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More Fish, More Veg by Tom Walton, photography by Rob Palmer. Murdoch Books RRP $45. Some people are a little nervous about cooking fish but Australian chef Tom Walton advises people to not shy away from cooking fresh fish.

"It all starts with great ingredients — the fresher the better. And, ideally, try to use sustainably, locally sourced seafood."

All the talk about trying not to overcook it, otherwise it tastes like rubber, but not undercooking it either can make cooking fish sound daunting but Walton says it’s not.

"You defintely do not need to be a chef to pull off perfectly cooked fish."

Much of Walton’s inspiration comes from his childhood growing up in the Blue Mountains of New South Wales where he spent a lot of time in the kitchen and garden of his Lebanese next-door neighbour, Nadeema, who became like a grandma to him.

"I learned early on about cooking with the seasons, using what we had and what was at its best. It taught me how to be flexible with traditional recipes and how to adapt them using what was available."

At age 14 he fell in love with Japanese food, and the respect and restraint the Japanese have for ingredients especially fish resonated with him.

He would get his parents to drive him to seafood cooking classes.

"The more I stepped toward the food world, the more it pulled me in."

It was those 17 years, he says, that instilled in him the importance of cooking to share and to nourish his family in his own kitchen.

"This was also when my passion for vegetables, spices and acids — and for balancing and clashing flavours — was cemented."

Recently he has found himself unlearning a lot of what he was taught in commercial kitchens and going back to those earlier years to find "where I am most content".

So it was not surprising that Walton, who became an apprentice chef at 18 and at 19 began taking part in cooking competitions, ended up representing Australia in Helsinki against chefs from 24 countries.

"That experience taught me a lot about myself and tapped into a part of my brain that I could unlock for creativity, whether it was the humble bag of carrots or the freshest seafood."

During the past two decades in the industry he has immersed himself in many different cultures and kitchens, from his start in a then two-hatted Blue Mountain restaurant to being part of opening The Bucket List at Bondi Beach, which he sees as "different connections to deliciousness which tell a different story".

He has a passion for wellness and fitness and now lives with his wife and three young children between Sydney and Byron Bay. He has just released his first cook book More Fish, More Veg.

The book contains a chapter on how to select fish — shop from a trusted source, look for healthy fish, buy local.

There is also a comprehensive section, with step-by-step photographs, on a few simple techniques such as pan-frying with a crispy skin, barbecuing, poaching, and roasting whole fish. And it also shows his passion for vegetables.

This marinade is so delicious, inspired by the classic za’atar roast chicken. It makes for an impressive yet simple dinner. Turn this into a feast by serving it with Fattoush, sumac yoghurt and flatbread. I love leatherjacket — it’s such a delicious, sustainable choice — but you could also use rainbow trout, barramundi, bream or snapper.

Please don’t shy away from cooking whole fish — it’s easy, mess-free and tastes amazing. If you’re still not convinced, you could use a large white-fleshed fish fillet for this recipe, which takes even less time to cook (about 8–10 minutes).

3 x 400g–500 g (14 oz–1lb 2oz) whole leatherjackets, cleaned, or 2 x 750g (1lb 10oz) whole rainbow trout, barramundi, bream or snapper, cleaned (see Note)

Sea salt flakes and ground black pepper

⅓ cup (50g) pine nuts, toasted

œ small red onion, thinly sliced

Flatbread or steamed rice, to serve

Juice of 1 lemon, plus ½ lemon extra, sliced

2Tbsp za’atar, plus extra to serve

1 tsp sweet smoked paprika, plus extra to serve

Pat each fish inside and out with paper towel until dry, then make three shallow cuts down both sides of each fish. Place in a wide shallow bowl or a deep baking dish and season with salt and pepper.

In a small bowl, combine the marinade ingredients, then pour over each fish and into the cavities, making sure the fish is very well coated. Allow to stand in the fridge for at least 1 hour to marinate, then remove from the fridge 30 minutes before cooking to let the fish come to room temperature and cook more evenly.

Preheat the oven to 220degC. Place the fish and all the marinade in a large baking tray lined with baking paper and roast for 15–20 minutes, then allow it to rest for 2–3 minutes.

Sprinkle a little extra paprika and za’atar over the fish. Combine the pine nuts, parsley and red onion and scatter over the top. Serve with some flatbread or steamed rice.

Ask your fishmonger to clean the fish for you, if you like.

