Mackerel fillets with a celeriac and anchovy salad

Method

1. For the salad of celeriac and anchovies: peel and thinly slice the celeriac into matchsticks, using a Japanese mandolin.

2. In a bowl, combine the celeriac, anchovy, dill, radish and cucumber.

3. Stir in the cider vinegar and add olive oil to taste. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, cover the bowl and put in the fridge for 2 hours, to allow the flavours to develop.

4. For the coriander pesto: blend the coriander, peanuts and parmesan to a fine paste in a blender. With the motor running, slowly add the oil until the mixture develops the consistency of thick double cream. Season with a little salt and freshly ground black pepper. Transfer to a bowl, cover and set aside until needed.

5. For the mackerel and potatoes: bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil and cook the new potatoes for about 20 minutes until just tender. Drain the potatoes, allow them to cool and slice thickly.

6. Heat a knob of butter and a little olive oil in a hot pan and fry the potato slices until golden and crisp on both sides.

7. Season the mackerel fillets with salt and pepper. Heat another knob of butter and a little olive oil in a hot pan and fry the mackerel, flesh side down, for 1 minute, then momentarily flick onto the skin side and pour in the lemon juice. Remove from pan immediately.

8. To serve, arrange a sliced vine tomato in a circle in the middle of a large white plate, spoon on some of the sautéed new potatoes and some of the celeriac salad, put a mackerel fillet on top and garnish with a sprig of watercress. Spoon a little pesto around the outside.

Cook’s note: your fishmonger will usually fillet the mackerel for you if you ask, but if you want to do it yourself, here’s how: Remove the heads from the fish. Place the knife horizontal with the back bone from the head end. Push the knife along the back bone removing the fillet. Repeat on the other side, dispensing with the guts and the bone. De-bone the fillet of the ribcage bones and remove the small pin bones along the middle of the fillet.

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Ingredients

For the salad of celeriac and anchovies

1 bulb Celeriac
4 tinned anchovy fillets, in oil, drained and thinly sliced
1 bunch Dill, or other soft herb, leaves only, chopped
2 Radishes, thinly sliced
2.5cm piece Cucumber, thinly sliced
1 tbsp Cider vinegar
Olive oil, for mixing

For the coriander pesto

1 bunch Coriander
50g dry roasted Peanuts
100g Parmesan
125ml sunflower oil

For the mackerel and potatoes

16 new potatoes
2 knobs Butter
Olive oil, for frying
4 medium line-caught Mackerel, filleted (see cook’s note below)
½ lemon, juice only

To serve

4 sun-ripened vine tomatoes, sliced
4 sprigs Watercress

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