Mackerel With Ciabatta and Creme Fraiche

A nice simple lunch that we've just had. Fast food at it's best. Very cheap, too!

Get a couple of mackerel fillets per person. You can either buy the mackerel whole and fillet them yourself, get the fishmonger to do it (they'll normally do it at the fish counter in supermarkets) or just buy fillets. Either way, they'll only cost you a couple of quid.

You may still need to pin-bone the fish. There are two ways to do this. You can pick your way down the middle of the fillet with a pair of tweezers, plucking out all the bones but this takes a while and is a bit messy. The way I've just done it is to run a very sharp knife down either side of the row of bones at a slight angle, being careful not to cut through the skin, then pull the whole 'V' of bones right out.

Put the fish to one side while you make the sauce.

In bowl mix a couple of large tablespoons of creme fraiche with a finely chopped clove of garlic, a bunch of chopped parsley, a pinch of salt and pepper and a splash of white wine vinegar. Mix it all together and set aside.

Now for the ciabatta. Cut the bread in half horizontally and place the slices cut-side up under a hot grill for a minute or so. Keep an eye on them and take them out when they're golden brown. Rub the toasted surface all over with a clove of garlic and drizzle with some olive oil.

Keep the bread warm somewhere while you cook the fish.

Simply drizzle the mackerel on each side with a little olive oil, season with a touch of salt and pepper and cook under a hot grill for about a minute on each side.

Put a couple of mackerel fillets on a slice of ciabatta, drizzle with the creme fraiche and serve with a nice bit of green salad and a cold, crisp sauvignon blanc.



The Bloke