired flavours. That's me.

That's what I absolutely love.

Hopefully it will be delicious.

Oh, God, I'm hot already.

This is very, very exciting.

It's always a good day when you're in the kitchen.

Aww, thanks.

Andy, what would you cook if you were in this competition today?

I would be maybe rolling the belly

like you would a lamb belly or something.

Yep.

I look at that fish head and I'm thinking of

all of the different broths and all sorts of things

that I could make with that alone

and really make the most of the gelatinous qualities.

Yeah, do a beautiful broth with the head

and then skewer the belly up and then set it over the top.

Yeah. Come on.

Like, I mean, there's so much fun to be had.

ANTONIO: I'm really excited about this.

I'm just inspired and I want to bring it home, thinking about home,

so, yeah.

My dish today is John Dory al asado negro,

which translates to 'dark roast' -

sort of like a Sunday roast back home -

and I'm gonna be serving it with cauliflower puree

and savoury plantain chips.

So, this dish is traditionally done with beef.

I've never done it with fish,

but we need to think outside the box.

I want to bring the flavours of Venezuela into the dish.

Antonio. Hey, hey. How's it going, guys?

Mate, there is a lot going on here. Yeah.

Interesting ingredients. What have you got for us?

So, it's a traditional dish from Venezuela.

It's called asado negro, or dark roast.

I'm gonna use the piece of the fish that you kind of spoke about,

um, the rabbit.

I think it would marry well. Cool.

The whole idea is to make a caramel with the cane sugar

and kind of work that into the cut.

Very interesting. Yeah.

Very, very interesting. It's out there. Yeah.

Good stuff. Good luck. Thank you so much, guys.

This is basically what my mum cooks for me every time I visit her.

So every time I eat this, it's my mum saying, "Welcome home."

I'm really excited to bring this.

I think it's gonna be a different take

and it's gonna be a really good day.

(SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC)

Josh Niland's here, so you wanna be creative.

Like, you know, you walk into the Fish Butchery

and there's, like, sausages and bacon

and there's all these things that he's come up with.

My dish is a dagwood dory,

so basically a dagwood dog but the fish version.

A dagwood dog is a deep-fried sausage on a stick.

I love dagwood dogs.

It reminds me of being a kid, when life was fun. (LAUGHS)

I'm gonna use the belly with the cheeks, the wings.

They're such amazing-tasting bits of the fish.

I just think it's great because you can take all the parts of the fish

that no-one really wants

and make this beautiful sausage.

Hopefully it pays off with creativity.

We're asking you to dive into the challenge.

You have 60 minutes to go!

CATH: Oh, my goodness! 60 minutes already?

I see what you did there.

ADI: Didn't mean to butcher that.

CATH: That's the piece I want.

The pressure seems to be on me hugely today,

being the fish guy...

Wow, beautiful.

..especially because yesterday I was a bit overwhelmed

by Rick Stein coming in the kitchen...

..and I had to use my pin.

MAN: Happy? No.

I'm gonna play my pin, so...

(CONTESTANTS GASP)

I don't want to serve something I'm not happy with,

and I'm definitely not happy with this.

Today, I feel like the pressure's on me again.

Having Josh Niland in the kitchen,

I never thought the day would come where I'd have the opportunity

to cook for such an inspiration of mine.

Now, do we think Declan, because he's naturally fish guy,

like, is he gonna bottle it today because, you know, you're here,

or is he gonna shine?

Well, it's an interesting one

because if you look off yesterday's results,

he was rattled when Rick came in...

Yeah.

..you know, 'cause he said that he wanted to cook for Rick and you,

and I think the pressure that he put on his own shoulders to succeed

really got the better of him yesterday.

I just don't want to rush and get caught up.

I'm just so stoked that Josh is here and I get to cook something for him.

Declan. Jock, how are you?

I'm good.

Yesterday, it seems like you kind of lost it when you seen Rick.

Yeah.

I don't want it to be a repeat of yesterday, you know?

Not at all. I really wanted to cook something nice and flavoursome.

So, the dish is what? Tell me.

So, I've got poached John Dory chop with my blackberry sauce,

and then, um...

Blackberry sauce? Yeah.

What's the thinking?

I just thought, um, like, a poached piece of fish

with, um, my vegetables around it

and then blackberry sauce to go over the fish.

