Somerset Recipe

Grilled mackerel pickled beetroot , Apple slaw, radish, sea herbs, horseradish, herb oil.

Ingredients serves 4

4 mackerel fillets- de boned

Sea herbs- purslane, salty fingers, Rosemary all picked

Herb infused oil- chives or parsley. 

2x radish sliced

Pickled beetroot

1x golden beetroot

1x candy beetroot

1x red beetroot

Pickle- 100 ml white wine vinegar 300 ml olive oil

2 star anise, 6 juniper berries crushed, 2 cloves garlic crushed, zest 1/2 lemon 2 sprigs of thyme

Salt pepper.

Apple slaw

2 red apples peeled, grated.

1/2 small onion finely sliced.

1 stick celery peeled, finely sliced.

2 table spoons mayonnaise

Juice 1/2 lemon

Salt pepper

Horseradish cream

100 ml double cream

1 teaspoon creamed horseradish.

Lemon juice to taste

Salt pepper

Method

For the beetroot

Place the beetroot into a deep saucepan and cover with cold salted water enough water to totally cover the beetroot. Bring to the boil and simmer until just cooked. Once cooked take our of the water put beetroot onto a plate and cover with cling film and leave to cool but not to go cold. One cool using a small knife peel the skin from the beetroot. Once peeled cut the beets into squares approximately 1cm square, place into a bowl.

To make the pickle whisk together the oil and vinegar, add the herbs garlic and spices. Pour pickle over beetroot cover and leave at room temperature. A minimum of 30 minutes is needed to marinade the beets but this can be prepared up to a week before and kept in the fridge.

For the Apple slaw

Place the grated Apple, onion and celery into a mixing bowl add the mayonnaise add the lemon juice and season. Keep in the fridge till needed.

For the horseradish cream

Place the cream and horseradish into a bowl and chill for a minimum of 30 minutes. Pass the cream through a fine sieve into another bowl discarding the horseradish. Season with salt and pepper and lemon juice to taste. Pour cream into a squeeze bottle chill till needed.

To serve

Place mackerel onto a metal tray season with salt and pepper, drizzle olive oil over the fish make sure both sides of the fish are coated in oil.

Place the mackerel skin side up. Pre heat your grill.

Spoon the Apple slaw into the centre of your plates, drain the beetroot and arrange with alternate colours around the slaw. On top of each piece of beetroot rest a piece of each sea herb then gently rest up against each piece of beetroot a slice of radish. Place the mackerel under your hot grill for 3-4 minutes until the skin is crispy and the flesh is cooked. If you feel the skin on the fish is not crispy enough if you have one use a blow torch to crisp the skin more put a few drops of lemon juice onto each fillet and a little bit more seasoning if you think it is necessary.

Place the fish on top of the slaw drizzle the horseradish cream around then drizzle the herb infused oil around also.

SERVE