Grilled mackerel, grapefruit and pesto freekeh salad
- Published: 10 Mar 17
- Updated: 4 Mar 25
The combination of crispy grilled mackerel, sharp grapefruit and the nutty flavour of freekeh, all topped with fresh pesto, makes this grain salad worthy of a special lunch.
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Serves 4
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Hands-on time 40 min, grill time 10 min
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Ingredients
- Olive oil for frying and drizzling
- 1 red onion, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 200g freekeh
- 500ml chicken stock
- Squeeze lemon juice
- 8 skin-on mackerel fillets, pin boned (small bones removed with kitchen tweezers/pliers)
- 3 large pink grapefruit, segmented and juice reserved (for the pesto)
- 100g young leaf spinach
- 25g fresh flatleaf parsley, chopped
For the pesto
- 100g pine nuts, lightly toasted for 5 minutes in a dry frying pan
- 50g basil
- 50g fresh flatleaf parsley
- 120ml extra-virgin olive oil
- 50g parmesan, coarsely grated
- Reserved juice from the segmented grapefruit (above)
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Method
- Heat a glug of olive oil in a large pan, then add the onion and gently fry for 5-6 minutes until softened. Add the balsamic vinegar and freekeh, then cook for 2-3 minutes more. Add the stock and simmer for 20 minutes until the freekeh is al dente – the stock should be almost completely absorbed. Turn off the heat and allow to cool to just warm.
- Meanwhile, put half the pine nuts and the rest of the pesto ingredients in a food processor and whizz to a rough paste. Heat the grill to high.
- Drizzle olive oil and a squeeze of lemon over the mackerel fillets, then grill for 5-8 minutes, skin-side up, until cooked through (keep an eye on them, as grills vary in strength).
- Stir the grapefruit segments, spinach, parsley and half the pesto into the freekeh. Season to taste and serve with the mackerel, extra pesto and the remaining pine nuts.
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- Recipe from February 2017 Issue
Nutrition
Nutrition: per serving
- Calories
- 885kcals
- Fat
- 53.2g (9.7g saturated)
- Protein
- 44.6g
- Carbohydrates
- 50g (16g sugars)
- Fibre
- 13.7g
- Salt
- 1g
delicious. tips
Make the pesto 24 hours ahead. Keep in a sealed container in the fridge. Leftovers will keep for up to 3 days.
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