Recipe from foodie Elspeth Meston: Mackerel, fennel, broad bean and chicory salad

With the weather hotting up here in England the legs are out as well as all the fabulous produce that is now hitting the shelves and markets. Asparagus, broad beans, peas, tomatoes, chicory, crab, strawberries, raspberries, radishes, jersey royal potatoes, gooseberries, mackerel…the list goes on.

This salad is early summer in my eyes and perfect eaten out in your garden or balcony with a glass of crisp white wine and your friends around you.

 

 

 

Mackerel, fennel, broad bean and chicory salad

Serves 4

1 fennel bulb

a generous handful of broad beans

olive oil

s&p

4 mackerel fillets, skin on

4 heads of chicory, red or yellow

a small handful of chives

1 lemon

 

Dressing

1 tbsp fat free natural yogurt

1 tsp wholegrain mustard

1 tbsp lemon juice

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

 

Start by prepping your salad, using a mandolin or sharp knife thinly slice your fennel and then put in a bowl of iced water and a good squeeze of lemon juice (the lemon will stop the fennel from oxidising and discolouring plus the iced water will make it lovely and crunchy).

Blanch and refresh the broad beans into cold water and then pod any of the bigger beans and put to one side.

 

Season your mackerel and rub with a little olive oil. Put a large frying pan on a high/medium heat and when hot add your mackerel fillets skin side down. Hold them down for a minute to prevent them curling up so the skin goes crispy. Turn over and cook for another minute until the fish is cooked through and flaking away. Leave on a board to cool down slightly while you finish the salad.

 

Discard the outer leaves of the chicory and then peel back the big leaves and cut the hearts into quarters. Arrange on four plates along with the crisp fennel slices, broad beans and a few sprigs of chives. Finely slice the remaining chives and add to jar along with rest of the dressing ingredients and give it a good shake so that it combines.

 

Flake the mackerel over the salad and finish with a drizzle of dressing and extra virgin olive oil and a wedge of lemon. Add a few slices of grilled ciabatta if you fancy.

Lots of love
Elspeth xx
 

Elspeth top 3 things in life:

  - Lazy sunday mornings spent drinking good coffee, walking by the river and eating  croissants

 - Homemade fresh pasta on a summers evening

 - Making holiday memories with loved ones and travelling to unknown places