This smoked mackerel summer salad is not only for summer, of course, and can serve as a delicious lunch option when time may perhaps be at a premium. The preparation time is short and there is no cooking involved whatsoever.
Although smoked salmon knows far greater fame, smoked mackerel is considerably less expensive and truly delicious in a very different way. Mackerel, too, is a fish type which is high in the valued Omega-3 fatty acids, so is also a very healthy option. Smoked mackerel is likely to be bought as fillets, with the skin still on. The skin can very easily be pulled off before the smoked mackerel is plated and the mackerel requires no other preparation.
The salad which will accompany the smoked mackerel in this instance is simplicity itself, though does present on a plate very well. Per person, the ingredients are as follows:
3 baby gem lettuce leaves
1 red and 1 yellow tomato
5 slices of cucumber
1 tbsp low fat soured cream
One large and one small sprigs of fresh dill
1 clove of garlic (optional)
If time does permit, the dill soured cream should be prepared a couple of hours in advance and refrigerated until required. This simply allows the flavours to better infuse. It is made by roughly chopping the large sprig of dill, grating the peeled garlic clove and mixing them in to the soured cream. Do note that the garlic is optional and will not be to everyone's taste, especially with smoked fish.
The first step to plating up this smoked mackerel salad is to take four of the cucumber slices and carefully cut out the circle of water and seeds in the centre of each. This will allow them to serve as bases for the tomato halves, which are cut by making alternate direction, forty-five degree cuts around the central circumference of each tomato and then carefully twisting the two halves apart. Note that the yellow tomatoes I have used here are homegrown and may not be readily available for purchase. Two red tomatoes per person should be used as an alternative.
The lettuce leaves should then be arranged on the plate as a bed for the skinned mackerel fillet. The dill soured cream can be spooned in to the centre as shown at the top of this post. The final slice of cucumber should be cut almost in half before being gently twisted through 180 degrees and placed on top of the soured cream, followed by the smaller sprig of dill.
