Pickled mackerel with tomatoes and sourdough
Blow-torching the tomatoes is a quick way to give them a caramlised finish. If you don't have a blow-torch, simply grill them on the highest setting for 3–5 minutes, until charred.
Ingredients
- 4 fillets line-caught mackerel, bone in
- 25g/1oz sea salt, plus extra for sprinkling
- 200ml/7fl oz rice wine vinegar
- 300ml/10fl oz extra virgin rapeseed oil, plus extra for drizzling
- 50g/1¾oz chardonnay vinegar
- 1 loaf sourdough
- 16 cherry tomatoes, on the vine
- 100g/3½oz salted butter
- 2 thyme sprigs
- 4 mixed heritage tomatoes, cut into wedges
- wild samphire, preferably English, tips only, to serve
- 1 yellow chicory, to serve
Method
Lightly salt the flesh side of the mackerel fillets and leave to marinade for about 2 hours before using.
Put the mackerel fillets into a shallow tray, skin-side down. Pour over the rice vinegar until it’s about halfway up the mackerel. Allow to sit for 2 minutes then carefully remove the membrane around the skin. Place the fillets back into the vinegar, flesh side down for another 1–2 minutes. Remove from the vinegar and carefully cut out the bones.
Mix together 200ml/7fl oil with the chardonnay vinegar in a small jar. Put the mackerel on a serving plate and drizzle with the rapeseed and vinegar dressing.
Preheat oven to 150C/170C Fan/Gas 2.
Put the sourdough slices onto baking sheets, drizzle with some oil and sprinkle with a little sea salt. Bake for 3–4 minutes until golden brown. Set aside.
Blanch the cherry tomatoes in boiling water for 10 seconds and carefully remove the skins.
Place half the tomatoes in a saucepan with the butter, thyme and some of the vines and warm very gently for a couple of minutes.
Place the other half of the tomatoes into a bowl and dress with the rapeseed dressing. Refrigerate any remaining dressing to use on other dishes.
Blow torch the tomato wedges until caramelised and sprinkle with with sea salt.
Place the mackerel between 4 plates, arrange the tomatoes around the fish and finish with the samphire, chicory and crispy sourdough.