Um...

I hope whatever it is you're thinking is crystal clear.

I'm struggling to get it.

Blackberry sauce? Yeah.

I'm struggling to get it.

I hope these flavours work for you guys.

So do I. I hope they work for me.

Mate, because if it's bottom three,

you're gonna find yourself in the Pressure Test

and you've got a one-in-three chance of going home.

Alright, thank you, Jock.

I've taken a bit of a risk with the blackberry sauce.

It's not your typical thing you'd pair with fish,

but Josh Niland does weird and wonderful things with fish,

and that's what I want to do today.

I personally think this blackberry reduction sauce

will go beautiful with a poached piece of John Dory.

Josh Niland is in the house

and if there's anyone in probably the world who can inspire you

to do weird and wonderful things with fish, it's him.

Today, I'm gonna do a little Indian-style canape

of a little rice cake

with the cheeks from Josh's head of the John Dory.

Adi. Hi, guys.

Um, it's kinda coming together. What have you got for Josh?

I was gonna do, like, a little appetiser with some Indian flavours,

um, a rice sort of patty on the bottom,

rice cake on the bottom, crispy.

Yep.

I'll top it with a cheek that I'll do.

And all we're gonna see is that?

Mm, that's what I'm worried about.

What are you...

That's all we're going to see, is these cheeks, for the dish?

Yeah. That's the only part of the fish?

Yep.

Hoo. Man.

I'm now really second-guessing my idea.

Maybe that's not the best way of meeting the challenge today.

Doesn't matter which cut you've chosen,

you've only got 45 minutes to go.

Goes so quick!

(FOOD PROCESSOR WHIRRS)

What the hell did I come in here for?

MALISSA: I've got the little cutlet with the bone sticking out

and I'm also gonna use the wings

and I'm going to baste them in a curry sauce

and then pop them on the hibachi.

Whoo! Spicy.

I am using the top cut of the fish to make a posh John Dory

with a pea relish and some beurre blanc.

I'm gonna keep it super simple today.

I'm gonna deep-fry the collars

and I'm gonna make just, like, really tangy, hot and sour sauce.

This is one of my husband's favourites

and it's a little bit hot for me... (LAUGHS)

..but I know that the judges love heat.

(SPEAKS INDISTINCTLY)

I'm really hoping that they like this one.

Little bit more acid. Yeah?

BRENT: So, I'm making a tamarind curry sauce.

It's Sri Lankan-driven,

so looks like just a dagwood dog with tomato sauce,

but it's a dagwood dory with a curry sauce.

My sauce - beautiful. It's bold, full of flavour.

I'm just balancing it.

And then it's gonna be about

the assembly of the dagwood dory itself.

Going into the sausage is the collar, the belly, the cheeks,

with beautiful Sri Lankan aromats through it.

Brent. G'day, guys.

G'day. How are you?

Good.

Mate, I am so pumped to hear what you're gonna cook.

I am making a dagwood dory.

This is why I was excited. Yep.

So, I'm just taking all the cuts that, you know, besides you,

would be thrown away.

Yep. All the fattiest parts I could find.

This is exactly what you wanted to see, isn't it?

This is great.

You've intrigued the guy

who's probably the most intriguing cook in Australia right now.

And you're doing development for Fish Butchery.

Exactly. I like it. The name is good.

Make sure the product is just as good.

Alright, thanks. 'Bye, Brent.

I love the way Josh Niland is just striving for, you know,

the new look on fish.

Using it all, not much wastage.

So, if I can nail this, I think it's gonna be a great dish.

You good, Gracie? Yeah.

For my Thai-inspired fish dish,

I've got my fish head and cutlet in the fish sauce.

It's literally just marinating

and then I start on my nam jim dressing.

I'm just getting all the herbs ready and everything.

This is the sauce that's going to dress this beautiful fish,

so I really need the balance to be spot on.

ANTONIO: How are we going, Rhi? Yeah, good. You?

Having fun yet? Yeah.

I'm making John Dory al asado negro.

I've decided to pick the mid-loin

because Josh said it resembled a rabbit.

This dish will have a very rich sauce with undertones of red wine,

some of the sweetness from the palm sugar

and a lot of charred veggies.

The sauce should be smoky, really sweet and rich.

