Josh Niland — The Chef Who Reinvented How We Cook Fish, Heston Blumenthal’s Magic & Why Some Chefs Think He’s Crazy

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Previously titled “EXCLUSIVE: Josh Niland — The Chef Who Reinvented How We Cook Fish, Heston Blumenthal’s Magic & Why Some Chefs Think He’s Crazy” — renamed by the publisher on Sep 19, 2026

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Recorded14 Sep 2026

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Handlerec:20368360

Show notes

This week we’re joined by one of the most influential chefs of his generation, Josh Niland, the Australian chef who has completely changed the way the restaurant world thinks about fish. Josh tells us why our obsession with ultra-fresh fish may actually be holding us back, how learning to treat fish more like meat transformed his cooking, and why a piece of advice from legendary fish chef Stephen Hodges changed the course of his career. He also reveals the influence of Heston Blumenthal on his thinking, why so many chefs initially thought his ideas were completely mad, and how he went from questioning everything he’d been taught about seafood to building Saint Peter around an entirely new philosophy.But some of Josh’s greatest innovations came out of necessity rather than ambition. He takes us back to the terrifying moment his accountant told him, “You’re not even going to make it to August,” and explains how the financial pressure of running a restaurant forced him to confront just how much valuable fish chefs were throwing in the bin. That obsession with using the whole animal has since produced some extraordinary dishes: tuna treated like beef and turned into everything from ribeye and sirloin to cheeseburgers, sobrassada and Wellington, fish eyes transformed into crackers, and matured kingfish kept for more than two weeks until its skin becomes dry and crisp while the flesh develops remarkable flavour.We also hear about the experiments that pushed even Josh’s philosophy to its limits — from making ice cream from the fat surrounding fish eyes to turning fish fat into soap and candles, and even finding uses for the bones that would normally be discarded. Josh explains why ageing fish can make it better rather than worse, why chefs could effectively be throwing away half their profits every time they fillet one, and why insecurity and convention have made the industry so resistant to change. It’s a fascinating conversation about creativity, failure, waste, money and the extraordinary possibilities hidden inside the parts of a fish most of us have spent our lives throwing away.You can book a virtual demonstration with Quooker to find the right setup for your kitchen and remember, until the end of August, if you use the code GO TO FOOD, you’ll get free installation and a free Quooker glassware set. Just head to www.Quooker.co.uk now!Get 2 Months of Blinq For Free - With Code - GOTOBLINQ - https://blinqme.com/Watch and Subscribe To Our Youtube Videos Here - https://www.youtube.com/@gotofood Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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