- The Book Slut
Cured mackerel with cucumber, dill and buttermilk
Featuring mackerel cured in dill and juniper, a refreshing dill ice cream and hay ash-encrusted mackerel belly, this recipe from Phil Fanning is certainly a little different, but well worth a try if you are looking for a dish that will satisfy and impress in equal measure.
Ingredients
MARINATED MACKEREL
1/2 bunch of dill
50g of caster sugar
50g of rock salt
lemon peel, 1/4 of a lemon
DILL ICE CREAM
60g of dill
100g of crème fraîche
250g of milk
75g of whipping cream
10g of glucose
40g of sugar
20g of egg yolk
15g of trimoline
4g of ice cream stabiliser
3g of salt
DILL PICKLE
2 juniper berries, crushed
40ml of white vinegar
15g of sugar
15g of dill
5g of kombu
DILL OIL
2 bunches of dill
100g of vegetable oil
MACKEREL BELLY GARNISH
mackerel belly, 12 pieces
250g of brown sugar
250g of salt
1 bunch of dill, finely chopped
1 handful of hay
buttermilk
TO SERVE
buttermilk
oyster leaves
1 pickled onion, sliced into rings
Equipment
Food processor or blender
Deep fat fryer
Ice cream maker
Muslin cloth
Thermometer
Blowtorch
Method
1 Transfer immediately to a food processor, add the dill and blitz until the dill has broken down and the liquid is bright green. Pass the ice cream base through a fine sieve and chill over ice
60g of dill
2 Once cold, churn the ice cream and store in the freezer until ready to serve
3 For the dill pickle, blitz 2 of the cucumbers in a food processor for a few seconds, then squeeze all of the juice out through a fine sieve
4 Heat the vinegar and sugar in a small pan. Add the dill and the kombu, followed by the cucumber juice and crushed juniper berries. Remove from the heat and chill
40ml of white vinegar
15g of sugar
5g of kombu
15g of dill
2 juniper berries, crushed
5 Peel the remaining cucumber, cut into 2cm rings and stamp out the seeds with a pastry cutter. Leave the cucumber rings to soak in the pickle liquor for 1-2 hours
1 cucumber
6 For the dill oil, bring a pan of salted water to the boil and cook the dill for 3 minutes until tender but still bright green
2 bunches of dill
7 Plunge the cooked dill into iced water to immediately halt the cooking process. Squeeze dry, then transfer to a liquidiser, add the oil and blitz for 3-4 minutes until smooth
100g of vegetable oil
8 Pour the liquid into a sheet of double muslin and hang over a bowl in the fridge to allow the oil to drain through
9 To prepare the mackerel belly garnish, mix together the salt and sugar, then add enough chopped dill to achieve a nice green colour. Use the mix to coat the mackerel belly pieces, leave for 20 minutes, then scrape off the cure
mackerel belly, 12 pieces
250g of brown sugar
250g of salt
1 bunch of dill, finely chopped
10 Add the hay to a heatproof bowl and set it alight. Pass the charred hay through a sieve and set aside in a tray
1 handful of hay
11 Dredge each mackerel belly piece through buttermilk, then through the hay ash to achieve a nice coating. Deep-fry the pieces until crispy, then set aside on kitchen paper to absorb any excess oil
buttermilk
12 To serve, pour a little puddle of buttermilk in the bottom of each bowl. Drizzle with a generous amount of the dill oil, followed by a few pieces of the pickled cucumber
buttermilk
13 Blowtorch each portion of mackerel fillet until blackened slightly. Place the charred mackerel into each bowl, then add the mackerel belly pieces. Garnish with oyster leaf, flowers and pickled onion rings and finish with a spoonful of dill ice cream and a sprinkling of hay ash before serving
oyster leaves
1 pickled onion, sliced into rings
14 For the fish marinade, blitz all of the ingredients in a food processor. Cover the mackerel fillets in the marinade and leave to cure for 45-60 minutes
lemon peel, 1/4 of a lemon
50g of rock salt
50g of caster sugar
1/2 bunch of dill
15 Wash the marinade off, pat dry and store in the fridge until required 16 To prepare the dill ice cream, whisk all of the ingredients together (except the dill), then bring the mix to approximately 90°C. Cook out, stirring continuously, for 1-2 minutes
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