This is a simple go-to technique for cooking whole fish. It works for fillets, too — simply reduce the cooking time by approximately half. Apply your favourite flavours, marinades or dressings from the Arsenal of Flavours.

It is important to remove the fish from the fridge 20–30 minutes before cooking to bring it to room temperature.

The following times are based on a 700g whole fish.

1. Make three shallow cuts down each side of the fish. If using a marinade, rub it into the fish and its cavity and allow it to stand for 30 minutes. 2. Place the fish on a baking tray lined with baking paper, season it inside and out and brush it with oil. Place any flavourings, such as lemon or herbs, inside its cavity. 3. Roast the fish for 15–20 minutes in an oven preheated to 220degC, until the flesh closest to its head (the thickest part) begins to flake away easily with a fork or small knife.

Carefully transfer the fish to a plate and allow it to rest for 2 minutes before serving.

600g firm white-fleshed fish, such as ling, Spanish mackerel, swordfish, gemfish or barramundi, cut into 3cm pieces

1 Tbsp ras el hanout (see Notes)

Sea salt flakes and ground black pepper

1 brown onion, cut into 1 cm slices

3 handfuls fresh herbs, such as flatleaf parsley leaves, mint leaves or dill sprigs

½ cup (135g) sumac yoghurt (see recipe below), or natural Greek-style yoghurt

⅓ cup (80ml) zhoug (see recipe below)

Soak eight 1 cm bamboo/wooden skewers in water for 10 minutes.

Place the fish in a bowl with the ras el hanout, some salt and pepper and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and toss to coat.

Cut one of the lemons in half lengthways and then cut each half into eight thin slices. Thread the fish on to the skewers in between the lemon slices — you want three pieces of fish and two slices of lemon per skewer. If you have time, place the skewers in the fridge for up to 1 hour to marinate.

Preheat a barbecue or chargrill pan to high. Toss the onion in the remaining olive oil and season lightly with salt and pepper.

Cook the fish for around 2 minutes each side, and the onion until it’s charred, about 2 minutes.

To serve, lay the flatbreads out, spoon some hummus on to them and top with the herbs, tomato, cucumber and the charred onion. Place a fish skewer on top, then pull the bamboo skewer out and discard. Finish with the yoghurt and zhoug, wrap it all up and dive in!

Make the condiments and skewer the fish up to a day in advance.

Ras el hanout, a North African spice mix, is available at well-stocked supermarkets and some grocers.

You could leave out the flatbread and serve this bowl-style, bulked up with some salad leaves or shredded lettuce.

This is the perfect no-fuss, make-ahead sauce to have on standby in the fridge. Sumac has such a wonderfully fresh, fragrant, slightly sour flavour that really livens up dressings, salads and fish. You’ll find so many uses for this sauce – I use it throughout the  book. You could also thin it out with water and drizzle it over salads. Try stirring through some chopped fresh mint and grated cucumber and serving it as a dip.

Makes 1 cups (480g) 1  cups (390g) natural Greek-style yoghurt 2 cloves garlic, crushed 1 Tbsp sumac Juice of 1 lemon 2Tbsp extra virgin olive oil Sea salt flakes and ground black pepper

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and season to taste. Transfer to an airtight container or jar and store in the fridge for up to 1 week.

Every culture has their own green sauce but for me, zhoug has the edge, thanks to the unique addition of cardamom.

This Middle Eastern version of chimichurri, if you will, injects a huge burst of flavour into dishes and — with help from your trusty blender or food processor — is ready in 5 minutes. Have this in the fridge and you will use it for everything from marinating and dressing veggies and fish, to swirling through soups or spooning into tacos, wraps or sandwiches. It also gives hummus and yoghurt a great kick. The heat from the chilli mellows over time but if you want it a little milder, remove the seeds from the chilli beforehand.

bunch coriander (cilantro), leaves picked and  some stalks reserved bunch flat-leaf parsley, leaves picked and some stalks reserved 1 long red chilli, sliced 2 tsp ground cumin 1 tsp ground caraway ½ tsp ground cardamom ½ tsp sweet smoked paprika (optional) ½ tsp sea salt flakes Juice of  lemon Two-thirds of a cup (170ml) olive oil

Place the herbs, chilli, spices, salt, lemon juice and half the olive oil in a blender or food processor and blend , then increase the speed to finely chop.

Add the remaining olive oil and pulse to combine, leaving some texture remaining. Transfer to an airtight container  and store in the fridge for up to 1 week.