The distinctive flavours of mackerel and aubergine combine brilliantly in this easy dish.
Ingredients
- 4 large fresh mackerel, gutted
- 2 medium aubergines
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 small bunch of fresh coriander, with roots if possible
- 1 red chilli, deseeded if you don’t want a lot of heat
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
- 400g can plum tomatoes or 2 large fresh tomatoes, peeled, deseeded and chopped
- 1 tsp sweet paprika
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- Pinch of saffron strands
- 2 heaped tbsp Greek natural yogurt (don’t use the low-fat kind)
- Lemon wedges, to serve
Method
- 1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/fan180°C/gas 6. Season the mackerel with coarsely ground sea salt and set aside. Dice the aubergines roughly, place in a large roasting tin, drizzle with 2 tablespoons oil and toss together. Cook for 20-25 minutes in the oven, tossing halfway, or until just tender. Remove and set aside. Increase the oven temperature to 240°C/fan220°C/gas 9.
- 2. Meanwhile, separate the coriander leaves from the stalks or roots and set the leaves aside in a cool place. Chop the stalks or roots with the chilli and garlic until it’s almost a paste. Heat the remaining oil in a frying pan over a low heat. Cook the coriander paste and onion for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- 3. If using canned tomatoes, drain in a colander and squish out any excess juices. Add the canned or fresh tomatoes to the pan with the paprika, cumin, saffron and 200ml water and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Carefully stir in the aubergine, add a good splash of water to loosen the mixture and cook for a further 10 minutes.
- 4. Meanwhile, make 2-3 diagonal slashes on 1 side of each mackerel. Place on a baking tray lined with non-stick baking paper and bake for 10-12 minutes. Check to see that they are cooked by seeing if the flesh can be pushed off the bone with the back of a fork. When it can, remove from the oven and rest for 5 minutes.
- 5. Take the pan of spiced aubergines off the heat. Roughly chop the reserved coriander leaves and stir most of them into the aubergines, along with the yogurt. Season to taste and spoon onto 4 warm plates. Carefully lift the fish on top of the aubergines and scatter with the remaining chopped coriander. Serve with lemon wedges.
Nutritional info
Per serving: 585kcals, 42.9g fat (8.9g saturated), 41.3g protein, 9.5g carbs, 7.7g sugar, 1.7g salt
Chef's tip
Many braised recipes using aubergines call for you to fry them first. These are roasted in the oven to reduce the cooking oil you need to use.
Wine Recommendation
Wine note: Oily fish needs a light white. Try lemony Muscadet from the Loire Valley in France.