(DRAMATIC MUSIC)

Ooh, that's just gone off.

Hey, Cath. Hey there!

So, I was really interested, actually,

when you mentioned rabbit.

Yep.

I'm going to do it with lentils... OK.

..with a red wine sauce.

OK. Good luck, Cath. See ya. OK, thank you. Thanks.

Come on. It's the finesse work that really gets me.

Ralph. Ah, g'day.

What have you got going on?

You said, "Think of the fish as you would meat." You held up a chop.

So, I'm trying to go a herb-crusted fish.

I'm gonna make a crust for the lamb now.

You just said, "Lamb." Sorry.

There you go. You're there. You're there.

RUE: Do you cook a lot of fish?

Yeah, I do, but not this stuff. Oh, yeah. Same. (LAUGHS)

Bit different.

I love fish, but I'm nervous

'cause Josh Niland's type of fish game is completely different,

so I decide to go with something that I'm comfortable with.

I am making bialy, which is, like, a little Jewish sort of bread

that is topped normally with caramelised onions

and a few other things,

but I'm gonna top it with parts of the John Dory

grinded into sort of a mince, in a way.

Theo. Josh. Andy.

Hey. Honestly, that demonstration...

Oh, thanks. ..you've got a fan for life.

I tell you what, it was just crazy.

Started a little creepy and then ended even more creepy. I love it.

(LAUGHS) It's what I'm all about. Creepy.

Yeah, let's go. What's the creepy dish?

So, it's a flatbread and I'm gonna use some of the head,

the collars and pop that on top of the bread

with the caramelised onions.

Wow. Righto. Cool. And so how does that get cooked down?

In the oven on top of the... On top of the bread.

I'll put my hand up.

John Dory being, yeah, a, you know, notoriously lean fish...

It could end up super dry.

You got a lot of thinking. Good luck.

Cheers, mate. Cheers.

The wheels are going in all different directions.

I'm all over the place.

What do I do? Do I just abandon the idea of bialy?

Do I do something different?

If I serve Josh Niland a dry John Dory,

I'm straight in the Pressure Test tomorrow.

John Dory being, yeah, a, you know, notoriously lean fish...

It could end up super dry.

You got a lot of thinking. Good luck.

THEO: Cheers, mate. Cheers.

I don't know what to do with my bialy.

I got a bit confused at trying to just showcase the fish

as much as I can, but in that process,

I've sort of lost control a little bit.

I have to rethink my idea,

but I need to do it fast because time's running out.

30 minutes to go. Let's go.

30 minutes. OK. Let's do this.

(DRAMATIC MUSIC)

Where's my brain at? Why am I here?

Oil! Jesus!

I just tasted this dressing and it is not bad.

Done my nam jim dressing for the fish.

I'm just about to start on my rice and salad.

I know I've got a lot of elements in my Thai-inspired dish,

but as long as I leave enough time at the end to get that fish cooked,

I should be OK.

It doesn't need long to cook.

I am feeling in a good place, yeah.

Right.

My original simple idea was to have an Indian-style canape

of a little rice cake with some pan-fried fish cheeks,

but the judges are worried that I'm not really meeting the brief

with my dish today.

I'm gonna use the roe.

Ooh, all that roe!

I've never cooked roe before,

but I'm thinking I'll just saute it in the oil.

It really likes to spit eggs at me. Oh!

I hope that by using more of the John Dory,

it's gonna be enough to avoid tomorrow's pressure test.

DECLAN: How are you going, Adi?

Oh, look, it's maybe coming together, Deccy.

Alright. I mean, it's tasting nice.

How are you? Good!

Declan, meet Josh. G'day.

Josh, how are you? G'day, Declan. How are you?

Good. Nice to meet you. You too.

Another moment ticked for you in the MasterChef kitchen?

Absolutely, yeah, it's awesome.

You're an inspiration to everyone in the fish industry.

Thanks.

OK, we got that out of the way, which is lovely. Let's go into the dish.

Today, I wanted to branch out,

and I think blackberry goes really nice with a poached fish

if it's done right.

So, is the blackberry the sauce? Yeah, correct.

You're gonna have to really be at the top of your game.

Yeah. I know you're pushing the boat out.

Something this wild needs you to stay really on the money.

Good luck, Declan. Thanks, gents.

