Main - Grilled mackerel with gingered asparagus, broad beans and minted
pea salsa

Serves 4
Preparation time 30 mins to 1 hour
Cooking time 10 to 30 mins

This summery dish uses a host of seasonal vegetables which are flavoured
with warm spices and seasonal herbs. Don't shy away from the broad beans -
they can take ages to prepare but set aside the time because its worth it
for their flavour.

2 large mackerel, filleted and bones removed - do not skin
50ml/31/2Tbsp virgin olive oil
150g/5oz peas, fresh (or frozen)
a small handful of parsley
a small handful of mint
a small handful of coriander leaves
2 spring onions, finely sliced
80ml/51/2Tbsp rice wine vinegar
80ml/51/2Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 thumb-sized piece of ginger, peeled and either finely julienned or
grated
1 small white onion, peeled and finely sliced
1 small clove of garlic, peeled and sliced
12 small asparagus, stems peeled, or snapped and discarded
200g/7oz broad beans, hulled - see below
1 large, very ripe tomato, diced (you can peel and de-seed this if you
want to, but I don't bother)
100ml/31/2fl oz vegetable stock or dry white wine
a small pinch of saffron

Season the four mackerel fillets on both sides with a little salt and
pepper, brush with some virgin olive oil on both sides and leave to sit at
room temperature until you have everything else ready. To make the
salsa, cook the peas until just done, then drain and refresh. Place the
parsley, mint, coriander and spring onions in a food processor and roughly
chop. Add three quarters of the cooked peas and blitz again to a rough
puree. Add the vinegar and extra virgin olive oil, blitz for 2 seconds and
remove. Mix in the remaining peas, taste for seasoning and leave at room
temperature. Heat the remaining virgin olive oil in a pan with a lid,
add the ginger, onion and garlic and saute over a moderate heat until the
onion just begins to caramelise, stirring occasionally. Add the
asparagus, broad beans, tomato, vegetable stock (or wine) and saffron and
a few pinches of salt. Mix well, then turn up the heat up full and place
the lid on. Cook until the asparagus is just done, about 2 minutes
maximum. Take off the heat, but start cooking the mackerel about half way
through. Heat up a heavy frying pan until it begins to smoke, rub the
oil that you brushed on the fish into the fish again, then place the
fillets into the pan, skin side down, and cook over a high heat for two
minutes, turning down if it begins to smoke too much. Turn over and cook
until just done, about 1-2 minutes more. Alternately, you could grill the
mackerel in much the same way.

To serve, spoon some of the asparagus mixture onto a plate and lay a
mackerel fillet on top, dollop some of the salsa on and eat. To hull
broad beans, remove the beans from the hairy pod. Bring a pot of salted
water to the boil and add the beans, bring back to the boil and cook for
1-2 minutes, depending on the size. Drain the beans from the pot and put
into a bowl of cold water. Peel the green-grey skin off the beans, using
your nail to slice it open, then squeezing the luscious green bean out.


Regards
John H
YM: ferrengi_klingon_trek
http://uk.360.yahoo.com/advert_man_2006

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