Recipe of the week
Both my Irish and Scottish grandparents swore mackerel was the worst thing since 'that computer web thing'. As a self-proclaimed gastronaut, I appreciate the sheer delight of this abundant fish. The genius head chef behind the Finnieston, Chris McComiskie, shares my love of this fish, so much so he sent this personal recipe to me recently. This is seafood at its most sophisticated yet simple.
INGREDIENTS
SERVES 4 STARTER PORTIONS
300g mackerel fillets
300g pasteurised white crab meat
1kg ripe plum vine tomatoes
½ red onion
1 red chilli
1 lemon
50g crème fraîche
10g fresh basil leaves
Sea salt
White pepper
Extra virgin olive oil
METHOD
FOR THE CONSOMME:
1 Blitz tomatoes raw and whole, with a little bit of sea salt, in a food processor until smooth.
2 Line a sieve with cheese cloth, strain tomatoes. Leave to pass through cloth naturally, do not force it, or the liquid will be cloudy.
FOR THE CRAB:
1 Remove crab from packaging, be sure to check through the meat for any pieces of shell.
2 Give the meat a squeeze to remove excess water, you do not want to remove it all as you still want it to bind together.
3 Once meat is dry enough to use, transfer to bowl
4 Finely dice red onion , add to bowl. Deseed and finely dice red chilli Add the zest & juice of a lemon, being careful not to get any of the seeds in the mix.
5 Add generous pinch of sea salt and little pinch white pepper.
6 Gently fold crab mix with spoon or spatula until there's an even distribution of red onion and chilli.
7 Add crème Fraîche. Slice basil leaves into fine strips and add to the bowl and mix once more.
FOR THE MACKEREL:
1 Lightly score skin of fillets, being careful not to go all the way through.
2 Half the fillets into even pieces. If you have a blowtorch, place them on an oiled baking sheet and flick the flame over until they are cooked. If you don't have a blowtorch, cook the mackerel under the grill.
PLATING UP:
1 A small flat bowl is ideal. Start with a generous spoonful of the crab mixture in the centre. You want it to be formed enough to hold itself together but not too much that it looks flat and compressed. You should still be able to see lovely flakes of crab claw meat.
2 Next add a little of the heated consomme to the bowl, not too much as the lightness & freshness is there only to compliment both proteins.
3 Top the crab with the piece of torched mackerel.
4 Finish by dropping a little extra virgin olive oil into the consomme. I used a Spanish oil for its peppery flavour and smooth finish.