Salt Cured Mackerel Salad Recipe with Samphire and Grapefruit
This simple midweek salad features quick salt-cured mackerel fillets with toasted rye bread, samphire and quick "pickled" radishes and shallots. It's gloriously vibrant and zingy and outrageously tasty!
Servings 2 Servings
Calories 805kcal
Ingredients
- 4 Mackerel Fillets 350g total
- 50 g Shallots 2-3 small
- 50 g Radishes 4-5 Small
- 1 Red Grapefruit 350g
- 2 tablespoon Rapeseed Oil
- 20 g Honey 1 tablespoon
- 150 g Salt ½ Cup (plus extra to season the dressing)
- 50 g Sugar ¼ Cup
- 75 g Samphire 1½ Cups
- 50 ml Water 3-4 tablespoon
- 75 g Rye Bread 2 Slices
Instructions
- If your mackerel fillets are not pin-boned, either v-cut out the bones or get to work with some tweezers and remove them. Then flip over the fillets so they are flesh side down and make shallow cuts through the skin around 1cm (½") apart from each other.
- Peel the shallots, cut them into rounds as thinly as you can (around 1mm) and place them in a small-medium bowl.
- Top and tail the radishes and cut them into rounds the same thickness as the onions, then toss them into the bowl with the shallots.
- Zest the grapefruit and set the zest aside. Then top and tail the grapefruit, and cut the zest from the flesh using a sharp kitchen knife, forming a barrel of flesh. Cut the segments from the membrane (do this over a bowl to save the juice) and set them aside, then squeeze out the juice from the remaining membrane.
- Take 1 tablespoon of the juice and place it in a jar with the rapeseed oil, half of the honey, ½ teaspoon of the grapefruit zest and a pinch of salt and black pepper (do this to taste). Place the lid on the jar, give it a shake and set it aside.
- Mix the salt and sugar with the remaining grapefruit zest and set aside.
- Add the remaining grapefruit juice to a small 15cm or 6" saucepan, add the remaining tablespoon of honey and set it aside.
- Take 2 baking trays and sprinkle around a third of the salt and sugar mix over one of the trays and spread it out so that it is roughly the same size as the mackerel fillets, and place the mackerel fillets onto it , skin side down. Sprinkle the remaining curing salt over the flesh of the mackerel, cover with baking parchment, add the second baking tray to weigh down the fish and place it in the fridge for 20 minutes.
- Place the saucepan with the honey and grapefruit juice on the hob/stove top and bring it to a boil. Then pour this "pickling" mixture over the shallots and radishes, mix and allow it to sit for 10 minutes, then drain the veggies and set them aside.
- Whilst the fish is curing and the pickles are sitting, place the grapefruit slices on a baking tray and give them a bit of colour with a blow torch.
- When the mackerel has had 20 minutes, remove it from the curing mix, rinse it under cold water to remove any excess salt and dry it well with kitchen paper.
- Cut 2 slices of rye bread to a thickness of around 7-12mm (¼-½"), depending on your preference. Just before you are ready to serve, heat a griddle pan and toast the rye bread on both sides.
- Whilst the bread is toasting, heat a 30cm or 12" frying pan over a high heat and add 3-4 tablespoons of water. When it boils, toss in the samphire and cook it for 2 minutes, then drain and set aside.
- Finally, place the mackerel on a tray and give it a quick blast with a blow torch to warm the skin a little. Again, you can do this under a hot grill or broiler if you prefer.
- Finally, serve drizzled with the dressing you made earlier.
You can slide them under a hot grill (broiler) if you prefer.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 | Calories: 805kcal | Carbohydrates: 50g | Protein: 47g | Fat: 47g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 34g | Cholesterol: 131mg | Sodium: 1548mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 24g
