Hot Smoked Mackerel Salad

 

Though I love smoked mackerel, it just isn’t the weather for salads anymore. Mum-y and I needed something that would warm us up for dinner, and with our sad packet of smoked mackerel sitting in the fridge only a day away from its sell-by, the time had come for some internet digging. I set about in search of enlightenment but google “smoked mackerel recipes” and all you get is pâté. Chicken liver, yes. Fish on a cold day? No thanks. Nigel Slater put me more in the right direction with something hot, so this recipe is a bastardisation of what I found. I’m afraid to report that Slater’s dressing wasn’t what I fancied, so instead I stole a few ideas from pâté ingredients and knocked up a creamy, herby, lemony number that set everything off beautifully. I wouldn’t have thought that mackerel would go particularly well with a rich, creamy sauce, but that punch of lemon juice is amazing. It works so well with the potatoes too, offsetting their sweetness while teasing you back for more.

Serves 2.

Ingredients:

500g new potatoes

1 dsp. olive oil

1 packet of smoked mackerel fillets

1 handful of frozen peas

4 strips pancetta.

For the dressing:

1 tbsp. low fat cream cheese

3 tbsp. natural yoghurt

1 tbsp. olive oil

1 shallot, minced

1 tsp. each tarragon and parsley (preferably fresh)

Juice of half a lemon.

Method:

1)      First of all, scrub the potatoes. They need to be about the size of a cherry tomato, so I chopped mine in half. Place in a baking tray and drizzle with the oil. Season, then place in a hot oven, 200° for 35-45 minutes until cooked through.

2)      While you wait for the potatoes, roughly shred the mackerel into chunks, keeping an eye out for any stray bones.

3)      Cook the peas, either in a small pan of water or in the microwave. Drain, then crush them lightly with a fork.

4)      Last of all, fry or grill the pancetta until crisp. Break up into pieces and set aside.

5)      To make the dressing, combine the cream cheese with the natural yoghurt. Stir in the olive oil to loosen up the mix and add a gloss.

6)      Add the minced shallot and the herbs, before finally stirring in the lemon juice. Season to taste. If you try the dressing in its “raw” state like this, it’s going to taste overpowering. Don’t worry, the sweetness and starch in the roasted potatoes soften the flavours.

7)      When the potatoes are cooked, it’s time to assemble the salad. With a potato masher, crush the roasted potatoes while still in the pan, not to completely destroy their structure, only to split them enough that they can absorb the flavours of the dressing.

8)      In a salad bowl, combine the mackerel, crushed peas and potatoes, spooning over the dressing. With two forks lift everything together to ensure an even coating, before serving with the crumbled pancetta and a lemon wedge.