24 MAY 2019
OBSESSIONS
From Nose to Scale Meet the Aussie upstart at
the forefront of the most creative seafood
cookery in the world. By Melanie Hansche
CHEF JOSH NILAND CAN COAX deliciousness from fish eyeballs.
And swim bladders. (Fun fact: They crisp up like pork rinds.) And
even from fish blood, which he transforms into a delicate black
pudding “that’s so delicious and has no aroma at all,” Niland says.
“People think it’s really over the top, but it’s more mellow than
pig’s blood.” What’s more, he does it with elegance and a confi-
dence instilled by the approval of a critical bellwether: his mother.
Everything he puts on the plate at his 34-seat restaurant Saint
Peter in Sydney must first pass muster with his mother. “When
I opened Saint Peter, I said we need a recipe for every single part
of the fish, and we need to make it all delicious for my mother
or any run-of-the-mill Australian family.”
That’s how eyeballs made it on the menu. Plucked from the
heads of mirror dory, they are ground into a paste, spread on
large sheet pans, air-dried, and baked until crunchy. They have
a pleasantly savory flavor and texture akin to a fancy prawn
cracker. For the 30-year-old chef, nothing is off-limits, and
nothing goes to waste. Not even sperm sacs and stomachs (he
cures then pan-fries the former, known as milt, and uses the
latter as casings for fish sausages) or the scales, which he once
caramelized for a dessert at a charity event while cooking along-
side Italian chef Massimo Bottura.
Niland is not being deliberately cocky, confrontational, or
even gimmicky. It’s a simple matter of mathematics: “If you’re
going to commit to a $400 fish, and you think it’s okay to throw
$235 of that fish in the bin [trash], then that’s not right.” That
sentiment underscores an approach to sustainability and food
waste that’s as much about building a better business model
for a seafood restaurant as it is about pushing the boundaries
of flavor.
If numerous accolades (2018 Chef of the Year from three Aus-
tralian publications) plus butts in restaurant seats are anything
Fish heads
and other off-
cuts inspire
Josh Niland’s
cooking at
Saint Peter
in Sydney.
THE TASTEMAKER
PHOTOGRAPHY: JOSH NILAND
