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Pan-Seared Atlantic Mackerel with Seven-Herb Cream and Warm Potato Salad

Used with permission from Whitecap Books

Alterations should be made to fit with your dietary needs. Please consult with your medical team before you attempt to make this recipe.

Pan-Seared Atlantic Mackerel with Seven-Herb Cream and Warm Potato Salad. Serves 4 Potato salad 1 1/2 lb (750 g) fingerling or new potatoes, washed and left whole 2 Tbsp (30 mL) grape seed oil 4 slices bacon, diced 1/2 medium onion, diced 1/2 cup (125 mL) chicken stock 1/3 cup (80 mL) vinegar (white, balsamic, or tarragon) Salt and pepper to taste 1 English cucumber, peeled and diced 1 Tbsp (15 mL) Dijon mustard 2 Tbsp (30 mL) chopped parsley 2 large hard-boiled eggs, peeled and diced 1 medium tomato, seeded and diced Seven-herb cream 3 Tbsp (45 mL) chopped parsley 2 Tbsp (30 mL) chopped chives 2 Tbsp (30 mL) chopped dill 2 Tbsp (30 mL) chopped chervil 2 Tbsp (30 mL) chopped basil 1 Tbsp (15 mL) chopped mint 1 Tbsp (15 mL) chopped cilantro 2 cups (500 mL) sour cream 1 Tbsp (15 mL) fresh lemon juice 1 clove garlic, chopped Salt and pepper to taste Mackerel Eight 3 to 5 oz (90 to 150 g) mackerel fillets (from 4 medium fish), skin on and scaled Salt and pepper to taste 2 Tbsp (30 mL) olive oil (approx) Note:If mackerel is hard to come by, try this recipe with: arctic char, wild salmon or albacore tuna.

Instructions

• Potato salad
• Boil the potatoes in a large pot of water until they are cooked, about 15 minutes.
• Drain the water and peel the potatoes while they are still hot.
• Set aside. Once they are cool, slice them into a large bowl.
• Heat the grape seed oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat.
• Add the bacon and fry it until crispy.
• Add the onion and sauté the mixture for 1 or 2 minutes, or until the onion is translucent.
• Add the stock and vinegar and bring everything to a boil.
• Add salt and pepper to taste. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer the mixture for 5 minutes.
• Pour it over the sliced potatoes.
• Add the cucumbers and the Dijon mustard and mix the salad well.
• Fold in the parsley, diced egg, and tomato.
• Taste and add more salt and pepper if needed.
• Keep the salad warm (either in a bain-marie or place above a pot of simmering water on the back burner)
• until you’re ready to serve the dish.
• Seven-herb cream
• Set a few sprigs of each of the herbs aside for garnish before chopping them for the seven-herb cream.
• Place all the ingredients in a food processor and mix them together until they are well combined.
• Add more salt and pepper to taste if needed.
• Mackerel
• Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C).
• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Score the skin of the mackerel fillets diagonally with a sharp knife and season them with salt and pepper.
• Heat the olive oil in a medium frying pan over medium-high heat.
• Place the fillets, skin side down, in the pan and fry them for about 2 minutes to crisp up the skin,
• then flip them and cook them another minute, until they are golden brown.
• Remove the fillets from the pan, place them on the parchment paper–lined baking sheet, and bake for about 5 minutes.
• Once the fish is cooked, remove any remaining bones. (It is easier to remove the bones after cooking,
• so you do not tear the fillets.)
• To serve
• Scoop the warm potato salad onto four plates and lay the mackerel on top of the potato salad.
• Spoon the seven-herb cream sauce onto the fish and around the plate. Garnish the plate with herb sprigs.
• Pairing Suggestion
• A German Riesling or Chardonnay. Try Robert Lehman Woodbridge Unwooded Charonday
• Tom Firth: Dr. Loosen Riesling (Germany).

By Chris Velden, Ryan Duffy’s, Halifax, NS.

You can grill mackerel, sauté it, pickle it, fry it, or eat it raw. Mackerel works very well with bacon and sour cream, and this recipe reflects my German heritage: the seven herbs with potatoes is a tradition in Frankfurt. At Ryan Duffy’s we serve mackerel in July and August while it is fresh.

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