Maitland chef Josh Niland is inspiring a sustainable seafood revolution, one dish and one cookbook at a time

Since he opened his first restaurant Saint Peter in 2016 and then Fish Butchery in 2018, both in Sydney, the author of two award-winning books, The Whole Fish Cookbook and Take One Fish, has risen to become one of the world's leading advocates for a scale-to-tail approach to cooking fish.

It's estimated that 50 per cent of the world's caught fish is wasted. Of the 50 per cent we use, another 50 per cent of this is overlooked by the Western world, which overwhelmingly prefers to consume only the fillet.

His latest book, Fish Butchery, intends to disrupt this thinking, inspire and challenge and hopefully encourage more people to get on board.

It's designed to show the reader - and the industry at large - the vast range of possibilities that exist when fish is treated correctly. Which is all well and good, but how can us simple home cooks take his philosophy and run with it at home?

He acknowledges the home cook isn't going to make their own fish liver pate, but where could we start?

"Literally, start with working with a fish that hasn't been washed, it will truly revolutionise your preconceived ideas around the texture and taste of fish," Niland says.

"This can be done simply by asking your monger to scale, gut and fillet the fish for you but by not washing it, simply wrapping it up with loose scale and sediment on it, that you can wipe away when you get home. This small thing will be transformative to your approach and confidence levels."

He says building a relationship with your fishmonger is key. Avoid the supermarkets for your fish and develop a relationship with a good quality independent fish shop that seeks out a diverse array of species.

"Give constructive feedback both positive and negative so trust can be gained and you can ensure quality is consistent."

He says we should let quality and freshness dictate our selection and not go for a "brand" fish that may be of lesser quality but one we feel more comfortable with.

"And always ask where your fish is from to ensure you get what you are paying for and you feel confident in the quality, standards and ethics of the fish. Ask those who are selling you the fish how to cook it, as they should be able to give you clear instructions to achieve a great outcome on a species that you may be cooking for the very first time."

The father of four who was born in Maitland loves nothing more than to grill up some fish for his family on a charcoal barbecue.

"By starting with dry skin on the fish and brushing it with a little ghee and flaked salt, you will have a smokey, juicy piece of fish within minutes. To further advance this preparation, when purchasing your fish, hypothetically if you are buying to feed four to five people, don't ask for four to five portions.

"Ask the monger to cut it as a large piece and grill it as one piece to then cut it post-cooking. This will aid in moisture retention, greater surface area for crispy skin and an aesthetically impressive showstopper for the table."

He believes restaurants, consumers, even fishers and fishmongers, are starting to get the message.

"I feel the generation I am a part of right now is acutely aware of their individual responsibility that if they purchase food, not just fish, but anything, it is their job as a cook to realise the full value of it," he says.

"For too long, the high-end restaurant world has been ring-cutting and symmetrically trimming our food into works of art that show little ownership over what ends up in the bin.

"Things are changing and not only is this ethically critical but it's incredibly exciting as creativity and innovation is at an all-time high."

I grew up eating fish fingers from a box, not having any idea where they came from or what fish they were from - and let's be honest, when you're six years old, these aren't the big questions you ask yourself. However now, as a father of four, I want to introduce the idea of knowing where your food is from and what sort of fish or animal it was. This knowledge empowers the consumer to see the true value of the product while having greater confidence that this is something they want to feed their children.

Ingredients

3kg picked head and collar meat (preferably a gelatine- and fat-rich fish like cod, monkfish or coral trout

50g salt

15g ground black pepper

10g ground fennel seeds

500g plain flour

12 eggs, beaten

500g panko breadcrumbs

Method

1. To make the mix for the fish fingers, ensure you start with warm, freshly picked fish head and collar meat, then combine with the salt, ground pepper and ground fennel seeds.

2. Use a large sheet of plastic wrap to line a 53x32.5x1cm baking tray. Ensure you have a little bit of excess wrap hanging over the two short edges as this will help you remove the set filling from the tray.

3. Tip the seasoned head and collar meat into the lined tray and spread out evenly, smoothing any bumps and pressing out any pockets of air. Cover with another sheet of plastic and use an identical tray to press the mixture down. Fill this tray with something heavy to evenly weigh down the mixture and place the whole thing in the fridge for a minimum of three to four hours, or until completely firm and set.

4. Once set, remove the weighted tray and peel away the top sheet of plastic from the set mixture. Invert the whole tray onto a cutting board and, using the overhanging plastic, gently pull the mixture out of the tray until it falls flat onto the board.

5. Once it has come loose, remove the tray and the remaining plastic sheet.

6. Using a clean, sharp knife, cut the slab into three long pieces along the shorter end of the tray, then portion into 2cm wide fingers. You should end up with fingers approximately 10x2x2.5cm. Feel free to square off the edges first if you prefer all the fingers to be perfectly exact in size.

7. Set up a crumbing station by arranging the flour, eggs and breadcrumbs in order in three wide-surfaced, shallow containers.

8. Crumb the fish fingers by dipping them first in flour then into the eggs and lastly into the breadcrumbs. Gently press the breadcrumbs into the fish fingers to help them adhere to the egg, ensuring an even coating. Arrange the finished fish fingers on a tray and refrigerate or freeze until ready to use.

9. To cook, the fish fingers can either be shallow-fried in ghee in a cast-iron pan set over a medium heat, deep fried at 180C, or baked in a pre-heated 190C oven for approximately 20 minutes, or until golden brown.