Josh Niland's Little Black Book

Ask most Aussie chefs who they think is the hottest chef right now and most of them will say it’s Josh Niland. With plans to make Saint Peter in Sydney the best seafood restaurant in Australia, this young dad of two is inspiring even the culinary heavyweights with his innovative use of fish offal through smoking, drying, ageing and fermenting. In this unmissable episode, he opens up about everything from his little black book of the best places to eat to how to buy and cook fish, to the personal reason why he’s achieved so much, so young.

Josh's Top Picks

Chef Crush: Joshua Skenes, Saison, San Francisco
Hotest chef Right Now: Danielle Alvarez, Freds, Sydney
The one to watch: Pat Friesen, Queen Chow, Enmore
Most Memorable Meal: Sasion, San Francisco
What restaurant gets you excited: Seans Panorama

Josh's Top 5 Songs To Cook To

At last / Etta James
Hound dog / Elvis Presley
Yellow Ledbetter / Pearl Jam
How to Fly / Sticky Fingers
Kiss from a Rose / Seal

Josh's Restaurant - St Peter

Octopus Head Scotch Egg Recipe

Ingredients:

2kg medium Tasmanian Octopus
½ bunch thyme
1 brown onion finely sliced
1tsp coriander seed
1 star anise
6 soft boiled eggs peeled
1kg white Panko breadcrumbs
4 eggs for egg wash
100ml milk for egg wash
50g fine cooking salt
50g course sea salt flakes
250g natural yogurt
2 large eschalotts finely diced
80g finely diced cornichon
80g chopped tiny capers
1 bunch chives finely sliced
Black pepper
1 deep fryer set to 180degC & filled with cotton seed oil

Method:

Start by separating the octopus heads from the tentacles. Remove the eyes and beak from the tentacles and place all useable octopus flesh in a large saucepan and cover with cold water.
Add the thyme, onion, coriander seeds and star anise and bring liquid up to 85 degrees Celsius. Once at temperature set the saucepan off the heat to completely cool down.
Once cooled, using a sharp knife, cut a slit down one side of the head to open it up into one flat layer of meat. Use the knife to thin out the thickness of the meat to about 0.5cm.
Place a soft peeled egg inside this opening and season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Pull up the sides and proceed to crumb in flour, egg wash then breadcrumbs.
Allow to set for approx 10 minutes.
To make the Tartare sauce, combine diced eschalott, capers, chives & cornichon with yoghurt and season liberally with black pepper.
Bring a deep fryer filled with cottonseed oil up to 180 degrees Celsius.
Carefully place Scotch egg in fryer basket and fry for approx 90 seconds, remove once golden and rest for approx 4 minutes. Cut in half and serve with a spoon of yogurt Tartare sauce.