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Josh Bollen

@josh.bollen

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The journey of our food from wild to plate.
Not a chef, just a bloke.

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It’s should be an arrest-able offence not to make lobster butter. It’s actually ridiculously easy and makes use of all those bits that are otherwise destined for the bin. After breaking your lobsters down get all the shells on an oven tray, even if they’ve already been cooked chuck them in there’s still plenty of goodness there. Just make sure you remove the gills from under the carapace they can add a bitter flavour. Roast the shells in the oven until they’ve dried out and begun to caramelise. A rich crustacean smell should be wafting from the oven. From here smash the shells up and chuck them in some butter on a double boiler. The double boiler is great because it ensures the butter does not burn. Infuse for 30-40minutes stirring occasionally. All that’s left is to fine strain a chinois or cheesecloth is perfect to make sure there’s no bits of shell left. Whether you’re making sauces, topping a pizza or just want some toast with a crazy crustacean flavour this butter turns what may have just gone in the bin into possibly the best thing in your fridge. taken in Sydney, Australia by @josh.bollen

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4 days ago

The thing that puts me off making the very best pizza dough? It just takes way too long. 48 hours of fermentation? Mate I’m way too impulsive for that I want some pizza tonight. Not to mention the lobsters that I caught aren’t gonna keep so good until then. So I set about crafting the most practical pizza dough recipe I could. Still with a poolish, still with a little ferment and still with the primo airy, elastic and crunchy crust of the best. Then I put it all together with a little lobster butter to create a pretty indulgent little snack. If you want the full free guide for making the bases comment “dough” and all I send it to ya. The recipe for the pizzas is also in there. taken in Sydney, Australia by @josh.bollen

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6 days ago

These lobster rolls are a classic for a reason. Keep it simple, stupid. I really think lobster rolls give these indulgent, sweet, briny critters the chance to really shine. While not a true lobster some do say Eastern Rock lobsters are the sweetest around and Id have to agree but they’re definitely battling it out for top spot against slipper lobster in my book.

I’ve never really been the most patient lobster diver. Lots of shallow dives, checking every little cave and crack, usually I just end up getting bored and start looking for fish instead.

The last few years though I’ve started to understand the appeal a bit more. There’s something pretty rewarding about learning where they hide, sticking with the search and eventually finding one tucked into a spot you were convinced was way too small.

And once you’ve got one, lobster rolls are pretty hard to go past.

I like to keep them simple. Poached lobster, whole egg mayo, lemon zest, chives and a little warm spice, piled into a buttery toasted brioche bun.

Rich, simple and very hard to beat after a morning diving.

Comment LOBSTER and I’ll send you the full recipe. taken in Sydney, Australia by @josh.bollen

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13 days ago

Making crumbed calamari at home is actually pretty easy and with a little homemade tartare sauce you really can’t beat it.

I love fishing for big southern calamari in the cooler months here on the east coast of Australia when then come in to spawn. The size of some of these things will properly blow your mind. If I’m not cooking up some salt and pepper squid you know it’s gotta be crumbed calamari. A classic for a reason. If you’re keen on the full recipe for the tartare and a little guide on how to break down your squid comment “squid” and I’ll send it over.

#seafood #fishing taken in Sydney, Australia by @josh.bollen

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a month ago

Butterflying fish is a lot easier than it looks. Firstly use some snips or scissors to remove the fins so they don’t burn while cooking. On one side of the fish begin separating the fillet from the lower part of the spine. Some fish like this Bonito have super soft ribs, you’ll only need a knife to separate them, others however the snips or scissors are essential to cut through. Continue separating that meat off the spine being super careful not to cut through the top of the fish. Repeat all of that for the other side until you’re left with a couple of fillets peeling away from the spine. Sometimes it’s nice to leave the head on for presentation and a couple of cuts like this help flatten it out so it can cook evenly. Using the snips cut away the backbone as close as you can to the skin of the fish. Remove the ribs by sliding the knife up to separate them from the pin bones then slicing down towards the belly. The final step is a little tedious, but its going to have the biggest impact on the eating experience. Using some tweezers or pliers remove the pin bones. Don’t cut them out you’re going to lose a tonne of meat. If you want a little more detail I’ve put together a full free guide for butterflying fish on my substack so comment “Butterfly” and I’ll send it over. taken in Sydney, Australia by @josh.bollen

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a month ago

Grilled Bonito works so well because of its higher oil content. They also don’t have scales it’s really just skin and after getting it dry in the fridge it gets super crispy on the grill.

