Josh Niland
[Serves 4]
Growing up, chicken Kiev was always seen as a fancy dinner option and not eaten very often.
Thinking about how we could apply this technique to a fish, we decided on quite possibly
Australia’s best table fish – the King George whiting. At the restaurant we have the ability to
source transglutimate, which helps bind proteins together, so that we can remove all the bones
and cartilage and create a seamless finish that holds the butter inside the fish. For a domestic style
recipe, the dish has been held together with toothpicks while frying. Taste and adjust the
butter before filling and increase or decrease the garlic to suit your preferences.
Garlic butter
For the garlic butter, stir all the ingredients together until well mixed, then
place on a piece of plastic wrap and roll into a long log, 1 cm (½ in) wide.
Freeze until firm, then cut into four even barrels.
fish
Lay the fish out in front of you with the heads away from you. Position
the frozen garlic butter in the centre of the fish, then pull up the belly to
completely enclose the butter.
Position five toothpicks along the belly cavity
to hold in place without any gaps. Excepting the head, coat the fish in the flour,
then in the eggs and then in the breadcrumbs. Repeat with the remaining fish.
Chill for 30 minutes.
Heat the oil for deep-frying in a large, heavy-based saucepan until the
temperature reaches 180°C (350°F) on a cooking thermometer. Deep-fry
two whiting for 4 minutes. Remove carefully and take out the toothpicks.
Repeat with the other two fish.
Serve whole with a lemon half and your favourite green salad.
ALTERNATIVE FISH
Herring
Mullet
Other whiting
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