Oily fish - you either love it or hate it. It's good for you, but you might not be sure what to do with it, so here's two ideas for what to do with smoked pepper mackerel, a cheap and tasty smoked fish, the "fish-lover's fish" if you will.
Mackerel, horseradish and ricotta sandwich with yellow pepper
In Scandinavia we often have sandwiches made with smoked or tinned fish. This may sound gross, but if the fish is good quality it makes for a delicious - and nutritious - lunch. In Norway we have mackerel in tomato sauce which is seriously yummy (even if my Father, rather off-puttingly, refers to it as "plane crash")
For two, toast a couple of slices of nice wholemeal or sourdough bread. Spread with some butter
(or butter substitute we were going to suggest but Sig is currently on a Real Butter kick ;-)In a small bowl, mix together a couple of spoonfuls of ricotta cheese or creme fraiche (quark or fromage frais would also work) with a teaspoon of horseradish and some mustard if you have it. Put this on your toast and then flake the mackerel on top. I sliced a yellow pepper and added it as garnish but you could top the sandwich with some sliced cucumber. If you have some herbs or salad leaves then use 'em! Mackerel is quite a strong-flavoured fish that it helps to cut the fishiness with some fresh greens...
Mackerel with roast sweet potato and basmati riceserves 2
2 medium sweet potatoes
chilli flakes
2 fillets of smoked pepper mackerel
basmati rice
lemon juice
horseradish
Preheat oven to 180°C. Slice the sweet potato into chips and toss in a tablespoon of oil, a sprinkle of chilli flakes and season with salt & pepper. Place in a roasting tin and roast for 30 minutes, turning the chips halfway through.
Meanwhile wash the basmati rice and soak it in cold water for 10 minutes, discarding the water after use. This apparently gets rid of excess starch in the rice, resulting in a lighter, fluffier basmati.
Finally, cook the rice with a bit of salt, and then when the rice and potatoes are done, combine in the saucepan you've cooked the rice, along with the mackerel to gently warm through. Squeeze a bit of lemon juice in there, and if you have some horseradish add it - this really adds a nice zip to the dish, but isn't essential.
Serve while warm and reap the brain benefits from all those Omegas!
