A fish out of water (+recipe)

Cockle pasta. Photo / Supplied

I am the first to arrive in the foyer of the Auckland Seafood School. Wine is being set up on a table to be sold for a pre-class warm-up. I'm going to need one. I love seafood, I'm just new to cooking it myself. I'm convinced, perhaps irrationally, that it's more difficult to get right than any other type of food. The reason I am here. Hopefully tonight's two hour session entitled "Fresh/Healthy and Seasonal" with chef Peter Chaplin will allay my fear.

The room starts to fill and I scope out my fellow students - a few couples, a few sets of friends of varying ages and a group of lively co-workers (I hear "This is going to save my marriage" and "Darren, I want to cook with you, you're a good cook"). I wonder if the 25 here tonight are typical of those who come to learn the tricks of the seafood trade. But Lynn Fernandez, the school co-ordinator, informs me there is no such thing; "it's always a mixed bag".

Led through into an auditorium, we take our seats overlooking a cooking station, a large mirror set up on an angle so we're able to see right down into the pots and pans soon to be filled with delicious things. I take a closer look at the printed handout of the recipes we are about to witness being made. And then in comes the maker himself, Peter Chaplin. Chaplin's been cooking since he was 7 and was, at one point, Madonna's personal chef. So we're in good hands. He's also pretty well-known in foodie circles for his Musical Knives restaurants - vegetarian establishments here and in Melbourne that earned quite a following before he gave them up for what he calls his "biggest personal star", teaching.

The demonstration begins. A fan of cooking shows, I always wish someone would invent smell-o-vision but here there's no need. The aroma of frying fritters, sauteed leeks and fresh-cut herbs are almost distracting as the class takes notes on each stage of a dish, with the looming knowledge it will soon be us recreating it. It's nice to be able to interact with our star chef, and ask questions as he expertly zips along dicing, pouring, whisking, slicing. Some of us interact more than others - one large group of work colleagues have obviously had a few more wines than the one prior to class and they're now pretty rowdy. A wine glass shatters on the floor. Please don't let me be in their cooking group.

The assistant is sent off to finish frying up a batch of prawn fritters for us to sample, crunchy morsels made with coconut cream and a macadamia nut mix, served on a bed of grated carrot and chopped coriander, while chef Chaplin moves on to the main. All too soon it's our turn. Gulp. I was just getting comfortable.

But the point is, these recipes are purposely accessible and we're here in expert hands to learn how to execute them with confidence. So through to the kitchen we go. We are randomly grouped four or five to a workstation. On mine, couple Rebecca and Duncan, and friends Alene and Gay. Hands washed and aprons on, we divvy up the chores. I get off easy, with leeks to chop. And to help pick out the salmon bones. As I go about my simple tasks, I am feeling unreasonably Nigella-like. The atmosphere is friendly and fun as we chat about what led us here. Duncan bought it as a birthday present for Rebecca and Alene won a place for her and a friend through a raffle. Coincidentally, she did a Vietnamese course here the night before, so I'm glad she has the lion's share of the tricky parts - being experienced and all.

As the clock ticks I'm well aware, as we fly around putting in the finishing touches, of the adrenaline that must pulse through a professional kitchen. And all I did was chop leeks.

There's a roar of laughter as Chaplin checks on one group behind us (yep, those lubricated colleagues again) and we find out that with prawn fritters already on the fry, they hadn't actually added the prawns. Gordon Ramsay would be hurling an F word. But Chaplin's taking it quite well.

Dishes plated, it's off to the long, white tables set at the side of the class, where we're placed next to our fellow cooks to sample our wares with a complimentary glass of wine. Not bad. Next time I might even volunteer for some of those trickier tasks.

* The Auckland Seafood School is situation on 1st Floor, 22 Jellicoe Street, Freemans Bay, on top of the Auckland Fish Market. For details of classes see www.afm.co.nz

Cockle pasta

Try this tasty, effortless pasta dish, by chef Petra New, from The New Zealand Seafood Cookbook (Penguin: $50). The book includes recipes from a variety of chefs, including Peter Chaplin, with photographs by Sean Shadbolt.

Serves 4

400g pasta (egg noodles or spaghetti, fresh or dried)
20ml extra virgin olive oil
100g onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 x 400g tins chopped tomatoes
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1 lemon, zested
200ml white wine
1kg cockles, cleaned
20 leaves basil, chopped
10g flat-leaf parsley, chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
60g Parmesan (optional)

1. Place a medium-sized pot on a medium heat and add first measure of oil. When oil is sufficiently heated add onion and garlic and sweat together without colouring for a few minutes. Add tomatoes and bay leaf and cook for a further 10 minutes.

2. While tomato sauce is simmering, place pasta in the large pot of boiling water. Season water with salt and second measure of oil and cook for 10 minutes if using dried pasta, or for 6 minutes if fresh until pasta is al dente. Drain pasta and add a little more olive oil, lemon zest and salt and pepper to taste.

3. Place white wine and cockles in another pot on a high heat. Place lid on pot and bring to a rapid boil. Cook for 2-3 minutes until cockles open. Add cockles and basil to tomato sauce, discarding any cockles that do not open.

4. To serve, place the pasta on a suitable large platter. Pour over the cockles and tomato sauce and garnish with parsley. Great accompanied by crusty bread and parmesan.