Where can you find Josh Niland during Christmas lunch? Outside, manning the barbecue. “If you have the freedom, then get your seafood on a grill,” says the chef. “You can use it as an extension of the party – serve some scallops or some prawns or some oysters while the other action is happening inside.”
As for how to approach seafood on the big day, Niland is all about allowing the natural simplicity to shine through.
“Diversifying how we cook fish makes for a simpler experience,” he says. “If you’re going to feed 12 people, the last thing you want to do is buy 12 individual fillets of fish. Try to imagine the beauty of cooking a whole roast pork belly, or a whole lamb shoulder, then apply that thinking to the world of fish. Think, ‘I’ll take that whole side of fish, I’ll grill it, and then take it to the table and show everybody how beautiful it is’. And then everybody can dig in and make a mess of it, and cut their own portion as they go. I think that’s a more fun way of using fish.”
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CHARCOAL GARFISH STICKS
SERVES 6 AS A STARTER
You’ll need 6 metal or soaked bamboo skewers.
6 garfish, butterflied, boneless (ask your fishmonger)
¼ cup (60ml) grapeseed oil
ACHIOTE VINAIGRETTE
50g achiote (annato paste, from specialty or Mexican grocers)
250g unsalted butter, chopped
⅓ cup (80ml) sherry vinegar
1¼ tbs mushroom soy
For the garfish, set them down on a cutting board with the head to the left and tail to the right. Make a cut just behind the head to remove the head and collars together. Cut the
