Whisky with fish? Josh Niland says yes (and shows us how)

Steak and whisky? Sure. Cheese and whisky? Absolutely. But whisky and seafood? Even the most adventurous diners might raise an eyebrow. 

That’s exactly the perception Josh Niland and Gordon Dundas (Global Brand Ambassador for Tamdhu Single Malt Scotch Whisky) want to change. Speaking to them at Josh’s Saint Peter restaurant in Paddington, Sydney, it’s clear they could talk about this for hours – days, even. Josh has built a career on rethinking how we handle and cook fish, from fish-eye ice cream to pasta made with ground tuna bones. Gordon matches this passion dram for dram, with an encyclopedic knowledge of Scotch and a knack for making the subject feel anything but intimidating. Together, they make a compelling case.

Kicking off on 24 August – and culminating on Father’s Day (7 September) – Saint Peter – recently ranked 66th on the longlist of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants – is hosting a dining series in partnership with Tamdhu. The goal? To prove that whisky and fish don’t just work together – they make each other better. Over a three-course menu, guests will explore the rich, sherried character of Tamdhu alongside boundary-pushing seafood. 

And while the series offers a rare chance to see this pairing in the wild, the ideas behind it are certainly ones you can take home.

“Whisky and seafood is not as odd a pairing as you might think,” says Gordon with a shrug, as if wondering why it’s taken people so long to catch on. “For example, some smoky whiskies work better with an oyster than Champagne.” From there, he explains, it’s not a big leap to salmon or other fish. “The similarities between whisky maturation and fish maturation are striking,” says Gordon. “Both are about creating depth of flavour, length of taste and complexity. But with whisky ageing, it’s not necessarily about the amount of time – it’s about the type of oak and the quality.” Tamdhu is the only Scotch distiller that ages exclusively in oloroso sherry casks. 

Josh agrees, explaining that when fish is handled and stored correctly, it behaves much like meat. “There’s a theory that whisky and beef are somehow best mates,” says Josh, “but anatomically, fish actually sits very similarly to land-based protein.” The use of tuna throughout the menu is very intentional – age it how you might a hunk of beef and there’s no reason it can’t provide the same robustness in flavour and texture.

Both whisky and seafood have long been weighed down by ‘rules’. For Josh, who has built his reputation on breaking them – whether it’s ageing fish, turning it into charcuterie or using every possible cut – it’s about reaping more from food resources. 

“Once a fish comes out of water, it should never go back in. For 99% of the world, when a fish comes out of the water, you scale it, you wash it, you gut it, you wash it, you fillet it, you wash it, and then you put it on ice,” says Josh. “And then every half hour you give it a rinse with a hose just to make it look fresh. Then it gets wrapped in plastic, you take it home, put it in a fridge (that’s not the ideal temperature), and then you put it in a pan full of oil to try to make the skin crisp. But how can you make a wet fish crisp?” 

He sees this entirely as a problem with the industry – not with the home cook. “It means people don’t really cook fish that often. They don’t know what they did wrong, it was a waste of money. There’s no ROI on the fish that you bought at the store, which is getting increasingly more expensive,” says Josh. “The onus of that failure shouldn’t lie with the consumer, it should lie with the industry, which is what I’m personally trying to work towards – a more sustainable future of how we handle fish, how we can catch fish more intelligently so that you can recover more from it” 

Key to his partnership with Tamdhu is changing the perception around how we treat both seafood and whisky. “It’s just communication,” Josh says. “Being able to say that whisky isn’t just that neat drink you have at the end of a meal or before bed – it can stand up to anything.”

Gordan believes whisky is evolving, but still has a way to go. “It can be enjoyed in any way. You can add anything to it (or not), drink it with ice, have it in a cocktail, add Coke – whatever you want to do with whisky is up to the person who has bought that whisky,” says Gordon. “Twenty years ago, we weren’t talking like that, and now we are. Age doesn’t matter – it’s all about taste, what suits you. Going to great bars or a dinner series like this is a really good way of opening your mind to what whisky can offer when paired with great food or made into a cocktail.” 

The question always thrown at Josh in interviews like these? How can I do what you do at home? While he adamantly believes you should be able to stroll into a store and buy something like an aged tuna n’duja, and he’s working diligently to educate the industry from the inside, he knows that will take time. For those of us who don’t have access to fish that’s quite as exceptionally handled and aged, Josh has a few pointers. “I’d ask a fishmonger to butterfly a fish for you – or try it yourself, it’s relatively simple and there are heaps of YouTube videos.” Then, all you need to do is put that fish on a cake rack and leave it in the fridge overnight so the skin dries out. The next day, oil it lightly, season it edge-to-edge with salt, then pop it back onto the cake rack skin side down. Put the whole rack over a charcoal grill – this avoids the pitfalls of the fish sticking to your barbecue. You’ll want the fish to sit flat so it cooks evenly – “If you don’t have a fish weight, use a saucepan.” You don’t even need to flip it – heat rises and collects on the stainless steel. And, of course, the skin won’t rip because you dried it overnight.

Treat your fish like this and you’ll have yourself a perfect match for whisky. “A wet fish with no crisp texture and no smoke couldn’t be further apart from whisky as friends,” says Josh. “But do things the right way – not necessarily the easiest or most convenient way – and you’ll have an experience that blows your mind.”

For those new to whisky – especially younger drinkers – Gordon says cocktails are the perfect gateway. “Most people who find whisky intimidating aren’t put off by the flavour – it’s the alcohol strength.” Indeed, at 40%, it may be stronger than what many are used to drinking. Cocktails are a great way to reduce that strength while retaining the flavour. Plus, it helps your money travel further, too. Look to an Old Fashioned, Manhattan or a Whisky Sour – even a simple Highball. “Simple and flavour-driven. The key is you can still taste the whisky,” says Gordon.

Josh sees the parallel in his own work: “The only way I get people to consume things outside the realm of a fillet of fish is by packaging it in a way that feels incredibly comfortable. You eat it and enjoy it and then I tell you it’s made with collagen from a fish eye. Kids could get their omega-3s from a tuna cheeseburger and they wouldn’t even know.”

For the dinner events, guests can expect a three‑course menu with a welcome cocktail and whisky pairings carefully chosen to complement each dish:

• Banana and Wattleseed cocktail – Tamdhu 12YO Single Malt, wattleseed, banana, dark cacao, sweet vermouth
  
• Southern Calamari with Yellowfin Tuna ’Nduja – paired with Tamdhu 12YO Single Malt
  
• 12‑Day Dry Aged Yellowfin Tuna Wellington with shiitake mushroom, smoked potato purée and rosemary – paired with Tamdhu 15YO Single Malt
  
• Meyer Lemon Tart with Very Good Cream
  

Both Josh and Gordon hope diners leave with more than just a full belly. “I want people to walk out with a greater insight into bucking stereotypes. Where intelligence and intentionality are applied, you can achieve remarkable things,” Josh says.

For Gordon, it’s about opening minds. “I want people to see Tamdhu in a slightly unconventional context. I don’t come from the old ‘fish and white wine’ school. That’s outdated. Just drink what you want to drink. Whisky can be as good with food – seafood included – as wine. You just have to try it.”