Mackerel salad sandwiches

Prep time: 10 minutes Cook time: 10 minutes

Serves 2

On the banks of the Bosphorus river in Istanbul at lunchtime you find roadside carts selling chargrilled fresh mackerel salad sandwiches called ‘balik ekmek’. Mackerel has a wonderful, rich flavour, is micronutrient-dense and often comes ready to eat. For some reason it is constantly overlooked by people doing their weekly shops; this flavourpacked recipe will hopefully go some way towards changing this.

INGREDIENTS For the sandwiches

– 2 fillets of vacuumpacked smoked mackerel (100g each) – 2 sections of French baguette, each about 15cm long

For the salad dressing

– 1 tbsp olive oil

– juice of ½ lemon

– 1 tsp honey

– 1 tsp pomegranate molasses (or balsamic vinegar)

– ½ tsp chilli flakes

– ½ tsp garlic granules – ½ tsp sumac

(optional)

For the salad

– 75g grated carrot

– ¼ red onion,

thinly sliced

– 1 ripe tomato, halved

and thinly sliced

– a handful of parsley,

roughly chopped

METHOD

Start by heating a non-stick pan over a medium heat. Place the mackerel fillets (keep the skin on) in the pan and crisp them up by cooking for two minutes on each side. Mackerel is a very oily fish and as it cooks will release lots of oil into the pan, so no extra oil is needed.

Carefully remove the mackerel and place on a plate. Slice your baguettes in half and place them face down in the non-stick pan. They will soak up the oily mackerel juices and crisp up in just a few minutes.

Mix all the ingredients for the dressing in a bowl and whisk well to combine. Pour this over the carrot, onion, tomato and parsley.

To serve, place the salad on the base of the toasted baguette and top with a crispy mackerel fillet, followed by the lid of the baguette. Serve immediately or pack for lunch.

Mackerel is a fantastic source of omega-3 oils (which our gut bugs love), a source of vitamin B12, and has variable (but impressive) vitamin D content. Mackerel is also naturally abundant in selenium, an important chemical that supports healthy immunity and brain function.