Grilled mackerel with herb butter, roasted fennel, balsamic onions and Pink Fir Apple potatoes
Ingredients
Serves 4
4 fillets of fresh mackerel
2 red onions
500ml balsamic vinegar
50g brown sugar
50ml red wine
1 fennel bulb
20g fennel seeds
½ bulb of garlic
1 lemon zest
1 litre vegetable oil
10g caster sugar
6 Pink Fir Apple potatoes
50g salted butter
1 sprig of parsley
1 bunch of chives
4 tbsp of dill
4 tbsp of chervil
Sea salt & black pepper
Method
- Quarter the red onions and arrange them in a deep tray. Add balsamic vinegar, red wine, brown sugar and salt and pepper. Cover with foil and roast for 40–60mins at 180°C degrees until soft.
- Quarter the fennel bulb. Simmer gently for 20–30mins in a saucepan of vegetable oil with the fennel seeds, garlic and lemon zest until soft.
- Drain the fennel and set the vegetable oil aside. Allow the oil to cool.
- Sprinkle the fennel with sugar and roast in the oven at 180°C for 10–15mins until caramelised.
- While the onion and fennel are roasting, finely slice or grate the Pink Fir Apple potatoes. Fry the potatoes in the fennel oil at a high heat until golden brown and crispy.
- Finally, pop a knob of butter in a pan, season the mackerel and place skin side up until a hot grill for 4–5mins until the fish is just cooked.
- Add finely chopped parsley, chives, dill and chervil to the pan with salt and pepper and more butter. Allow the heat of the pan to melt the butter.
- Season the potatoes and divide them between four plates with two wedges of balsamic red onions and a quarter of the fennel. Lay the grilled mackerel fillets on top and drizzle with melted herb butter.
The Chef
Dane Allchorne, Executive Head Chef & Owner of The Milk House
The Milk House,
The Street,
Sissinghurst,
Kent TN17 2JG
01580 720200 fresh@themilkhouse.co.uk