Grilled mackerel with gooseberry
Mackerel is a rich, oily fish with firm flesh that holds together under a fierce heat, so it suits grilling more than almost anything on the counter. Ask us to fillet and pin-bone it, or to butterfly a whole fish so it opens flat and cooks in minutes. A sharp gooseberry sauce cuts through the oil the way lemon does, and rhubarb works the same way when gooseberries are out of season.
Ingredients
- 4 mackerel fillets, skin on, pin-boned (ask the counter to fillet and pin-bone, free)
- 200g gooseberries, topped and tailed
- 2 tbsp caster sugar
- 1 tbsp water
- a knob of butter
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- sea salt and black pepper
Method
- Put the gooseberries, sugar and water in a small pan over a low heat. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes until the fruit collapses into a loose sauce, then stir in the butter and a pinch of salt. Keep warm.
- Heat the grill to its highest setting and line the tray with foil.
- Pat the fillets dry and score the skin two or three times. Rub with the oil and season both sides.
- Lay the fillets skin side up and grill close to the element for 4 to 5 minutes. The skin blisters and crisps and the flesh turns from glassy to just opaque. Thin fillets need no turning.
- Serve skin up with the warm gooseberry sauce spooned alongside.
To serve: New potatoes, a fennel and watercress salad or grilled bread to mop the sauce. To drink, a dry Riesling or a cold cider stands up to the oil. Herring and small trout take the same treatment.
Shop this recipe: mackerel and what is on the counter today. Cut to order at the counter, filleting free.