A lot's riding on this dish today.

Alright.

I don't want to be one of Josh Niland's bottom three dishes.

I want a beautiful, sweet, delicate piece of John Dory

sitting on the sauce which will have

that sort of acidic, sweet, saltiness

to counteract with that beautiful sweet piece of John Dory.

Beautiful.

BRENT: So, I went for a little creative one today.

I decided to cook the dory dog.

Looks like just a dagwood dog with tomato sauce,

but it's a dagwood dory with curry sauce.

Mate. Yes, Mel?

What a genius idea. Yeah.

You confident with where everything's at?

Just about ready to put it all together, balance everything out.

If you can nail this, you will be a hero and go down in history.

If you fail, we won't be angry, just a little disappointed.

So, just...just keep on this vibe. Yep. Thanks, Mel. Appreciate it.

When the judges are excited about your idea,

it puts a bit of pressure on 'cause now you've really gotta nail it.

Look how strong I am!

The batter, it's Josh Niland's batter mix.

It's got a lot of beer and a lot of vodka.

It's as good as it gets.

I'm going for, like, you know, that beautiful flaky battered fish

that you'd buy at the fish and chip shop.

(DRAMATIC MUSIC)

Oh!

Try it. Oh.

Oh! Is that plantation? Yeah, plantains.

Oh! Yeah!

My asado negro, it's going good.

I'm working on a sugar caramel

where I'm going to smother the fish in it.

I want to spend the time in cooking the mid-loin fish right.

What I want to do is sear the edges of the fish in the caramel sauce

and get it really, really crispy.

The whole thing about today was thinking outside the box, right,

so I think I did that.

I'm just hoping the judges like it.

Guys, some exciting ideas out there,

but let's hope you can get them all on the plate.

15 minutes to go. ANDY: Here we go!

(DRAMATIC MUSIC)

(TIMER BEEPS)

I've got a few cuts of the fish on the hibachi.

It's a technique I've never done before, so I am a little bit nervous.

(SIGHS)

So, I'm finishing off a hot and sour sauce now

and then it's gonna be all about that fish.

Grace. Hello!

How are you? Hi, Josh. How are you?

What's happening?

I'm gonna deep-fry the two collars and the cutlets as well.

I'll dredge the fish in, like, a nice cornflour, zesty mix.

It's simple, which I think is smart today.

It's just gotta be done faultlessly.

Thank you so much. Ta.

There's not gonna be much room for error today.

It's a tricky day. I don't wanna be in the next Pressure Test.

The last one was hard enough, so... (LAUGHS)

OK, what are we worried about?

Adi. She's taken the cheeks out.

She's gonna serve it on a rice cake. Two little things.

There's not enough going on. There's not enough going on.

Just trying to dry off some fish skins in the oven.

Maybe I could crumble them on top of my one-bite appetiser.

We've got a blackberry sauce out there.

Declan. Yeah.

This'll be good.

Worried that he's really trying so hard to impress

that he may fall short of the mark

and it may land him in the bottom three.

It's interesting and unique, but I like it,

and sort of interesting and unique is Josh Niland.

Theo, he's got a flatbread, which we know he can nail,

but then he wants to mince up the fish and then bake it.

We're worried about it being quite dry.

I think I'm gonna change the way I'm gonna cook it

so that it doesn't dry out.

I'm gonna fill the dough with the John Dory.

I think I'm gonna just pan-fry it instead of baking it in the oven.

If I can pull it off, I think it's gonna be OK,

but making a new dish in less than 15 minutes to go is pushing it.

Sink or swim, hey?

RHIANNON: Probably get my hibachi.

Whoo! That's hot!

My Thai-inspired fish dish is coming together really well,

so I'm feeling confident.

Rhiannon, what's left to do?

OK, so, I'm gonna quickly, um, put some lemongrass in my little salad...

Yeah.

..and then the apples just in lime juice.

That'll all go together at the end.

You need to remember that this is a fish challenge,

it's a Josh Niland challenge.

Yep. The fish must be perfect.

I was too busy focusing on everything else...

..and now we're at eight minutes to go

and I'm only just getting this fish on.

I don't know if this is gonna cook.

If I can't do this fish any justice,

I'm in bottom three for sure.

(GROANS)

GRACE: You right, Rhi? Oh, it's just stuck.

