if you’re a food-lover, you have probably heard a lot of the “r” word lately. no, not rissole. i’m talking about all things “rustic.” these days it’s impossible to flick through a cookbook or read a restaurant review without seeing some mention of rustic cookery. sensing that this trend could have more staying power than the sundried tomato craze of the 90’s, i decided to investigate.

a quick look around the food mag section at my local newsagent reveals an array of rustic images. from wooden boards and meals served in pots, to frayed or creased table linen, mismatched plates, sauces served in measuring cups and crumbled biscuits; it sure is a rustic month out there in magazine world.

yet rustic style extends far beyond publishing. restaurants are replacing stiff, leather-bound menus with brown paper, chalkboards and printed placemats. peasant-style dishes, second-class cuts of meat and nose-to-tail cookery are suddenly chic, while shared plates and communal dining are overtaking stuffy a la carte options.

take sydney chef warren turnbull, for example. he developed his new restaurant district dining as a casual counterpoint to his two-hatted assiette. district ticks several rustic boxes. bare tables? check. wooden boards? check. blackboard menu? chalk… i mean check.

turnbull’s not alone. rusticity has made its way into some of the world’s most renowned restaurants. copenhagen’s noma serves a dish called “radishes in soil.” presented in a terra cotta pot, the dish features three radishes sitting in “soil” made of crushed malt, hazelnuts and beer. it’s a remarkably rustic dish for a restaurant twice voted “best in the world” by restaurant magazine.

other michelin-starred chefs getting rustic include heston blumenthal, whose new london restaurant “dinner” features a dress code described as “comfortable,” and ireland’s dylan mcgrath, who swapped molecular gastronomy for stone cooking, opening dublin restaurant “rustic stone” in 2010.

but is rustic just another word for lazy? after all, it wasn’t long ago that we were arranging chive sprigs, layering ingredients into ring moulds, carving radish roses and discarding any plate that wasn’t white. call it the jamie oliver effect, but I think it’s more about finding great ingredients, and treating them as simply as possible.

so, fancy getting in on the rustic scene? just remember to relax and leave intricate plating to trembling masterchef contestants. keep in mind rustic’s true meaning: “simple and charming in a way seen as typical of the countryside.” 

why not dish up on mismatched plates, place antipasto on a beautiful wooden board, or pour drinks into jam jars? you could serve slow-cooked meats right out of the pot, or gnocchi in a shallow pan.  or, swap linen and glass vases for bare tables and unusual flower vessels, like old watering cans or ceramic water jugs. another handy tip is to write your food blog in lowercase text.

and if all else fails, just throw some radishes in a garden pot. if it works for the best restaurant in the world, your family will surely love it for dinner too.

(image: rustic fritto misto de verdura at cotogna, san francisco)

this is a story about my dad. let me think… how can i describe my dad? fun, exciting, and happy-go-lucky… are all terms that i wouldn’t use. yes, anyone who has met ol’ mr. grainofsalt will attest to his generally serious disposition and dislike of almost everything. and yet, this self-proclaimed m.o.r.b.o.f (middle-of-the-road-boring-old-fart) has one surprising culinary gift: cooking fish to perfection!

i’m not kidding when i say that dad’s pan-fried snapper is better than any i’ve eaten at any restaurant anywhere. and, luckily for you, my many thousands of readers, he has graciously decided to share his fish-frying methods with grainofsalt. the following tips are priceless gems for you to use, share and cherish, and, which were passed on to me with a such a level of utmost seriousness that i can only hope to convey below.

according to dad, “snapper will seem expensive when you’re buying it, but compared to what those bastards at restaurants will charge you it’s not. get some snapper fillets, skin on. make sure your fishmonger takes out all the bones of the fillets, although they never do. when you get home, preheat the oven to 180°C and check again for bones. if you find any bones, get some sterilised tweezers or tongs and gently pull them out. next, get some flour and put it on a plate. mix in some salt and pepper…”

me: “umm, dad i should probably give more specific quantities than that, how much flour do you need?”

dad: “enough to coat the fish, i don’t know”

me: “ok… great. what’s next?”

dad: “coat the fish on both sides in the seasoned flour. get a non-stick fry pan, and it has to be non-stick, not non-stick-after-its-been-in-the-dishwasher-500-times. heat it so that it is hot but not burning hot. put a glug of oil in the pan and a knob of butter. when the butter has melted, put two of the fillets in the pan, skin side down. cook on that side for 2-3 minutes, pushing it down with a spatula and basting occasionally with the butter. flip over and cook on the other side for 1 minute. then, shove the pan into the preheated over for another 2-3 minutes.  take the fry-pan out of the oven without burning your hand on the handle like you always do.”

me: “yeah. ok sounds good, what’s left?”

dad: “serve the fish with some salt or sauce or lemon or whatever and wonder why a restaurant will charge you $38-$50 for the same thing.”

and there you have it folks, dad’s perfect pan-fried snapper. a great dish, by a great man. the image above is how i decided to serve it on that particular occasion: with a simple grapefruit, fennel and black olive salad and a smooth truffled potato puree (pictured below). for the puree boil six large peeled potatoes with four cloves of garlic. place the boiled potatoes in to a food processor, pulse for a few seconds, then add the garlic cloves (peel them, of course) and pulse again. next add spoonfuls of the starchy potato boiling water and puree until smooth and creamy (not runny!). finish by adding a generous amount of salt and pepper, and drizzling in some truffle oil, or regular extra virgin olive oil, whatever you have, while pulsing for a few more seconds. enjoy!