Char-grilled Korean BBQ mackerel with pickled vegetable salad

Ingredients

4 mackerel fillets

4 tbsp of rapeseed oil

Dry rub

½ tsp chipotle chilli

½ tsp smoked paprika

Pinch maldon salt

Pinch of brown sugar

½ tsp granulated garlic

Pinch mustard powder

Few grinds of black pepper

½ tsp cayenne pepper

Mix everything together.

Korean BBQ sauce:

100ml soy sauce

1 tbsp rice wine vinegar

1 tsp sesame oil

1 tsp rapeseed oil

½ cup brown sugar

Large knob of ginger, peeled and chopped

2 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped

1 tbsp of corn flour

1 tbsp water

Freshly ground black pepper

1 tbsp of sriracha

In a heavy bottom pan: 

Add both oils, garlic and ginger. Gently cook over a low heat, and cook for 3-5 minutes.

Add the soy sauce, sugar, vinegar, pepper and sriracha. Bring to a gentle boil.

In a separate small bowl, mix water and cornflour, give it a mix to dissolve cornflour.

Pour the mix into the Korean BBQ sauce, give it a stir and bring it back to the boil, keep stirring until it thickens.

Add to a blender and blend until smooth.

This will keep in the fridge for 4 weeks.

Pickled vegetable salad

4 baby cucumbers, finely sliced

4 radishes, finely sliced

1 banana shallot, finely sliced

1 carrot, peeled and peeled into thin strips

Zest and juice of 1 lime

2 tbsp of white wine or rice vinegar

1 tbsp of granulated sugar

Pinch maldon salt

Add sugar, vinegar and salt, stir to dissolve, add the rest of the ingredients and gently mix to coat all vegetables

To serve:

Apple battens

Finely sliced chilli

Coriander leaves

Lime wedges

Method

Lightly sprinkle the dry rub over the flesh side of the mackerel, and leave to stand for 5 minutes.

Heat a griddle pan on a medium to high heat, brush the skin side of the mackerel with rapeseed oil.

Place the mackerel skin side down in the pan and cook for 3-5 minutes, you should have golden crisp skin with lovely bar marks.

Turn over the fish and cook for a further 1 minute. Remove the fish from the pan and brush it with the Korean BBQ sauce.

Place the mackerel skin side up on a plate, spoon a small amount of salad on the side, scatter with apple, chilli, coriander and a lime wedge