Cured and scorched mackerel with beetroot
A short cure firms mackerel and seasons it to the middle, then a blast of fierce heat blisters the skin while the flesh stays succulent. Beetroot and horseradish give the richness something sweet and hot to push against. Ask the counter and we fillet and pin-bone your mackerel free, which is the only fiddly part of the dish.
The pairing is inspired by Mark Kempson, who quick-cures and scorches mackerel with beetroot at Kitchen W8 in London, a restaurant with a Michelin star. His version is published at Great British Chefs. Ours trades the blowtorch for a screaming hot grill.
Ingredients
- 4 mackerel fillets, pin-boned (ask the counter to fillet and pin-bone, free)
- 2 tbsp fine sea salt
- 2 tbsp caster sugar
- 2 cooked beetroot, diced small
- 1 tsp red wine vinegar
- 2 tbsp creme fraiche
- 2 tsp grated horseradish or 1 tbsp horseradish sauce
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- a few small leaves, watercress or baby chard
Method
- Mix the salt and sugar and scatter half over a plate. Lay the fillets on top flesh side down, cover with the rest and cure for 20 minutes in the fridge.
- Rinse the cure off quickly under cold water and pat the fillets completely dry. They will feel firmer and look glossier, which is the cure at work.
- Stir the horseradish into the creme fraiche with a pinch of salt. Dress the beetroot with the vinegar, oil and a little salt.
- Heat the grill to its highest setting for a full 5 minutes with the tray inside.
- Lay the fillets skin side up on the hot tray and grill close to the element for 2 to 3 minutes until the skin blisters and chars in patches and the flesh has just turned opaque. There is no need to turn them.
- Spoon the beetroot across the plates, sit the fillets on top skin up and add the horseradish cream in one spoonful to the side.
- Finish with the leaves and a thread of oil.
Watch Mark Kempson at work:
To serve: Serve warm rather than hot so the cure and the char both speak. Rye bread on the side suits it. To drink, a dry Riesling or a cold pilsner.
Shop this recipe: mackerel and the mackerel hub. Filleted and pin-boned at the counter, free.
Photo: THOR, via Wikimedia Commons, licensed CC BY 2.0.
