Soused Mackerel with Warm Potatoes

Name: Soused Mackerel with Warm Potatoes
Yield: Serves 4
Cuisine: United Kingdom
Ingredients: 1 bouquet garni (1 bay leaf, 1 star anise, a few fresh basil leaves, 2 sprigs each of fresh thyme and tarragon tied in a square of muslin or a strip of leek leaves) or bouquet garni sachet; 4 mackerel fillets, all bones removed; 1 quantity Mashed Potatoes with lemon and shallots; 600 ml (1 pint) water; 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley; 2 shallots or 1 onion, thinly sliced; 50 ml (2 fl oz) olive oil; 150 ml (5 fl oz) white wine vinegar; 6 black peppercorns; 1 leek, thinly sliced; Salt and freshly ground white pepper; 100 g (4 oz) unsalted butter; 2 carrots, thinly sliced; 2 celery sticks, thinly sliced; 150 ml (5 fl oz) dry white wine; 1 small fennel bulb, very thinly sliced

Preparation info

Serves
4

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

Rhodes Around Britain

By Gary Rhodes

Published 1994

About

Sousing or pickling is usually associated with raw fish. This recipe is slightly different. The mackerel is heated briefly in its spicy liquor, then served warm with the potatoes. This makes the liquor a sauce, and the addition of potato makes the mackerel a complete dish.

Ingredients

1 small fennel bulb, very thinly sliced
2 carrots, thinly sliced
2 celery sticks, thinly sliced

Europe
United Kingdom
Main course
Pescatarian
Gluten-free

Method

Cook all the sliced vegetables in a pan with the bouquet garni, peppercorns, olive oil and half the butter for a few minutes. Add the white wine, wine vinegar and water and simmer for about 10–12 minutes until the vegetables are cooked. This is your sousing liquor. Allow to cool and remove the bouquet garni.

Place the fillets in a lightly buttered flameproof dish and cover with the liqu