HE'S a crane driver by trade, so it should have come as no surprise Pete Morgan would set the bar high on MasterChef.

The Chanel College graduate blew the MasterChef judges away tonight with his audition dish, earning a coveted spot in the reality cooking show's Top 24.

"It's the first dish a cooked for my gorgeous girlfriend and she stuck around so it can't be too bad," Pete joked during his hour-long cook time.

Judge George Calombaris admitted he needed a minute to reconcile the crane driver with the beautifully refined dish in front of him: confit salmon with crispy skin, lemon and caper foam, butternut pumpkin puree, oyster mushrooms, nasturtium leaves and a sauce Pete described as "chicken goodness".

"The thoughtfulness of the plate and the way you presented it… there's honest there," George said.

Matt Preston agreed, saying he preferred taste over prettiness but that Pete's dish had both.

It's not the first time Pete has surprised with his love of fine food.

"I like looking at pretty plates of food and trying to replicate those in my own way. A lot of my mates think it's a bit of a laugh, but I'm making that career change from crane driving to fine food," he said.

"It's an awesome feeling knowing that someone enjoys your food.

"It's time for me to do something that I enjoy and cooking is what I love."

Pete, who now lives in Perth, believes his biggest challenging going into the next round of the competition will be thinking on his feet.

"The skill of coming up with a dish on the spot will be very tough for me," he said.

"Cooking at home you've got time to research and look up recipes and plan."

The MasterChef auditions continue tomorrow night when Maggie Beer guest stars.