NOSE TO SCALE
Chef JOSH NILAND continues to make waves with his innovative approach to seafood, as showcased in The Whole Fish Cookbook, which became an instant classic this year, winning publishing’s top prize.
Chef Josh Niland continues to make waves with his innovative approach to seafood.
Josh Niland describes his award-winning debut cookbook as a “brain dump”. The humble head chef and co-owner of Sydney’s esteemed Saint Peter restaurant wrote The Whole Fish Cookbook in just eight weeks, all while running one of Australia’s top kitchens and planning for the arrival of his third child. “I was flat out,” says Niland. “I would start writing before work and then again when service finished. The manuscript was due on January 14, 2019, so when we shut for two weeks over Christmas I just worked from
7 in the morning to 7 in the evening.”
The hard work paid off. In May, Niland became the first Australian ever to claim the world’s most prestigious publishing prize, winning the James Beard Book of the Year Award (he also won the restaurant and professional category).
“It’s hugely flattering and it kind of feels like I’m not worthy of it,” says Niland. “It shouldn’t be seen as an individual award either. I know that sounds cliché, but the amount of work that went into the book, from the photography, to the design, to editing, was a monster effort. Although, we felt like the controlled chaos and time pressures produced the best work, so I’m extremely proud.”
Niland’s deep passion for seafood, commitment to sustainability and attention to detail is cemented in each chapter, from tips on sourcing and storing seafood, to recipes for fish offal, such as smoked spleens and glazed throats.
There’s a section on pickling, one on approaching fish as meat and another for “fissues” – issues that can occur when dealing with fish.
“The main agenda of the book is to minimise the amount of fish going into the bin and to bring some desirability to a protein that is normally feared, especially in the west,” says Niland. “I’m trying to be provocative and bring forward a conversation we’ve never had before.”
Niland hopes the book will result in a deeper understanding of fish, and a greater awareness of the parts going to waste.
“I know not every fish shop is going to produce 39 cuts from a bass grouper, but I want them to look at it and think: ‘We normally throw that in the bin, maybe we should try frying and serving that’.”
The book also endeavours to bring context to Niland’s extraordinary work at Saint Peter and Fish Butchery.
“What we do at Saint Peter looks really simple, but there’s actually a lot of work in simplicity,” he says. “I think we showcased that really well in the book.”
Here, we share five of Niland’s recipes from The Whole Fish Cookbook – a bible for chefs and home-cooks alike, and a tome that’s already tracking to become one of the great culinary classics of our time.
Saint Peter, 362 Oxford St, and Fish Butchery, 88 Oxford St, Paddington, NSW. saintpeter.com.au; fishbutchery.com.au