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Verjus-pickled mackerel

Name: Verjus-pickled mackerel
Total time: 40 min
Ingredients: mackerel 4 fillets, pin-boned; rapeseed oil 1 tbsp; cucumber ½, peeled, seeded and diced; dill sprigs to serve; verjus 250ml; white peppercorns 1 tsp; coriander seeds 2 tsp; bay leaves 2; shallots 2, finely sliced; garlic 2 cloves, crushed; green chilli 1, seeded and chopped; golden caster sugar 100g; creamed horseradish 1 tsp; thick greek yogurt 6 tbsp; vegetable oil 250ml; dill a bunch; red grapes 4, thinly sliced; silverskin pickled onions 4, halved

40 minutes + cooling + pickling
serves 4
Easy

Verjus is made from pressed, unripe, green grapes and is a really versatile ingredient. Try it in this recipe for verjus-pickled mackerel from Tom Brown, head chef at Nathan Outlaw's The Capital in Knightsbridge

Published: July 14, 2016 at 11:10 am

Ingredients

mackerel 4 fillets, pin-boned
rapeseed oil 1 tbsp
cucumber ½, peeled, seeded and diced
dill sprigs to serve

PICKLE

verjus 250ml
white peppercorns 1 tsp
coriander seeds 2 tsp
bay leaves 2
shallots 2, finely sliced
garlic 2 cloves, crushed
green chilli 1, seeded and chopped
golden caster sugar 100g

HORSERADISH YOGURT

creamed horseradish 1 tsp
thick greek yogurt 6 tbsp

DILL OIL

vegetable oil 250ml
dill a bunch

TO SERVE

red grapes 4, thinly sliced
silverskin pickled onions 4, halved

Method

Step 1

Heat all the pickle ingredients in a pan with 2 tsp salt and simmer for 2 minutes. Remove the liquid from the heat and let it cool to room temperature. Put the mackerel fillets, skin-side down in a shallow dish and pour over the pickle. Clingfilm the surface of the mackerel to ensure they are submerged in the liquid. Put in the fridge for 24 hours.
Step 2

To make the horseradish yogurt, mix the ingredients with a pinch of salt. Put into a small piping bag and chill until ready to serve. Whizz the vegetable oil with the bunch of dill and a pinch of salt in a blender or liquidiser, then strain through muslin or a clean J-cloth, reserving the green oil. It will keep, covered, in the fridge, for a week.
Step 3

Let the fish and marinade come to room temperature 1 hour before you serve. Remove the mackerel fillets and pat dry with kitchen paper. Strain the leftover pickling liquid. Whisk 50ml of the strained liquid with 1 tbsp rapeseed oil to make a dressing. Add the cucumber and season.
Step 4

Pipe a few blobs of the yogurt onto 4 plates, and sit the mackerel fillets on top, skin-side up. Drizzle over the dressing with a few cucumber pieces, grape slices and pickled onion halves. Add a little dill oil and a few dill sprigs. Serve with a simple salad or crusty bread.