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Cured and blow-torched mackerel with hibiscus and ginger sauce
Serves 4 Starters and mains
Ingredients
- 100g fine sea salt
- 100g caster sugar
- 1tbsp fennel seeds, toasted then ground in a pestle and mortar or spice grinder
- 1tbsp coriander seeds, toasted then ground in a pestle and mortar or spice grinder
- 1tbsp West African Pepper Blend (see recipe, left)
- 4 mackerel fillets, pin bones removed
- dill sprigs, to garnish
For the hibiscus and ginger sauce
- 30g dried hibiscus flowers
- 30g granulated sugar, or to taste
- 1–2tsp grated fresh ginger
- 10g butter
Method
The day before, put the hibiscus flowers for the sauce in a small pan, pour 650ml water over and leave overnight to rehydrate.
The next day, put the hibiscus flowers and their soaking liquid in a pan and bring to the boil, then turn down the heat and simmer for 40 minutes. Transfer to a food processor or blender, whizz until smooth, then pass through a fine sieve into a clean pan. Add the sugar and cook over a high heat for 10–15 minutes until the sauce has reduced to a syrupy consistency.
Add grated ginger, a little at a time, tasting, until you can really taste it coming through, and beat in the butter, which should melt in the residual heat of the sauce. Taste and add more sugar if you think it needs it – but the sauce should still have some sharpness.
Mix the salt, sugar and spices together in a bowl. Lay the mackerel fillets flat in the base of a glass or ceramic dish. Sprinkle the curing mixture over the mackerel to cover evenly and leave to cure for around 12 minutes or up to 1 hour if you prefer a more ‘cured’ taste and texture.
Rinse the mackerel fillets under cold water to remove the curing mixture and pat dry with kitchen paper.
Use a cook’s blowtorch to scorch the skin of the mackerel on both sides for a total of 2–3 minutes until charred and the fish is cooked through - you should hold the blowtorch several cm from the fish and gently move it around without scorching any one bit for too long. Alternatively, heat the grill to high and grill for 3–4 minutes, taking care not to burn the fish.
Arrange the mackerel on a
bed of warm hibiscus and
ginger sauce, garnish with
dill and serve with extra sauce
to spoon over.
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