Grilled mackerel salad with miso dressing recipe

Ingredients

1. 8 x 75g fillets fresh mackerel with skin
2. 4 tbsp cold-pressed rapeseed oil or vegetable oil
3. 1cm piece fresh ginger, finely shredded
4. 2 garlic cloves, finely sliced
5. 3 celery sticks, sliced on the diagonal
6. 4 spring onions, sliced on the diagonal
7. 2 handfuls mustard greens or 4 small pak choi, leaves separated and stalks sliced
8. 200g beansprouts
9. Bunch of red radishes, washed and trimmed but leaves reserved

For the dressing

1. 3 tbsp mild miso paste (white miso is ideal)
2. 1 tbsp rice or white wine vinegar
3. 1 level tsp wasabi or horseradish
4. 1 tsp sugar or honey
5. 2 tbsp cold-pressed sesame oil

Method

1. 1. Preheat the oven to 240°C/fan220°C/gas 9. Run your finger along the middle of the mackerel fillets to check for any pin bones. Remove them with tweezers.
2. 2. Rub the fillets with half the rapeseed oil and lay, skin-side up, in a single layer on a roasting tray lined with baking paper. Bake the fish for just 3-4 minutes, or until just cooked through. Set aside to cool.
3. 3. Heat the remaining rapeseed oil in a large wok and fry the ginger and garlic briefly until just soft. Add the celery slices, spring onions and pak choi stalks, if using, and stir-fry for 1 minute.
4. 4. Add the beansprouts and stir-fry for 1 more minute. Fold in the mustard greens or pak choi leaves, let them wilt, then remove from the heat and spread the vegetables out over a large bowl or plate to cool.
5. 5. For the dressing, mix the miso, vinegar, wasabi, sugar or honey and oil in a small bowl. Stir in 100ml water and set aside.
6. 6. Discard the skin from the fish and flake large pieces into the vegetables. Fold in the radishes and reserved leaves. Drizzle the dressing over the salad – you might not want to use all of it, especially if using smoked fish, which is salty. Check for taste before dividing between plates to serve.

Nutritional info

Per serving: 545kcals, 42.1g fat (7.2g saturated), 33g protein, 8.7g carbs, 4.6g sugar, 1.5g salt

Chef's tip

Use the best, dark cold-pressed sesame oil you can find. If you like, swap fresh mackerel for smoked or try bass or mullet. A lovely light meal on its own, you can also serve this dish with cold cooked rice or egg noodles, tossed in a little more sesame oil.

Wine Recommendation

Serve with a very cold, fresh, unoaked dry white, such as Vinho Verde or Muscadet, or even icy, bone-dry fino sherry.