Springtime is perfect for this delicious ‘native treasure’ as described on their website by the Jersey Royal Company. Married with fennel and peas, they create the perfect foil for the fatty and full of flavour mackerel. The freshness of dill oil re-inforces the freshness of Spring on the plate!
Ingredients (serves 2)
- 2 mackerel fillets
- 200g Jersey royal potatoes
- 1 shallot, finely chopped
- 1 small fennel bulb
- 150g frozen petit pois
- A few peas in their pods
- 4-5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- ½ tsp roasted and crushed fennel seeds
- Juice of half a lemon
For the dill oil
- 50g dill
- 10g spinach leaves
- 200 sunflower oil
To serve
- Pea shoots and pea flowers (optional)
- Fennel fronds
Method
Start by making the dill oil. Blanch the spinach and dill for a few seconds in boiling water and transfer with a slotted spoon into a bowl with icy water. Gently warm the sunflower oil. Squeeze all the water out of the dill and spinach and blitz in a blender for a couple of minutes. Using a piece of muslin, strain the oil in a bowl placed in the fridge. Season with a little salt and a 2-3 drops of lemon juice and transfer to a squeezy bottle.
Scrub the Jersey royals under a tap. Bring a pan half filled with water to the boil. Add a pinch of coarse sea salt and add the potatoes. Cook until soft but still holding their shape, approximately 10 minutes. Drain and place in a bowl. Crush with roughly with a fork.
Bring another saucepan with salted water to the boil. Add the peas in their pods and cook for a couple of minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and chill in a bowl with icy water. Drain, pat dry and put in a bowl with a drizzle of olive oil. Season.
Add the petit pois to the saucepan and cook for 2-3 minutes. Drain and return to the pan. Using a fork, roughly crush some of the peas.
To cook the fennel bulb, trim and slice thinly using a mandolin or a sharp knife.
Bring a pan with 2 tbsp of olive oil to a medium heat. Add the crushed fennel seeds, chopped shallot and fennel and cook for 3-4 minutes until cooked but not too soft.
In the bowl containing the potato, add the peas, fennel, shallot and 2-3 tbsp of dill oil to the potatoes. Season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, add a little of the lemon juice and stir to incorporate all the flavours.
Wash and pat dry the mackerel fillets. Cut each in half and season. Bring a frying pan with a little of the oil to a high heat and add the mackerel fillets skin side down. Cook for 2-3 minutes till charred and turn over to cook for a further 30 seconds on the fresh side.
To serve, using a food ring spoon the crushed potatoes into it and press to flatten. Remove the ring and place two pieces of mackerel fillet on each potato stack. Sprinkle with the chopped fennel fronds. Arrange a few peas in their pods and pea shoots around the plate and drizzle some dill oil.