Recipe: Josh Niland's King George Whiting with Tapioca Fingerlime Sauce

We can't overstate how delicious this dish is. With fresh fish that flakes apart, to the more-ish sauce, beautifully buttery and balanced to perfection, it's no wonder that Niland's Saint Peter is booked out weeks in advance.

Josh Niland is undeniably the king of the Sydney seafood scene and this dish is a true showstopper that is guaranteed to impress at your next dinner party. 

• 100 g of tapioca pearls
• 100 ml cold water
• 2 French shallots, diced
• 100 ml white wine
• 2½ tablespoons white-wine vinegar
• 250 ml (1 cup) vegetable stock
• 75 ml pouring (single/light) cream
• 125 g butter, chilled and diced
• Sea salt flakes
• Juice from 1 lemon
• The pearls of 2 finger limes
• 1 bunch chives, finely chopped

1. Bring 200 ml of water to a boil, add the tapioca and cook for 12 minutes, or until the pearls have a small white spot in the centre.
2. Drain through a fine sieve and run under cold running water until the tapioca has cooled, then transfer to a lidded container.
3. Stir through the cold water and set aside.
4. Combine the shallot, wine and vinegar in a medium saucepan over a medium heat, bring to a simmer and cook for 8 minutes or until reduced and thickened to a light syrup.
5. Stir in the stock and cream and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and add the butter, stirring to emulsify.
6. Season to taste with salt, then stir through the finger lime pearls, chives and drained tapioca pearls.
7. Keep warm until you are ready to serve.

• 4 Butterflied King George Whiting
• 80ml grapeseed oil for grilling
• Flake sea salt

1. Brush the butterflied whiting with grapeseed oil and season the skin liberally with salt.
2. Place the whiting, skin side down, on the grill and put a fish weight (or small saucepan!) on top of the flesh closest to the head end, as this is the thickest. This weight will help the heat transfer from skin to flesh without the need to turn the fish over.
3. Cook for 2 minutes to develop good colour across the skin and warmth over the flesh, then move the weight to the centre of the fish and cook for another minute, or until the fish is about 60% cooked through. The warm fingerlime - tapioca sauce and the warmth of your serving plate will finish cooking the fish.
4. Spoon the warm sauce into the centre of the plate.
5. Remove the whiting from the grill and place on top of the warm sauced plates, skin side up. Season with flake sea salt & serve immediately

For more recipes from some of the biggest names in hospitality across Australia, make sure you check out the Sitchu recipes sub-pillar.