RECIPE: Josh Niland’s crumbed herring and kohlrabi remoulade

Forget everything you thought you knew about fish cookery with Take One Fish. There are no rules when it comes to cooking fish according to James Beard award winning chef Josh Niland, only an endless world of possibilities. Today, we have a recipe from Take One Fish to share with you – Josh’s delicious crumbed herring with kohlrabi remoulade.

Happy cooking!

Crumbed Herring and Kohlrabi Remoulade

Serves: 4

I can’t think of any other dish that sums up my love for herring quite like this one. It’s a real crowd pleaser with eaters of all ages and a wonderful way of visually showcasing this incredible fish. Kohlrabi is great for remoulade as it carries a lovely sweetness that goes so well with the herring, but if you can’t get hold of it, cabbage, celeriac or potato are good alternatives. However, there really is no substitute for the freshness of the herring in this dish, nor the ghee that it is cooked in.

Ingredients

4 x 100 g (3½ oz) herring, scaled only, heads off
150 g (5½ oz/1 cup) plain (all-purpose) flour
4 eggs
120 g (4½ oz/2 cups) panko breadcrumbs
200 g (7 oz) ghee
sea salt flakes and freshly cracked black pepper

Remoulade
juice of 1 lemon, plus extra if needed
200 g (7 oz) purple kohlrabi, peeled and finely sliced
sea salt flakes and freshly cracked black pepper
100 g (3½ oz) natural yoghurt
2 teaspoons dijon mustard
1 teaspoon freshly grated horseradish
1 large French shallot, diced
1 teaspoon tiny salted capers, rinsed, drained and finely chopped
30 g (1 oz) coarsely chopped cornichons
2 tablespoons finely chopped chives
1 tablespoon finely chopped tarragon

Method

To prepare the remoulade, mix the lemon juice through the kohlrabi in a bowl and season with a pinch of salt flakes. Set aside for a few minutes. Combine all the remaining remoulade ingredients in a separate large bowl. Strain the kohlrabi and add to the bowl, then toss well to coat. Adjust the seasoning with extra lemon juice, salt and pepper if needed.

For the herring, I’m going to assume you’re right-handed (if not, reverse these instructions). Place a fish on a chopping board with its head to your left and tail to your right. Draw your knife down the backbone from the head to the tail, cutting along one side of the bone.

Cut again to deepen the initial cut, carefully cutting all the way through to open up the fish, leaving the tail intact.

Repeat on the other side of the backbone then, using kitchen scissors, snip out the backbone to give a kite‑shaped fish with the tail intact.

Use fish tweezers to remove the pin bones and rib bones. Repeat with the remaining herring.

Preheat the oven to 100°C (210°F).

Place the flour in one bowl, beat the eggs in another and tip the breadcrumbs into a third bowl.

Holding one of the prepared fish by the tail, dip it first in the flour, then the egg and, finally, the breadcrumbs, pressing gently to coat well. Place on a tray and repeat with the remaining fish.

Heat half the ghee in a large frying pan over a high heat to a light haze. Add two crumbed fish to the pan, skin side down, and fry for about 1 minute, carefully swirling them around to ensure even cooking and colouration. If you don’t do this the crumb will scorch around the edges. Turn and briefly fry the other side, just to cook the rawness out of the breadcrumbs and add a little less colour than the top side. Place on a lined baking tray and keep warm in the oven.

Wipe out the residual fat and breadcrumbs from the pan, then repeat with the remaining ghee and fish.

Season the fish with a liberal sprinkling of salt and pepper. Serve the herring with a generous spoonful of remoulade.

—This is an edited extract from Take One Fish by Josh Niland, published by Hardie Grant Books, RRP $55, available in stores nationally.

Photography: ©Rob Palmer

Take One Fish

Limited Signed Copies Available!

by Josh Niland

Forget everything you thought you knew about fish cookery with Take One Fish.

There are no rules when it comes to cooking fish according to James Beard award winning chef Josh Niland, only an endless world of possibilities. With 60 mind-blowing recipes from just 15 global varieties of fish, this cookbook will take you on a gustatory journey – from elaborate to easy, small to large and – always – scale to tail...

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