Tinned mackerel spaghetti with lemon chilli breadcrumbs
Cheap and abundant in healthy fats, tinned mackerel is a great way to make your midweek pasta super-nutritious as well as convenient. These easy lemon chilli breadcrumbs are perfect to make with leftover bread and are delicious sprinkled over all types of pasta as a vegan alternative to Parmesan.
Each serving provides 595 kcal, 21g protein, 90g carbohydrates (of which 9g sugars), 16g fat (of which 2g saturates), 6g fibre and 2g salt.
Ingredients
For the tinned mackerel spaghetti
- 200g/7oz spaghetti
- 110g tin smoked mackerel fillets
- 50g/1¾oz slow-roasted cherry tomatoes, packed in oil
- 1½ tsp extra virgin olive oil
- small handful flatleaf parsley, roughly chopped
- ¼ lemon, juice only
- freshly ground sea salt and black pepper
For the lemon chilli breadcrumbs
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- small handful fresh breadcrumbs (1 small slice bread, blended, if homemade)
- ¼ tsp dried chilli flakes
- ¼ lemon, finely grated zest only
Method
Cook the spaghetti in a large saucepan of boiling salted water, according to the packet instructions, checking for doneness after 10–12 minutes.
Meanwhile, drain the mackerel and remove any excess oil from the slow-roasted tomatoes by dabbing them with kitchen paper. Roughly chop the tomatoes and place in a bowl. Add the mackerel, olive oil and parsley. Season generously with salt and pepper and set aside.
To make the breadcrumbs, heat the oil in a medium–large frying pan over a medium-high heat. Once the oil is shimmering, add the breadcrumbs and gently fry for 3–4 minutes until golden. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the chilli flakes and lemon zest. Set aside.
Drain the spaghetti, reserving a little of the cooking water, and return the pasta to the pan.
Stir in the mackerel mixture, seasoning to taste with lemon juice and a little more salt and pepper, if necessary. If you want a looser sauce, gradually stir in a little of the reserved pasta water until you have the desired consistency.
Serve the pasta divided between two warm bowls, topped with a generous sprinkling of the breadcrumbs.
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