Come on, just breathe.

(DRAMATIC MUSIC)

I enjoyed this whole cook.

(GROANS) Bloody hell.

And now I've lost all control.

This fish has to be on the plate. It is the main element.

Just left it too late. Like, far out!

Four minutes. Come on!

(DRAMATIC MUSIC)

I was very confused,

but I feel like everything's sort of clicked into place.

I've changed my idea.

I'm now cooking the fish inside this flatbread,

but there's not long to go,

so I need to leave it in the pan for as long as I can

to make sure it's cooked all the way through.

ANTONIO: I think I've captured the flavours from the asado negro.

You have a lot of bitterness there and then sweetness of the wine,

which is normally flavours associated with the fish.

I would be so happy to show this to my mum.

When she comes to visit, this could be my 'Welcome home, Mum' dish.

So, to assemble this canape, I've got a rice cake

and I cover it with this mangosteen paste.

I then put a piece of fish on

and I top it with a little bit of flavoured fish roe

and the crispy skins.

I think I've been inventive with the way that I used the fish,

so I just hope that I've hit the brief.

I'm after, you know, the dagwood dog, the sauce squeezed over it.

I'm hoping that it's just a sort of a textural explosion

with the strong sauce and the beautiful meat,

the crunchy batter and it sort of all just works well together.

I hate to do this to some of you, but 60 seconds!

(DRAMATIC MUSIC)

You can do it. You can do it, sweetie pie.

RALPH: Ooh!

DECLAN: I took a big risk today with my flavours,

but I'm happy with the cook of the fish.

The blackberry sauce is nice and glossy and thick.

Poached fish in the middle and some sauteed baby carrots and mushrooms.

I just hope the fish and the blackberry sauce pair well together.

RHIANNON: We are down the wire.

I'm bottom three for sure if I've undercooked this.

(LAUGHS)

Here it is, ladies and gentlemen. 10...

JUDGES: 9, 8, 7,

6, 5, 4,

3, 2, 1.

That's it. Step away.

Good job. (LAUGHS) Oh, I don't know, Deccy.

How are you going? Yeah, good.

Looks good. That looks good.

Ooh!

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

I'm bringing something that I really love

and something that reminds me of home,

so I just really want this to be the dish that the judges love today.

Antonio, what did you make?

I made you guys John Dory al asado negro

with cauliflower puree and plantain chips.

This is a dish that's very traditional from home.

You've cooked it bang-on.

Like, I don't think there's too much better you could have done there.

The skin that's kind of been activated in that caramel,

it's sticky, it's rich and it's really yummy.

It's the type of dish that you do want to pick the bone up,

drag it through the sauce at the end and have a good nibble on it.

You've done a great job. Well done. Thank you. Thank you.

Antonio, watching Josh and listening to Josh,

it's really made you transform your thinking going into this challenge

and that is exactly what we wanted.

You did a great job today. I cannot complain at all.

Thank you. Thank you.

Antonio, I don't think there's anything lost in translation

from transforming this from a beef dish to a fish application.

I think any Venezuelan watching this

will be just, you know, high-fiving you in spirit,

because this was spectacular.

Thank you. Thank you, guys. Nice one, mate.

(JUDGES AND CONTESTANTS APPLAUD)

ANTONIO: Phew!

Aww.

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

MALISSA: I made you hibachi-roasted John Dory with a yellow curry sauce.

MELISSA: So, you have this really potent aromatic coating

and then you have this beautiful, tender, silky flesh of the fish.

That was a real pleasure to eat.

Well done. Thank you!

ANDY: Ralph!

RALPH: Herb-crusted Dory with a potato bake roe.

JOCK: Great concept as a dish, mate.

I love the herb crust on it.

Thank you, guys. Well done, Ralph.

(JUDGES AND CONTESTANTS APPLAUD)

Next up, Brent, please.

The dagwood dory looks so epic.

It's like a trickery of the mind.

Is it at the show or are we at a fine dining restaurant?

I'm loving it, but I haven't got to taste it all together.

What have you cooked us, mate?

This is a dagwood dory.

Brent, the sausage,

the flavour that you've got in there is epic.

You know, having that sort of Sri Lankan aromats in there

has just brought it to life,

and then your sauce on the side just complements that.

The most important thing for me

was thinking about fish in a different way.

