The pan fish has been waiting for.
Solid cast iron with deliberately shallow sides, so moisture escapes rather than pooling and the skin crisps the way it should. Made to work with the Fish Weight.
Why fish needs its own pan.
Most pans are built for everything, which means they're not quite right for crisp skin fish. The Fish Pan was designed around one job: getting skin crisp from edge to edge.
Steam gets trapped
High sides hold moisture in around the fillet. The steam softens the skin as fast as the pan crisps it, and you end up somewhere between fried and stewed.
Moisture escapes, skin crisps
The sides are deliberately shallow, so moisture escapes rather than pooling. Solid cast iron holds heat and cooks evenly, and the base is sized for the Fish Weight to sit on top.
Season it once, cook on it for generations
Your pan arrives raw, unseasoned and uncoated. No factory coating, nothing to wear off, just iron. You build the surface yourself in about an hour, the same way Josh does it, and it gets better with every cook. The full steps are in the box and in the questions below.
- 1Wash and dry. Hot water, a little soap (the only time soap touches it), then bone dry.
- 2Oil it thin. A tablespoon of grapeseed oil rubbed into the whole pan, then wiped back until it looks dry.
- 3Bake it. Ten minutes at 180°C upside down, then an hour at 220°C. Let it cool in the oven. Done.
Three sizes, one pan
Same cast iron, same shallow sides, same foundry. Pick by what you cook most.
Small 15 cm base, 1.3 kg
$195One fillet, a couple of eggs, a vegetable garnish. The pan you leave on the stove.
The Fish Pan 22 cm base, 2.1 kg
$260The original. One or two portions, and the base is sized for the Fish Weight to sit on top.
Big 30 cm base, 3.8 kg
$345 Pre-orderWhole fish, a family's worth of fillets, or two Fish Weights side by side.
Rated 5.0 from 18 verified reviews
From people who have seasoned it, cooked on it and kept it.
“Where do I start. Incredible. Best, most usable cast iron I have ever put on a stovetop. It feels great in the hand and cooks so well I am thinking of getting the larger pan.”
“Follow the instructions on seasoning and then cook. Using the pan along with the Fish Weight, I cooked some snapper fillets and it just worked. A product that 100% lives up to the hype.”
“The Fish Pan is a work of art. Robust, beautifully made and will clearly last for many years ahead. A typical Josh Niland product.”
Cast at Ajax Foundry, designed at Saint Peter
The Fish Pan was custom designed by Josh and is made in Sydney at Ajax Foundry, a family-owned foundry that has been casting iron for over 80 years.
It's the same setup our chefs cook on every service at Saint Peter: cast iron underneath, the Fish Weight on top, crisp skin in between.
Every pan arrives in a presentation box that makes it easy to give as a gift.
Got one? You need the other.
The Fish Weight holds the fillet flat. The Fish Pan lets the moisture out. Each does half the job, so if you already own one, the other is the missing half.
Already have the pan?
Add the Fish Weight
Holds the fillet completely flat so the skin crisps edge to edge, while the pan's shallow sides let the steam escape. $165.
Shop the Fish Weight
New to both?
The Crisp Skin Bundle
The Fish Pan, the Fish Weight in Silver, the Saint Peter Chef's Tweezers and the Saint Peter Tote Bag, together. $395 $468
View the bundleQuestions, answered
Do I need to season it?
Yes. Your pan arrives raw, unseasoned and uncoated, so you build the surface yourself. Set aside about an hour before your first cook and use grapeseed oil throughout, for its high smoke point and clean flavour.
- Wash with hot water and a little mild dish soap. This is the only time you will use soap on the pan.
- Dry it completely. Bone dry, with no moisture left on the surface.
- Warm the pan in the oven at 100°C for ten minutes. This opens the pores of the iron so it takes the oil more readily.
- Rub a tablespoon of grapeseed oil into the whole pan, inside and out, base and handle included. Work it in, then wipe back the excess until the pan looks dry and matte.
- Bake the pan upside down at 180°C for ten minutes, with a tray or foil on the shelf below to catch drips. Wipe off any oil that has pooled.
- Bake again, upside down, at 220°C for one hour. Turn the oven off and let the pan cool right down inside it. It is then ready to cook on.
The same steps come printed in the box.
Will fish stick the first time I use it?
It can, if the pan is pushed too hard before the seasoning has built up. For the first few cooks keep the heat low to medium, be generous with the oil, pat the skin dry before it goes in, and let the skin release on its own rather than forcing it. Each cook adds another layer, and within a handful of meals the surface is slick.
How do I look after it?
Rinse the pan in hot water while it is still warm. Dry it completely, back over a low flame for a moment if you like, then wipe a teaspoon of grapeseed oil over the whole surface before you put it away. No soap after that first wash, and never the dishwasher.
While the seasoning is still building, hold off on very acidic things like lemon, wine and tomato until the pan is well established.
Which cooktops does it work on?
Every cooktop: electric, gas, induction, charcoal grill, even an open fire. Cast iron holds heat well and cooks evenly wherever you are cooking.
Why are the sides so shallow?
It's deliberate. Shallow sides let moisture escape rather than pooling around the fillet, so the skin crisps rather than steams. High-sided pans trap that steam and soften the skin as fast as the base crisps it.
What are the specs?
All three are solid cast iron.
- Small: 15 cm base, 18 cm across the top, 2.5 cm deep, 15 cm handle, 1.3 kg.
- The Fish Pan: 22 cm base, 2.5 cm deep, 15 cm handle, 2.1 kg.
- Big: 30 cm base, 33 cm across the top, 2.5 cm deep, 18 cm handle, 51 cm overall, 3.8 kg.
I already have a Fish Weight. Do I need the pan?
They were designed as a pair. The weight holds the fillet flat, and the pan's shallow sides let the moisture escape so the skin crisps rather than steams. The 22 cm base is sized for the Fish Weight to sit on top. If you already own one, the other completes the setup we cook on every service at Saint Peter.
When will it arrive?
The 22 cm Fish Pan is in stock and ships within 1 business day. The Small and Big pans are on pre-order and ship in November. Australian orders go from Sydney, US orders from our Indiana warehouse, and everywhere else from Sydney with duties paid at checkout.
Is it gift-ready?
Yes. Every pan is made in Sydney and arrives in a presentation box, with the seasoning instructions printed inside.
What if it isn't for me?
Change your mind within 30 days and we'll take it back, as long as it's unused, unseasoned and in its box.
One pan, one job, done properly.
Cast iron made in Sydney, designed by a chef who has spent his career cooking fish. Looked after well, it will outlast all of us.