One of the surprising pleasures of lockdown is being able to buy Cornish fish on line (hooked@fishforthought.co.uk), even in obscure parts of our land-locked countryside. Mackerel is abundant at the moment and this simple yet simply wonderful salad is made with grilled mackerel fillets on Dijon mustard-spread toast. I have made a similar version with tinned sardines; all required in that case, is carefully split the little fish lengthways and ease out the backbone, everything else is entirely edible. So, you get a crusty toast base, a smear of butter and another of creamy mustard, the grilled fish and a crisp salad of lettuce and pickled cucumber with chives (everything with chives for me at the moment thanks to a flourishing bed in the garden) and lemon Dijon vinaigrette.
Serves 4
Prep: 15 min
Cook: 15 min
¼ cucumber
1 tbsp cider or wine vinegar
4 mackerel fillets
4 slices bread
butter
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
2 little gem lettuce hearts (or similar)
1 dsp snipped chives
for the vinaigrette:
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp honey
3 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp finely snipped chives
Halve the cucumber lengthways, use a teaspoon to remove the seeds. Remove alternating strips of cu peel to achieve a striped effect. Slice across the halves into thin half moons. Place in a shallow bowl with 1 tbsp vinegar. Toss and leave. Check over the fish for bones. This is important; slide an index finger over the fillets and use tweezers to remove stray bones. Place the mackerel skin-side uppermost on a sheet of foil in a shallow roasting tin. Heat the grill and when hot, place the fish close to the grill and cook for about 5 minutes until the skin blisters and splits, the fish firm and just cooked through. Remove the tin. Next make the vinaigrette by placing the mustard in a mixing bowl, season with salt and black pepper, stir in the lemon juice and then honey and whisk in the vegetable oil followed by olive oil, to make a thick, creamy, pale yellow dressing. Toast the bread, spread with butter and lavishly with mustard. Place in the middle of 4 dinner plates and pile with mackerel. Place 2 tbsp of vinaigrette in a mixing bowl. Scoop the cu into the bowl and add lengthways halves, quickly rinsed lettuce leaves. Toss. Divide salad over and around the toasts and finish with a chive garnish.