Bonito arent a fish I see a lot of in winter but I get super excited when I do because I know they are going to be fat. We see a tonne of them through summer though and typically are prepared with more summer ingredients so I was keen to try experiment with some more winter produce.

After butterflying the fish I put it in the fridge to dry for 24hrs. While I waited for the coals to burn down I prepped the salsa kinda mix to go ontop. Cubed daikon, chopped blood orange, parsley, olive oil and salt. I really liked the flavour combination fruity and fresh but needs a little more punch I reckon. In future some shallot and possibly even a little fennel could really bring that. I’m keen to hear what you reckon though. The blood orange actually stained the daikon aswell. The colour contrast of these was so good at first and I’d really like to retain that so in future I’ll hold off mixing all this until the end.

Couple minutes for the fish over the coals. If you don’t have it already putting the fish on some seperate stainless mesh is super handy for flipping and checking etc later on.

After plating the crispy bonito skin side up, top with the salad/salsa kind of mix. Right down the middle is pretty nice I reckon. It keeps most of the skin crispy and gives a bright pop of colour to the fish.

#fishing #homecook #recipe taken in Sydney, Australia by @josh.bollen

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a month ago

The simplest fish grilling basket ever, made from scrap metal allowing for perfectly grilled fish every time. A little steel mesh folded in half couple of bits of steel bar for handles welded on. It doesn’t need to be fancy a little season a little oil that’s all you need.
#fishing #homecook #catchandcook taken in Sydney, Australia by @josh.bollen

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2 months ago

I love grilled mackerel the secret to getting restaurant quality though is all in the handling. These delicate oily fish are incredibly prone to oxidation leading to brown meat and fishy smells. Certainly what has contributed to their poor reputation on the table. Over recent years though they have become more and more popular amongst chefs thanks to fisherman like CRAIG LUKEY. When the cold chain is maintained these fish take on a whole new light. Interestingly these fish are so delicate that even having an ice slurry too cold can lead to a poor final product. With no scales and only thin skin a super cold slurry almost freezes the fish not allowing it to go into rigor mortis properly. This much like not getting cold at all can lead to mushy meat down the road. The oiliness that makes these fish so volatile lens itself to a number of preparations, one of my favourites is grilling. After butterflying the fish it’s into the fridge for about 24 hours to dry out. This is gonna give us some super crispy skin later on. Often after 24 hours it’s easier to remove the pin bones as well. If you want to learn how to butterfly fish just like this comment “butterfly” and I’ll send you my full free guide. This kind of preparation goes really well with all sorts of sources and accompaniments. It’s also an awesome way to put essentially a whole fish in front of people that’s completely boneless.

#recipe #fishing #homecooking taken in Sydney, Australia by @josh.bollen

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2 months ago

If you want to change things up, try pickling your fish instead.

When the same old recipes just aren’t hitting, it’s time to try something new. Quick and super easy to prepare, this pickled fish starts pretty simply with a 50/50 mixture of white wine vinegar and olive oil.

From there, choose your spices. Personally, I’m a huge fan of using Australian native pepper berries, not just for their floral flavour but also for the incredible pink hue they give both the pickle and the meat.

Crush those up with some garlic and Australian native thyme, otherwise known as cut-leaf mint. If you don’t have access to these native ingredients change it up you can try all sorts of herbs and spices that are readily available.

For the fish, it’s best to use something with firm, robust meat. Oily fish are also perfect candidates for pickling, as the acid helps cut through their richness. I love species like bonito and, in this case, Spanish mackerel.

I love catching Spanish mackerel. They’re such an incredible fish, but unfortunately they’re not one I get to target very often. So it’s nice to have some of @butcher_crowd sustainably caught Australian Spanish mackerel in the freezer.

Throw all the ingredients together in an airtight container, give it a good shake and chuck it in the fridge for the next few hours.

To serve it, the skin can be a little chewy, so I like to hit it with a blowtorch to help soften it up. It also adds a nice little bit of char.

