Rosie Birkett’s grilled mackerel with pickled gooseberry ketchup

Tip It’s really important to use the freshest mackerel possible, so look out for

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This is a tweaked version of a dish I’ve served at supper clubs – it always goes down a storm. It’s a classic combination of rich, oily mackerel with sour gooseberries. You can use white grapes in place of the gooseberries, if you like.

Serves 4 Prep 40 mins plus cooling and at least 2 hrs pickling Cook 30 mins

2 fresh mackerel, filleted and bones removed, each fillet cut across the grain into three pieces

1 tsp sea salt

2 tbsp dill, leaves picked, to serve FOR THE PICKLED

GOOSEBERRY KETCHUP

150ml white wine vinegar

2 tbsp golden caster sugar

1 tsp sea salt

4 juniper berries

1 tsp black mustard seeds

3 black peppercorns

1 bay leaf

150g gooseberries or white grapes

1/2 cucumber, cut into ribbons

1 tbsp olive oil pinch of fennel seeds

1 onion, finely sliced

1 green apple, peeled, cored

and cubed

1 garlic clove, crushed

1 green chilli, deseeded and chopped 1 tsp brown sugar

100g thick live natural yogurt

1 For the ketchup, put the vinegar, caster sugar, salt, juniper berries, mustard seeds, peppercorns, bay leaf and 150ml water in a small pan and bring to the boil. Simmer until the sugar has dissolved, then leave to infuse for 10 mins. Put the gooseberries and cucumber in a dry sterilised jar. Add the bay leaf from the pan and tip in the pickling mixture. Seal and leave to pickle for at least 2 hrs or overnight.

2 Sprinkle the mackerel flesh with the salt, and leave to come to room temperature. Meanwhile, heat the oil with the fennel seeds for the ketchup, then add the onion, apple, garlic and chilli. Season. Cook for 8-10 mins, stirring until the onion is soft.

3 Drain the gooseberries and cucumber, reserving the liquid. Set the cucumber and a handful of the gooseberries aside. Slice the rest of the gooseberries and add to the onion and apple mix with the sugar and 1 tbsp of the reserved pickling liquid. Stir until the gooseberries have broken down and the liquid has evaporated, about 10 mins. Taste for salt, then blitz in a food processor until smooth. Leave to cool. Once cool, mix in the yogurt.

4 Heat the grill to its highest setting. Submerge the mackerel pieces in the rest of the reserved pickling liquid, then put on a baking sheet or grill pan, skin-side up. Grill for 2-4 mins, or until the fish is just cooked through – it should be just opaque rather than dry and flaking.

5 Divide the ketchup between two plates and top with the reserved pickled cucumber and gooseberries. Top with the mackerel and garnish with the dill. PER SERVING 543 kcals, fat 38g, saturates

9g, carbs 15g, sugars 14g, fibre 2g, protein 33g, salt 2.0g

Rosie Birkett is a food stylist, writer and BrEeSgTulOarFoBnBBCBC One’s Saturday Kitchen.