Smoked Mackerel, Beetroot & Apple Salad

I have mentioned before the influence my grandmother had on me and my love of good food and cooking. She truly was an amazing cook and people really enjoyed coming to her house for dinner, because they knew that they would be treated to the very best of home cooked food. She was quite an adventurous cook and loved using exotic spices and what would have been considered unusual ingredients in the Ireland of her day. There was no pretension in her cookery, but everything was always so well presented and looked inviting and delicious to eat.

There were times, however, when I was a little dubious about the idea of some of the things that she proposed to make and present for us to eat. One occasion that particularly stands out in my memory was the time that she decided to make homemade smoked mackerel pâté which she wanted to serve on thinly sliced brown soda bread, to guests she would be entertaining one evening. The thought of a fishy flavoured paste really did not excite me. When everything was plated up in preparation for the imminent visitors, she urged me to try a little sliver of the pâté smeared bread. I tentatively took the tiniest of nibbles and couldn’t believe the salty, almost sweet flavour of the pâté; it was delicious. In that moment began my life-long epicurean love affair with mackerel, in all its forms.

 

Mackerel is an oily fish and as such, lends itself perfectly to being smoked. Unlike many other fish, it stands up well to spicy and robust flavours; I especially like serving it with a gooseberry or rhubarb compote as the tartness of these cut through the rich oiliness of the mackerel.

 

But here, I am presenting my recipe for a salad which uses smoked mackerel. I regularly make this salad, sometimes with slight variations when I want a quick, nutritious but satisfying meal. The subtle earthiness of the beetroot complements the oily mackerel perfectly, whilst the apple creates adds a welcome freshness on the palate.

 

Ingredients:

250g smoked mackerel, skin and bones removed

6-8 cooked beetroot (I either roast my own of buy the vacuum packed ones)

1 small bunch spring onions cut into diagonal slices

1 apple, cored and sliced into thin wedges

100g cooked puy lentils

4-5 boiled baby new potatoes, sliced (optional)

Salt & freshly ground black pepper

Dressing:

Finely grated zest and juice of 1 lemon

100ml sour cream

2tblsp creamed horseradish

 

Method:

Salad:

1. Gently toss all the salad ingredients together in a large salad bowl.

Dressing:

2. Using a small whisk mix all the dressing ingredients together and just before serving, drizzle over the salad.

3. Taste and adjust seasoning as necessary.

Serves 4.     

Japanese-style Beef Salad

There are times when I want to eat something fresh tasting but something that is also satisfying at the same time. This salad fits the bill perfectly; the vegetables are fresh and crunchy and the barely seared beef adds something more substantial so that you are not feeling hungry again, half an hour later.

The key thing about this salad is that you really do need to use quality beef… and not just any old cut;- it has to be fillet steak. Fillet steak can be shockingly expensive, but as you don’t need a huge amount of it, it is an affordable dish and one that you can treat yourself to every now and again.

At a fundamental level this salad is really a play on the classic Italian dish of Beef Carpaccio but with Asian/Japanese inspired flavours. I remember the very first time that I ever tried Beef Carpaccio. Many years ago I was invited out to dinner by clients of the company that I worked for at the time. I was easily impressed in those days and thought that my fellow diners were terribly stylish and urbane. I can remember wanting to make an impression on them…or more truthfully, I just didn’t want to make a fool of myself!
 

Beef Carpaccio was ordered as a starter for the table. I was horrified when it arrived… the meat was RAW, but not wanting to appear naïve and unsophisticated, I tentatively ate some. What a revelation! Yes the meat was uncooked, but it had been so thinly sliced and served as it was, at room temperature, you could really taste the fantastic flavour of the meat. In every sense it was dish that celebrated the wonderful quality of the beef that was used. I relay this story mainly because I personally learnt a very important lesson that day; which is to try everything at least once and not dismiss something without having sampled it first. So, if you baulk when reading through my recipe below, remember my story.

We are so lucky here in Ireland because we have some of the best beef in the world readily available to buy… so try this recipe and rejoice in the quality of some of the best that Ireland has to offer… as I always say there has to be some pay-back for all the rain we get… and there is – wonderful green pastures on which our cattle can feed and which contribute to the excellence of our beef.

I am going to hold my hands up now and say that I am not a particular fan of raw chillies – but they work here, creating welcome warmth in the mouth with what is essentially a cold salad, and whilst I think that you can easily vary the vegetables used, it is recommended that you don’t exclude the chillies.

 

Ingredients:

100g fillet steak
Salt & white pepper
Salad:

1 small carrot, julienned

2 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and julienned

A handful of thinly sliced red onion

2 spring onions, trimmed and thinly sliced

½ courgette, cut into 5cm long julienne strips

½ green chilli, thinly sliced into strips lengthways
½ red chilli, thinly sliced into strips lengthways

A few leaves of fresh coriander

Dressing:

1tblsp olive oil

1tblsp light soy sauce

2tsp rice wine vinegar
 

Method:

1. Place a griddle pan over a high heat and allow to get very hot.
2. Season the outside of the beef with salt and pepper and then sear for about 20 seconds on each side until golden brown. Immediately remove from the pan and set aside to cool completely. When cool wrap the beef tightly in cling film and refrigerate for at least one hour.
To assemble:

3. Toss the salad ingredients loosely together in a small bowl and place a small mound in the centre of the serving plates.

4. Remove the cling-film from the beef and using a very sharp knife, slice into the thinnest slices that you can. Arrange the beef slices on the plate around the salad.

5. Using a small hand whisk, mix the salad ingredients together and drizzle a little over the salad and the beef.

Serves 2.