Sliced thin and served with some crusty bread to soak up all those juices. When you’re tired of all the old recipes, try something new give it a go

#ad #homecook #seafood #recipe taken in Sydney, Australia by @josh.bollen

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2 months ago

Tuna tartar so quick and easy you don’t even need to defrost your fish to make it. In fact I wouldn’t recommend it. Tuna isn’t something I can get my hands on often. So I jumped at the opportunity to try some of @butcher_crowd s sustainably caught southern bluefin tuna. Conveniently vacc packed and frozen it’s the perfect option to whip out last minute. In fact I’d recommend leaving it frozen for this dish it’s going to help you get beautiful little uniform pieces. Cut your tuna portion into 5mm slices, then cut those slices into sticks about 5mm wide. From there cut the sticks into little cubes. Leaving the fish frozen or at least partially frozen makes this whole process 100 times easier, it’ll stop you being left with a mushy mess at the end of it all. From there throw in whatever herbs and aromats you like. Personally I like to keep it pretty simple with just some finely minced shallots, pickles, capers. For the herbs a little parsley and some chives. To bind it all together abit of Dijon mustard And finally for a little extra flavour kick some anchovies. Give it all a mix and a taste. Adjust to your liking, Worcestershire sauce and/or tobasco are a couple other popular additions. To serve it I just use a regular old egg ring and pack it in tightly to form that iconic disk. Finally of course it wouldn’t be tartar without and egg yolk on top, it might seem a little strange but it coats all the fish and brings a nice richness to balance out the sharpness of the shallots/pickles/mustard. Serve it with some toasted bread. It really is that easy and something that will without a doubt impress ya guests.

#Ad #homecook #recipe #rawfish taken in Sydney, Australia by @josh.bollen

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3 months ago

This Japanese Pickled Mackerel works because the cure draws out just that little extra moisture from the meat, increasing the fat to meat ratio while the vinegar cuts through all the richness it creates. I love Shime Saba and I’ve been craving it for ages now, mackerel are just about at the end of their fatty season but I managed to sneak a few in on the @daiwaaustralia setup. While I usually love being in the water hunting these fish I’ve been loving learning how to catch them on line lately. A whole new set of skills for me but it’s been really interesting getting my head around how to target these fish when you can’t even see them.

To make this pickled mackerel take the fillets off and remove the ribs. I usually leave the pin bones in until later, they’re a little easier to pull out then. Cover the fillets in salt and throw them in the fridge for a couple hours. It’s worth playing around with this timing, last season I got my hands on some XXL fish and even tried up to 24hours. They were so fatty the texture was like butter, I’d be wary of doing that on any other fish though you need to fat content to be crazy so they don’t dry out.

After a couple hours rinse the fillets off in some cold water then cover completely with rice wine vinegar. Lay some paper towel ontop to make sure these fillets are fully submerged if you’re worried. Pickle for about an hour in the fridge. After that remove the pin bones and gently peel back the skin membrane.

To serve, I’ve been growing some daikon for a moment just like this. I wanted to try make the garnish commonly served with raw fish, Daikon Tsuma I think it’s called. The daikon is peeled with a knife to create a thin sheet. That sheet is then rolled up and sliced to create thin stringy kind of bits. The end result wouldn’t land me any jobs as a sushi chef but I was pretty happy with it.

After slicing up the fish throw down some daikon and lay the pickled mackerel ontop. That is a winter feed I crave so often. Fresh, salty, oily, vinegary, yum. Time to find some more.

#fishing #rawfish #homecook taken in Sydney, Australia by @josh.bollen

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3 months ago

I love salt and pepper squid but making it at home is something I’ve been trying to nail for a while now. I reckon though, this is it. Tingly mouth, a little numbing, salty, crunchy, tender almost creamy squid. They key I reckon is a little mix of both Sichuan and white pepper in the flour dredge made up of equal parts cornflour and all purpose flour. Then cook in some super hot oil at least 170 up to 180. Cook them in that for not even a few minutes just enough to set the dredge. Then when everything is done cooking throw it all back in for a double fry to really lock in that crunch and make sure everything is hot to serve. Toss with a little extra salt and white pepper. Then finish with some fresh thin sliced chilli and spring onion. You could serve it with a sauce if you like but honestly some tender squid like this I’m pretty happy with that. I love catching my own squid as-well but sometimes they just aren’t biting and you want something easy. Butcher Crowd’s frozen Australian Squid strips are perfect for those moments. Did you know freezing is also a great way to make sure your squid, octopus and cuttlefish stays super tender ? Cephalopods are full of so much moisture freezing expands that moisture inside the muscle cells cause it to expand and tenderise from the inside. Cook it hot and fast as well and you’ve got yourself some super tender squid easy peasy.

#ad #fishing #homecook #seafood taken in Sydney, Australia by @josh.bollen

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3 months ago