Take One Fish by Josh Niland
Josh Niland’s second book Take One Fish challenges us to rethink our approach to cooking with fish.
Words: Hande Renshaw | Photography: Rob Palmer
Smoked herring and buckwheat blinis by Josh Niland. Photo: Rob Palmer.
Kingfish Banh Mi from Take One Fish by Josh Niland. Photo: Rob Palmer.Photo: Rob Palmer.
Josh Niland is a chef on a mission in his latest book, Take One Fish.
The mission? To create the most incredible dishes using a limited variety of global varieties of fish. Fifteen to be exact.
Following the incredible success of The Whole Fish Cookbook, Josh’s new (and second) book is the much anticipated follow-up.
Using different kinds of fish in a selection of sizes, from extra small to extra large, Josh has focused his selection on availability, followed by the suitability of the species to explore the widest spectrum of cooking methods.
The new book includes sixty scale-to-tail recipes, listing a range of cooking alternatives and encouraging readers to consider the recipes as a framework for the fish they have access to locally.
Recipes include: charcoal sardines in saffron vinegar and almond oil, flame tail snapper laksa and hot-smoked blue mackerel and condiments.
Below we share a recipe from Take One Fish: drunken bass groper, mushrooms and condiments.
Josh Niland with his wife Julie and their daughter. Photo: Rob Palmer.
Drunken Bass Groper, mushrooms and condiments from Take One Fish by Josh Niland. Photo: Rob Palmer.
DRUNKEN BASS GROPER, MUSHROOMS AND CONDIMENTS
This dish is inspired by two incredible Australian chefs, Kylie Kwong and Neil Perry. I have had many memorable experiences with a dish of this nature at both of their restaurants. The big, fleshy, succulent bass groper really comes into its own here as it soaks up the flavours from the stock. And while this dish is designed to be eaten hot on the day you cook it, another option is to make it a day ahead and store the fish in the stock overnight, then serve it cold the next day.
Depending on the particular fish, the gelatine from the skin and bones can set the stock into a jelly, which is so delicious. The stock itself may be used in other ways; it’s brilliant for cooking mushrooms, chicken, pork and vegetables of all kinds. Similarly, the ginger spring onion sauce also translates very well to a number of other recipes.
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS
4 x 150 g (5 ½ oz) bass groper darnes, skin on
12 fresh shiitake mushrooms
100 g (3½ oz) oyster mushrooms
100 g (3½ oz) enoki mushrooms
1 teaspoon ground linseed
1 teaspoon sesame oil
XO sauce, to serve
GINGER SPRING ONION SAUCE
50 g (1 ¾ oz) finely grated fresh ginger (older ginger will be spicier)
6 spring onions (scallions), finely sliced
350 ml (12 fl oz) peanut oil (or canola oil)
60–70 ml (2–2½ fl oz) light soy sauce, to taste
WHITE PEPPER, SESAME AND SICHUAN SEASONING
1 tablespoon ground white pepper
1 tablespoon white sesame seeds
1 tablespoon sichuan peppercorns
STOCK
2.5 litres (85 fl oz/10 cups) shaoxing rice wine
175 ml (6 fl oz) light soy sauce
75 g (23/4 oz) dried shiitake mushrooms
225 g (8 oz) peeled fresh ginger, cut into 2–3 mm (1/8 in) thick slices
7 spring onions (scallions), cut into 5 cm (2 in) batons
2 tablespoons ground white pepper
4 star anise
2 garlic bulbs, halved
8.5 litres (287 fl oz/34 cups) water
METHOD
To make the ginger spring onion sauce, combine the ginger and spring onion in a small heatproof bowl. Heat the oil in a small saucepan until almost smoking, then immediately pour it over the ginger and spring onion mixture. You should see and hear it sizzling. (If this isn’t happening the oil isn’t hot enough, so return it to the heat and try again.) Season with the soy and mix together well. Set aside to cool to room temperature. The sauce will keep in the fridge for up to a week, but the flavour will start to lose its punch over time.
For the white pepper, sesame and sichuan seasoning, toast the ingredients individually in a dry frying pan until aromatic, then use a mortar and pestle to grind them together into a powder. Spoon into a small bowl and set aside.
Add all the stock ingredients to a large saucepan and bring to the boil over a high heat, then reduce the heat and simmer for 1 hour. Remove from the heat. Add the groper chops, cover with a lid and set aside for 10–12 minutes, until the flesh is just opaque and the internal temperature of the fish at its thickest part measures 44 C (111 F) on a probe thermometer.
Using a slotted spoon, carefully transfer the fish pieces to a clean plate and gently peel away the skin (it should peel off easily if the flesh is cooked). Leave to rest for 3–4 minutes.
While the fish is resting, add the mushrooms to the hot stock (still off the heat) and leave for 2 minutes to gently warm through.
Divide the fish pieces among serving bowls, top with the tender mushrooms, drizzle over a little sesame oil and ladle over a little of the stock to finish. Serve immediately with the ginger spring onion sauce, sichuan seasoning and a small bowl of XO sauce.
Note: This stock can be used over and over again, and will become increasingly flavourful and viscous every time you use it. To store it safely, bring the stock to the boil after every use, then strain off any impurities and keep in an airtight container in the fridge. If you find the flavour becomes unbalanced from reduction, just add some water; similarly, if it needs a boost, add soy sauce, shaoxing or fresh aromats to restore the flavour profile.
This is an edited extract from Take One Fish by Josh Niland published by Hardie Grant Books, RRP $55. Available where all good books are sold and online.