Heritage tomatoes, mixed greens & mackerel
I TEND to use simple recipes like this when I’ve had the opportunity to visit a farmers’ market and grab some fresh produce that I don’t want to mess around with too much — when the ingredients are of such high quality, less is more. Keeping things simple helps preserve the nutrient value of the ingredients, but also makes them taste more gratifying. This is testament to how healthy cooking can be enjoyable, with almost no work at all!
SERVES 4
2 litres water 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar 800g mixed greens (a mix of dandelion greens, nettles, kale, collard greens, English spinach, Swiss chard), woody stems removed
5 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil Juice of 1 lemon 500g heritage tomatoes (a variety of colours and sizes), sliced into 1cm-thick rounds 1 tsp dried oregano 8 mackerel fillets, deboned (you can ask your fishmonger to do this) Pinch of chilli powder Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper Sourdough bread or wholegrain flatbreads BRING the water to the boil in a large saucepan with a good pinch of salt and the apple cider vinegar. Plunge the greens into the water, cover and simmer for 6-8 minutes until tender. Drain and place in a large bowl, drizzle with 3 tablespoons of the oil and the lemon juice and season with plenty of salt. Dress the tomatoes in another bowl with the oregano and 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Heat the remaining oil in a frying pan over a high heat. Season the fish and cook the mackerel fillets in batches, placing the fish skin side down in the pan and cooking for 3-4 minutes until the skin has browned, then flipping the fillets over and cooking for a further 1-2 minutes. Set the fish aside on a plate and dust with the chilli powder. Serve the greens, fish and tomatoes with sourdough or wholegrain flatbreads.
DOCTOR’S ORDERS: You can use any greens, but I love using nettles and dandelion. The cooking process is a great way of mellowing their natural bitterness and these particular greens have fantastic nutrient value.