Mackerel cured in oil

Autumn brings an abundance of bonito to the eastern Mediterranean. To make the most of that glut, they cure them to make lakerda – a Balkan delicacy – served on little plates with chopped onion and booze, or on bread with cucumber for lunch. This dish is not lakerda but it hits the same buttons. In England bonito is available all year round: caught in and imported from the northern Atlantic, it is fattier, a bit bland and very expensive. Much better to use mackerel, the pauper