Poached Mackerel Summer Salad with Bruschetta

Summer is upon us in the Northern Hemisphere - even here in Scotland! A big part of summer in the UK for sea anglers is the fact that the mackerel are coming in to the inshore waters. Whether the intent be to catch them and use them as bait for bigger things, or to catch them for food as I like to do, the appearance of mackerel is always welcome. I will never apologise for constantly going back on this blog to the message regarding sustainable fish and seafood and why we should be taking account of this vitally important issue. Not only is it imperative to the survival of certain fish species on our planet, it actually allows many of us to taste new species of fish, cooked in different ways, which we may never otherwise have encountered. For the moment at least, mackerel is very much a sustainable species of fish.

On my last sea fishing expedition - to Loch Etive - it was a bit early in the year to have a realistic chance of encountering mackerel. I hope very much that will change over the coming months and that my forthcoming sea fishing trips will yield mackerel to be cooked and featured on the blog. In the interim, this mackerel was bought whole and fresh from my local supermarket.

Ingredients per Serving

1 whole mackerel
2 handfuls of baby spinach or other salad greens
6 pitted black olives
1 tomato
1 egg
1/2 white onion
6 black peppercorns
2 tbsp white wine vinegar (malt vinegar works, but not nearly so well)
3 slices from bread stick
1 clove of garlic
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper

Method

There can not realistically be a much simpler method of cooking mackerel than this one. The mackerel should firstly be gutted and washed. Slice the half onion and add it to a very large pot, or - ideally - a fish poacher. Add the peppercorns, the white wine vinegar and around half a teaspoon of salt. Lay the mackerel in the pot/poacher and pour in enough cold water to comfortably cover the fish. Put the pot/poacher on to a high heat until the water boils. Switch the heat off immediately, cover and leave to cool for at least an hour. The fish will cook in the cooling liquid and retain its beautiful, moist texture and beneficial natural oils.

The hard boiled egg is also served cold. Make sure that your egg is at room temperature and not straight out of the fridge. Place it in to a small pot and add enough cold water to cover it. Put it on a high heat until the water boils. Reduce the heat and simmer for five to six minutes only. Place the pot in the sink and run cold water in to it. Crack the egg gently on a hard surface and peel the shell off, under the running cold water. Submerge the egg in cold water to cool it quickly. This will prevent that unattractive blue/grey effect from forming around the edges of the yolk.

Lay the baby spinach leaves on the serving plate. Cut your tomato in to segments and the black olives in half. Arrange on top of the spinach. Lift the mackerel out of the cold water and with your hands, simply pick the flesh off the bones. The skin on a mackerel is very thin and entirely edible but it can be rubbed off with the ball of your thumb and discarded if you desire. Lay the mackerel flakes on top of the salad. Cut the egg in to quarters and arrange on the edge of the plate.

The bruschetta is the only part of this meal which is served hot, so should be your very last step. Simply toast the bread slices on both sides under an overhead grill. Peel the garlic clove and crush under the blade of a large knife to release the juices. Rub the garlic clove over the hot toasted bread. Drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper and serve immediately.