That's why this guy's here today.

And you nailed that part of it, mate.

Thank you.

From an innovation point of view, loved it.

That's how you end up with being able

to pop all of the compromised parts

that people just feel totally uncomfortable about

and what you've done today is really show what is possible

and, like, why aren't we having that at the Royal Easter Show?

Yeah.

It's almost like a Sri Lankan-spiced fishcake or something like that

and the texture of the fry on the outside, your batter, is wonderful.

Like, bending your brain to getting to that concept,

that's a win for me,

so I'm pretty stoked for you.

Yeah. Awesome. Thanks, guys. Well done, mate.

(JUDGES AND CONTESTANTS APPLAUD)

RHIANNON: Good one.

Theo!

THEO: I'm nervous.

I'm praying that the bread and fish is cooked perfectly.

I do not want to be in that bottom three.

I don't want to go in a Pressure Test tomorrow.

Stream full episodes of MasterChef Australia now

on 10 play.

(DRAMATIC MUSIC)

What's the dish?

THEO: It started out as something else,

but now it's khachapuri with John Dory.

Um, I thought the fish was gonna be really dry,

but I think you made the right decision.

The fish is cooked really nicely.

So, good stuff there.

But what suffered is the bread.

The bread's actually undercooked... Mm-hm.

..which is really strange from you because you're the bread guy.

Yeah.

I don't know what happened today with you. Like...

Neither do I, to be honest. Yeah.

I think it was, like, trying to respect the fish so much

that I kind of lost everything else.

Without reiterating any of that,

to look at it in, I suppose, a little bit of positivity,

the very thin layer of cooked, toasted bread across the top

was heaven.

Yep.

So, hold your head up on that one. Thanks.

The fish was cooked beautifully. So good, so flavourful.

It's the MasterChef kitchen. Sometimes it gets you, man.

Yeah, fair enough. Yep.

You just presented as somebody who was overthinking it

and that's exactly what we got.

Yeah. Thanks, mate.

Thank you, guys. Thanks, Theo.

The pressure definitely got to me today.

It would take a miracle for me not to be in the bottom three.

Next up, it's Adi.

ADI: I really wanted to try and push myself

and do something differently today,

but now that I'm looking at this dish,

I'm worried about how much fish there is on the plate.

I hope that I've done enough.

I've done the John Dory cheeks on a rice cake

with the John Dory roe and some crispy fish skin.

(SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC)

Very interesting flavour profile.

I haven't tasted anything like that before,

um, so that's a positive,

but there's so much rice cake there.

Yeah.

So, it really does get lost.

That's kind of not in the spirit

of what Josh was trying to achieve today.

I don't think it was a bad idea to elevate a beautiful home memory

into something that could be a fancy-schmancy canape.

It just didn't quite come together for the brief today.

Yep.

Cool. Thanks, guys. Thank you.

(JUDGES AND CONTESTANTS APPLAUD)

Next up, it's Grace, please.

Grace, what have you made us?

GRACE: Fried John Dory with a hot and sour sauce.

Hot and sour sauce. Love it.

Great balance. It is bottle-ready, you know what I'm saying?

It's delicious. Awesome. Thank you so much.

The fish, both of the pieces I had are sadly overcooked.

OK.

I'm gutted for you because the sauce is epic.

Thanks, Grace.

Next up, Rue.

RUE: Poached John Dory with a pea relish and a beurre blanc.

We love the simplicity of this dish.

The fish is cooked nicely,

but, unfortunately, it's so lacking in seasoning in so many areas.

Thanks, Rue. Thank you.

(JUDGES AND CONTESTANTS APPLAUD)

The fish man, Declan!

Bloody hell.

I'm super overwhelmed and stoked

to be, yeah, presenting this dish to Josh Niland today,

and I just hope, you know, that the judges like my flavour combination

of fish and the blackberry sauce.

Declan, what did you cook, mate?

Um, so, I've done a poached John Dory with a blackberry reduction.

Right. Big day for you, cooking for one of your heroes.

(LAUGHS) Yeah. Two in a row.

Yeah, I know. No, massive day, definitely.

Yesterday, I just got a bit overwhelmed

and didn't want to screw this one up -

or hopefully, anyway.

OK, cool. We might get stuck in.

