Book review: Fish Butchery
In many ways its business as usual for Josh Niland with his third cookbook. The Australia-based whole fish supremo once again dazzles with fiendishly clever and sometimes unlikely-sounding recipes that see fish treated as meat. This time, the focus is on using every last bit of each fish that is taken out of the water.
The book starts with a brief overview of Niland’s approach to fish, which has already been carefully outlined in his best-selling debut Fish Butchery and its follow-up Take One Fish. Both books call for a total rethink of how restaurants buy, store and serve fish and are essential reading for any ambitious chef that handles fish.
Fish Butchery goes on to build on the themes of his previous work to provide something that is more focused and perhaps a little less daunting for those that don’t have the knife skills of a seventh generation sushi master. There’s a detailed but relatively easy to understand guide to breaking down various types of fish that’s followed by some recipes that are actually quite simple (by Niland’s standards, at least).
As the name of the book suggests, nearly everything in it would fall under the remit of a butcher with recipes for charcuterie, pastries, patties and crumbed things. Key preparations include chorizo, mortadella, salami, paté en croute and schnitzels. It’s all seriously clever stuff but things do take a strange turn towards the end of the book with recipes for fish-fat soap, fish-fat candles and even fish-fat cocktails.
Fish Butchery
Author: Josh Niland
Number of pages: 271
Standout dishes: Tuna, pistachio and fig terrine
Publisher and price: Hardie Grant, £32
