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John Burton Race’s mackerel stuffed with tapenade
Serves 4 Starters and mains
Ingredients
- 4 good-sized mackerel, about 300g each, gutted and cleaned (heads removed)
- 1-2tbsp sunflower oil flour, for dusting
For the tapenade
- 75g green olives, pitted
- 1 large garlic clove, peeled
- 4 salted anchovy fillets, rinsed and drained
- 25g capers, rinsed and drained
- 1tbsp olive oil
For the tomato and basil salad
- 4 vine-ripened tomatoes
- 1tbsp good-quality red wine vinegar
- 4tbsp olive oil
- 1 red onion, peeled, halved and thinly sliced
- small bunch of basil, leaves only, finely shredded
Method
Preheat the oven to 220°C/425°F/ Gas 7. Extend the cut along the belly of each mackerel (used for gutting) from the head end right down to the tail. Lay the fish on a board and run a filleting knife either side of the backbone to loosen it from the flesh, cutting through the fine bones. Carefully pull the backbone away, leaving the tail on. Check the flesh for pin bones, removing them with tweezers. To make the tapenade, put the olives, garlic, anchovies and capers on a board and chop them together finely until you have a coarse paste. Tip into a bowl and stir in the olive oil to combine. Stuff the mackerel with the paste and tie with kitchen string at intervals to secure.
Heat the sunflower oil in an ovenproof frying pan. Dust the mackerel with seasoned flour and fry on one side only until golden. Turn the fish and place the pan in the oven. Cook for 6 minutes until the mackerel are ready.
In the meantime, prepare the salad. Slice the tomatoes into thin rounds. Whisk the wine vinegar and olive oil with a little salt and pepper to make a dressing. To serve, arrange the tomatoes in the center of serving plates. Top with the onion slices, scatter over some shredded basil and drizzle with the dressing. Snip the string and take off the fish, then gently place the mackerel on the tomatoes and scatter over some more basil. Serve immediately.
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