Preparation time
30 mins to 1 hour
Cooking time
less than 10 mins
Serves
Serves 2
Ingredients
For the cured mackerel
- 4 sushi-grade mackerel fillets
- 200g/7oz salt
- 50g/1¾oz sugar
For the pickled vegetables
- 1 star anise
- pinch black peppercorns
- pinch coriander seeds
- 50ml/2fl oz white wine vinegar
- 1 carrot, peeled, cut lengthways and sliced thinly on an angle
- ½ cauliflower head, cut into small florets
- 1 red pepper, julienned
- 1 yellow pepper, julienned
- 1 red onion, cut into eighths
- 1 courgette, cut lengthways and sliced thinly on an angle
- 8 gooseberries
For the gooseberry purée
- 25g/1oz butter
- 2 tbsp caster sugar
- ½ vanilla pod
- 100g/3½oz gooseberries
- splash sweet white wine
- splash white wine vinegar
To serve
- coriander cress
- baby rocket leaves
Method
Lay the mackerel fillets on a tray and sprinkle with the salt and sugar. Cover with baking paper, press with a weight and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
To make the pickling syrup, bring 250ml/9fl oz of water to the boil with the star anise, peppercorns, coriander seeds and white wine vinegar. Allow to cool.
Bring another saucepan of water to the boil and blanch the vegetables and gooseberries for 1 minute. Drain and add to the cold pickling syrup.
To make the gooseberry purée, melt the butter in a small saucepan on a medium heat. Add the sugar, vanilla and gooseberries. Cook for 10 minutes until the gooseberries are soft. Add the wine and vinegar and stir well. Transfer to a food processor or blender and blend to a loose purée.
Remove the mackerel and wash off the salt cure. Slice each fillet very thinly.
Spoon some purée on to the bottom of a serving dish. Drain the pickled veg well and sprinkle over the purée. Lay the mackerel on top and garnish with the cress and rocket.