KATKAT'S KITCHEN

I love mackerel and I love raw fish so the fresh taste of mackerel tartare ticks all my boxes completely. mackerel tartare needs strong flavours and here we have the flavour of horseradish cream and ginger and pickled cucumber.

I also love wet fishing, I love catching them, gutting them etc, I forget that that is my party trick and you may well prefer not to do it. if that is the case you can buy mackerel fillets or get your fishmongers to fillet them for you.

Mackerel Tartare

In this case the mackerel tartare is served with pea shoots and avocado with a drizzle of harissa oil, to add a little chilli heat to the Mackerel tartare.

4 mackerel fillets skinned
2 Tablespoons of large capers, finely chopped
2 shallots finely diced
4 tablespoons of dill finely chopped
1 teaspoon fresh ginger very finely chopped
1 lemon  ½ juiced and ½ zested
1 lime  ½ juiced and ½ zested
200ml double cream

For the pickle:
4 tablespoons of water
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
Salt and pepper
½ cucumber peeled, de-seeded, thinly sliced and salted

For the Horseradish Cream

1 cup of  sour cream

1/4 cup of freshly grated fresh horseradish

1 tablespoon if Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon of lemon juice

salt and pepper

To make the pickle

Bring to the boil all the pickle ingredients apart from the cucumber, take off the heat and add your cucumber. Leave to cool for at least an hour to allow the flavours to meld.

To make the mackerel tartare

Skin and remove the central bones from the fillets (the bones should come out in one piece if you’re careful), and chop into small pieces, or smile sweetly at your fish monger and ask him to do it for you.

Add the chopped capers, shallots, parsley, ginger, lemon and lime juices (keep the zest to one side) and season with salt and pepper.

Mix everything except the cream together and place in the fridge. The citrus juices will partly “cook” the mackerel so allow at least half an hour.

Lightly whip the double cream, add the zest, a squeeze of lemon and lime and seasoning.

To make the Horseradish cream

I also grow my horseradish so it is natural for me to make my horseradish cream, but it is perfectly acceptable to serve a commercial bought horseradish sauce .

Mackerel tartare is a great lunch dish with Melba toast or as an hor d’oeuvre before salmon caponata