I've got to say, I didn't think this was gonna work,

but I actually like your sauce.

You've thought differently about this, which I love.

For me, it was the John Dory, the mushroom and the sauce,

and I think those three things, in terms of flavour, were brilliant.

It was really great.

The John Dory was cooked really perfectly,

showcasing the slippery, pearlescent, beautiful texture

that John Dory should have.

Yep.

And the second I had a little John Dory with sauce, really yummy.

Like, delicious.

MELISSA: Declan, this is some high-concept thinking.

There's an intellectual side of you that we're seeing

in you bringing us this dish

and I commend you for being committed enough

to pushing on through.

There's something very cool about to happen to you

if you continue down this train of thought.

Alright, thank you for your kind words.

Thank you. Great work, Declan.

Good kid. (LAUGHS)

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

RHIANNON: I'm so nervous.

Every element, I wanted perfect,

and I'm worried that I've undercooked this fish.

with, like, an Asian apple salad

and a nam jim dressing and some rice.

Rhiannon, I'm a little surprised by your demeanour walking down here,

because I thought you were happy with your cook.

I'm really upset because Josh has just done the best job for us,

and then, at the end, I just didn't give myself enough time.

I'm just devastated, because this is me on a plate.

(SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC)

OK, let's start with the rice.

Perfectly cooked, lovely.

The salad - crunchy, delicious.

The dressing is punchy, full of aromats.

The balance is also great.

And the cooking of the fish.

(SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC)

Um...

..it's perfect.

Oh!

(JUDGES AND CONTESTANTS APPLAUD)

(UPLIFTING MUSIC)

It's perfect.

Not only the two cutlets but the head as well.

(SIGHS)

Rhiannon, I am so proud of you. Oh!

So proud of you.

I thought I'd be crying with being upset.

Because I'm getting emotional now.

What you've done is made this guy so proud...

Brilliant.

..because you've cooked something so perfectly.

I mean, you'd be happy to serve that in your shop.

Absolutely. Wow.

And very few times come to MasterChef kitchen

and see a fish so perfectly cooked.

Oh, far out.

CATH: That's awesome.

Wowee, huh?

There are turning points in this competition.

Let this be your turning point.

However you got to this decision to cook this style of food,

do that as many times as you possibly can in this competition,

because there's something special in this food.

We're all digging it.

(LAUGHS)

Oh, my God!

Yeah! (LAUGHS)

(LAUGHS) Yes! Thank you!

Oh, my God!

(RHIANNON SPEAKS INDISTINCTLY)

(LAUGHS)

JOSH: Congratulations to all of you.

I love coming back to the MasterChef kitchen every time.

What we've managed to do today as a team

is hopefully shift the perceptions.

And don't always go for what's first thought of.

Try to think of things a little bit more broadly

because what we do now impacts what the future state could really be.

So, thank you for having me. It's a privilege.

Thank you. Josh Niland, everybody!

(UPLIFTING MUSIC)

Time for the not-so-fun part.

If I call your name, you will be cooking in tomorrow's Pressure Test.

The first dish didn't capture the spirit of this challenge.

That dish was cooked by you, Adi. Yep.

The next dish, what we got was undercooked bread.

I'm sorry, Theo, but you're also cooking tomorrow.

Lastly, this dish had a sauce that was good enough to bottle,

but the name of the game today was fish,

and I'm sorry, Grace, yours was well overcooked.

Adi, Theo and Grace,

the three of you are cooking in tomorrow's Pressure Test.

Good luck, guys. We'll see you tomorrow.

Well done, everyone.

See you, Josh. 'Bye, mate. See ya.

See you, Declan. 'Bye, Declan.

'Bye, Declan! (LAUGHS)

CATH: Oh, my God.

NARRATOR: Tomorrow night on MasterChef Australia...

Luke Nguyen!

(CONTESTANTS CHEER) Hey!

..there are pressure tests...

You'll be cooking my...

Ooh!

I'm terrified. (LAUGHS)

..then there are pressure tests.

(STEAM HISSES)

I really don't know what I'm doing.

Just like there are surprises...

Look at your penis. Oh.

I mean your bull penis.

Definitely didn't wake up this morning

thinking that that was going to happen.

..and then there are surprises.

RUE: Oh, my God.

It's D-day.

Captions by Red Bee Media