Smoked Mackerel

Smoked mackerel has had a rather chequered history. A relative newcomer to the ranks of Britain’s smoked fish, it appeared in the 1970s about the time I was starting my career as a chef. London wine bars were flooded with poor-quality hot-smoked fillets, most of which ended up as nasty pâté. Not surprisingly, it went right out of fashion and only now seems to be staging a comeback. I for one have needed twenty years to even contemplate putting it back on the menu.

Always buy whole fish, they are much superior to fillets. Never even think about cooking it, and please, no pâtés. Delicious with horseradish-dressed fresh beetroot.