Smoked Mackerel on Spicy Potato Salad

Every so often, I like to experiment not only with the dishes which I create but with the combination of food items which I include as a meal. Where I got the idea for this smoked mackerel on spicy potato salad recipe, even I don't know; all I know is that although it may not sound like the most appetising of dinner dishes, the combination worked very well and it was absolutely delicious!

Ingredients (Serves Four)

4 large smoked mackerel fillets
1 1/2lb potatoes
1 fresh cob of sweetcorn
2 cloves of garlic
1 small red chilli
1 small green chilli
2 tsp fresh, chopped mint leaves
3 tbsp low fat mayonnaise
4 small cherry tomatoes for garnish (if desired)
Salt to taste

Method

Peel the potatoes and slice and chop them in to approximately 1/2" cubes. Put them in to a large pan of boiling, salted water and simmer for twenty minutes.

When the potatoes are done, drain them well and set them aside to at least begin to cool while you prepare the remainder of the salad ingredients.

Strip the leaves and fibres from the cob of corn and break off any remaining part of the stem. Sit the cob on its broad end on a chopping board and very carefully slice off the corn kernels with ideally a Chinese style cleaver but, failing that, a very sharp knife. Put the corn kernels in to a large bowl and discard the cob.

Peel the garlic cloves and crush them in to the bowl. De-seed the chillis, finely chop them and add them also, along with the mint, before adding the potatoes and stirring well. The mayonnaise should be added last of all along with salt to taste and the whole mixture stirred thoroughly, though carefully so as not to break up the potatoes.

It is possible to serve the salad immediately but I much prefer to let it cool completely before spooning it on to plates, breaking up the smoked mackerel fillets in to large flakes and serving with a cherry tomato as the final garnish.