Mackerel Salad With Horseradish Crème Fraîche Recipe

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We're working our way through British chef and "lightening-up" empress Lorraine Pascale's new book, Everyday Easy. Just because it's light and simple doesn't mean it can't be flavor-packed and beautiful. This light but filling smoked-fish salad has a little bit of everything you want. 

One of my favorite foods, which I love served whole, is mackerel — its opalescent skin slashed, the fresh fish lightly grilled and then served with a tart gooseberry sauce, or smoked mackerel in a salad, straight from the package. A large dollop of horseradish sauce can stand up to this intensely flavored fish with some tart Granny Smith apples to cut through its inviting fattiness.

Reprinted with permission from Everyday Easy

Mackerel Salad With Horseradish Crème Fraîche Recipe
No Ratings
Prep Time
30
minutes
Cook Time
15
minutes
Servings
0
servings
Ingredients
  • 11 ounces baby or new potatoes
  • 4 ounce bag salad leaves
  • 1 head chicory
  • 9 ounce package cooked beets (comes in a vac pack from the fruit and veg section of the supermarket)
  • 1/4 cup capers
  • 1 Granny Smith apple
  • 1/2 lime
  • 11 ounce package hot smoked mackerel (with or without peppercorns)
  • 1/4 cup roasted hazelnuts (available from supermarkets ready-roasted)
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • Small handful fresh dill
  • 4 tablespoons horseradish sauce
  • 2 tablespoons low- or full-fat crème fraîche
  • 1 lime
  • Squeeze or dab of honey (optional)
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions
  1. Put the kettle on to boil. Meanwhile, make the dressing for the salad. Pick and finely chop the dill leaves and add half to a mug or small bowl (reserving the rest for later).
  2. Mix in the horseradish sauce, crème fraîche, enough lime juice to taste and honey (if using). Season to taste with salt and pepper and set aside.
  3. Wash the potatoes, put in a medium saucepan over a high heat with a little salt and cover with the now-boiled water. Leave to bubble away for about 15 minutes.
  4. Put the salad leaves on each of four serving plates or one large serving platter.
  5. Trim the end off the chicory, separate the leaves and scatter them over, discarding any damaged outer leaves.
  6. Drain the beets and cut into small wedges.
  7. Rinse and drain the capers.
  8. Quarter and core the apple and then slice it into matchsticks. Toss it in a small bowl with the lime juice and then scatter it over the leaves with the beets and capers.
  9. Peel the skin from the back of the mackerel, remove the dark brown meat and then break the flesh into large chunks and arrange on top of the salad.
  10. Check that the potatoes are now tender, then drain them well and leave to cool for a moment.
  11. Roughly chop the hazelnuts and scatter over the salad. Nestle the potatoes in now also.  
  12. Drizzle the dressing back and forth over the salad, scatter the remaining dill on top with a twist of black pepper and serve.
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