Crumbedgarfish, yoghurt tartare
&herb salad
SERVES 4“I absolutelylovecrumbedfish– I thinkit’spartlyduetogrowing
upeatingfishfingersandmashedpotatoasa kid,”saysJoshNiland.
“I love,too,thatcrumbedfishneedn’tbelimitedtofilletsofunknown
white fish but can be as luxurious as this boneless, butterflied garfish.”4 x 200gmgarfish,scaled,
gutted,gilledandreverse
butterflied
150 gm(1cup)plainflour
4 eggs,lightlywhisked
120 gm(2cups)white panko
breadcrumbs
400 gmghee
Lemonwedges,toserve
YOGHURTTARTARESAUCE
375 gm(1½cups)naturalyoghurt
3 largeFrenchshallots,diced
1 tbspsmallsaltedcapers,
rinsed,driedandfinely
chopped
60 gm(1/3cup)coarsely
choppedcornichons
2 tbspfinelyslicedflat-leaf
parsleyleaves
HERBSALAD
1 tspcastersugar
6 Frenchshallots,finelysliced
intorings
14 mlextra-virginoliveoil
50 mlchardonnayvinegaror
white-winevinegarwith
a pinchofsugar
1 buncheachofflat-leaf
parsley,dill,cherviland
Frenchtarragon,leaves
picked
30 gm(1cup)watercress
leaves
35 gm(1cup)wildrocket
leaves
2 largebutterlettuce,torn
into bite-sized pieces1 Forthesauce,combineall
ingredientsina bowl.Setaside.
2 Preheatovento100°C.
3 Holdingthefishbythetail,
coatinflour,thendipinegg
andcoatinbreadcrumbs.Place
ona bakingtrayandrepeat
withremainingfish.
4 Heatone-thirdoftheghee
ina largefryingpanoverhigh
heat.Whenhot,frytwofishuntil
crispandgolden(2minutes),
thenturnandcooktheother
sidefora furtherminute.Place
ona bakingtrayandkeepwarm
inoven.Wipepan,thenrepeat
withremaininggheeandfish.
5 Fortheherbsalad,combine
sugarandshallotina small
bowlwitha pinchofsalt.Leave
for 10 minutes,thenstirinolive
oilandvinegar.Combineherbs,
watercress,rocketandlettuce
ina separatelargebowl.Toss
withenoughofthedressing
tolightlycoattheleaves(any
leftoverdressingwillkeep
refrigeratedinanairtight
containerforuptoa week).
6 Seasonfishliberallyand
servewithlemonwedges,
generousspoonfulsofsauce
and herb salad on the side.➤J
oshNilanddescribeshisaward-winning
debutcookbookasa “braindump”.The
humbleheadchefandco-ownerofSydney’s
esteemedSaintPeterrestaurantwroteThe
WholeFishCookbookinjusteightweeks,all
whilerunningoneofAustralia’stopkitchens
andplanningforthearrivalofhisthirdchild.
“I wasflatout,”saysNiland.“I wouldstartwriting
beforeworkandthenagainwhenservicefinished.The
manuscript wasdueonJanuary14,2019,sowhenwe
shutfortwoweeksoverChristmasI justworkedfrom
7 inthemorningto7 intheevening.”
Thehardworkpaidoff.InMay,Nilandbecame
thefirstAustralianevertoclaimtheworld’smost
prestigiouspublishingprize,winningtheJamesBeard
BookoftheYearAward(healsowontherestaurant
andprofessionalcategory).
“It’shugelyflatteringandit kindoffeelslikeI’m
notworthyofit,”saysNiland.“Itshouldn’tbeseenas
anindividualawardeither.I knowthatsoundscliché,
buttheamountofworkthatwentintothebook,from
thephotography,tothedesign,toediting,wasa monster
effort.Although,wefeltlikethecontrolledchaosandtime
pressuresproducedthebestwork,soI’mextremelyproud.”
Niland’sdeeppassionforseafood,commitmentto
sustainabilityandattentiontodetailis cementedineach
chapter,fromtipsonsourcingandstoringseafood,torecipes
forfishoffal,suchas smokedspleensandglazedthroats.
There’sa sectiononpickling,oneonapproaching
fishasmeatandanotherfor“fissues”– issuesthatcan
occurwhendealingwithfish.
“Themainagendaofthebookis tominimisethe
amountoffishgoingintothebinandtobringsome
desirabilitytoa proteinthatis normallyfeared,especially
inthewest,”saysNiland.“I’mtryingtobeprovocative
andbringforwarda conversationwe’veneverhadbefore.”
Nilandhopesthebookwillresultina deeper
understandingoffish,anda greaterawarenessofthe
partsgoingtowaste.
“Iknownoteveryfishshopis goingtoproduce
39 cutsfroma bassgrouper,butI wantthemtolook
atit andthink:‘Wenormallythrowthatinthebin,
maybeweshouldtryfryingandservingthat’.”
ThebookalsoendeavourstobringcontexttoNiland’s
extraordinaryworkat SaintPeterandFishButchery.
“WhatwedoatSaintPeterlooksreallysimple,
butthere’sactuallya lotofworkinsimplicity,”hesays.
“Ithinkweshowcasedthatreallywellinthebook.”
Here, wesharefiveofNiland’srecipesfromTheWhole
FishCookbook– a bibleforchefsandhome-cooksalike,
anda tomethat’salreadytrackingtobecomeoneofthe
greatculinaryclassicsofourtime.
SaintPeter, 362 OxfordSt,andFishButchery, 88 Oxford St,
Paddington, NSW. saintpeter.com.au; fishbutchery.com.au WORDS GEORGIE MEREDITH (INTRO).80 GOURMET TRAVELLER