So, How to Crack an Egg is my kind of article, all i need now is to source some of these and we’re laughing.

Pin the fish down by its tail on a board , & using the back of a knife scrape the fish from tail to head. Rub your fingers up & down the body to check for any rogue scales, the skin should feel smooth.

Tip within a tip…To avoid the scales-a-flyin’ do the above under a cold tap, collecting the scales in a colander underneath.

To gut a fish slit the belly open, cutting from its bumhole, up to the gills and pull out the innards. Rinse off any residue blood etc. with cold water.

Fins can be cut off with scissors, just open them up with thumb & forefinger & snip away.

Alternatively, don’t do any of the above & impress/shock/alienate your nearest & dearest by swallowing the fish whole.

Cut the peppers in half and gut them – cut out the stalk, seeds and ribs (the white stuff). Place flat side down on a grill tray and COAT with olive oil. Add salt & pepper.Put under a hot grill and allow the skins to go black, the pepper to soften and collapse. You can manually flatten the peppers a bit more to allow the edges to blacken too.

Place straight into a bowl and cover (cling film or a plate will do) allowing the trapped heat to seperate the skin from the flesh. Let them cool down and peel off the skin which by now should be quite easy, use a knife if you need to. Cut the moist flesh into strips lengthways and stick them back in the bowl, there should be some juice from them previously still in the bowl – all good and ready for your recipe.

Proceed with recipe of choice i.e. salsa. For tomato concasse, cut in half after skinning, scoop out the pips and cut flesh into small diamonds(or tiny Leaning Towers of Pisas, if you wish. Knock yourself out.)

It goes through veggies, meats, herbs; the lot. Highly recommended even if you think you know everything.