Fish Fat Rendering: Skin and Collar

Niland's philosophy extends to using every part of the fish — including the collar (the fatty section between head and body), the belly, and the liver — documenting techniques for rendering and utilising fish fat in ways that European cooking has largely ignored. Fish fat, particularly from salmon, kingfish, and tuna, has a distinctive rich character that deserves the same deliberate treatment as animal fat.

The rendering of fish skin and collar fat through controlled heat application — slow rendering to extract maximum fat before crisping, producing a crackled skin with entirely different texture and flavour than quickly seared fish skin.

• Japanese hamachi kama (yellowtail collar grilled — same collar technique codified in Japanese cooking), Cantonese steamed fish head (same recognition of the head and collar as the most flavourful part