Recipe number 7

Oh-oh-oh where do I begin? After the first two recipes in the seafood section were failures, I decided to actually put effort into this one. I went to the fishmonger’s and bought fresh mackerel (albeit it wasn’t fresh by the time I used it); I went to the farmer’s market and got the spring onions and everything else was Waitrose bought (convenience more than anything + free coffee). This recipe had a few pantry fillers to buy - saffron, white wine vinegar, and dijon mustard. I’d better use the saffron again later because damn that stuff is expensive, jeez.

I said the first two were failures, and you might be thinking - but Youssef you’ve only done one seafood recipe?! That’s because the second one was so bad I couldn’t eat it. I can eat anything but the scallops were just bad it was miserable. So I’m going down the route of fresh scallops and trying again, reserving judgement until then.

I also found out during this recipe that “new potatoes” aren’t a kind/breed of potato, just a name given to describe the type of potatoes. That made finding them a nightmare because instead of looking for new potatoes I should’ve been looking for Jersey Royals, or something of that ilk.

Cooking this was relatively simple as far as recipes go. Me being me, I ended up breaking the fork I was using to lightly mash the potatoes. If you want everything in your kitchen to keep working, don’t let me in it.

Onto the recipe itself

Like I said, I didn’t want this recipe to be a disaster (like the other two). A trip to the indoor markets (what an experience that was, fish and meat everywhere, all different kinds and things I never even knew existed), a few trips to Waitrose, and all was smooth sailing. You might be thinking - Waitrose, rich fool - but they tend to have all the weird stuff a Tesco/Sainsbury’s local wouldn’t have. It’s just easier.

I spent half the amount of money I spent on Mackerel on saffron - £2.40 for 0.4g of saffron. 0.4g, let that sink in. That’s £600/100g. Otherwise, everything was relatively simple to get hold of.

Prep and Cooking

Mortar and pestle time. Never used mine before and finally I had an excuse. What a workout. It doesn’t matter how much you gym, climb, exercise, my forearms were burning at the end. Boy, it was fun though. In hindsight, I probably didn’t put enough oil in the mix to get the paste Ramsay was on about, but it was still successful so I’m happy. Had it been pastier it probably would’ve spread easier on the mackerel. Live and learn.

Garlic and paprika paste

Other than making the paste, everything else was basic. Vinaigrette was just mixing the oil, saffron, vinegar and shaking until smooth. Potatoes - boil until tender, mash lightly, mix in spring onions and some vinaigrette and bam done.

Taste

Success. Hoorah. This actually tasted fairly good and I was happy. The vinaigrette had the right balance of sweet and acidic, cutting into the fat of the fish and helping tenderise the potatoes somewhat. The mackerel came out great - not overly garlicky or paprika-y whilst not being overly fishy, just slightly fatty as you’d expect from mackerel. I’ve had it a few days in a row now and it just stays so good.

Verdict

Am I likely to make this again? Yisss. The recipe is described as simple and quick, which it would be if I wasn’t so slow in the kitchen, and being wholly unsuccessful at mise en place. In the future, I can see this recipe taking half the time that it took me first time round.

It wasn’t the most elaborate of dishes, there’s no denying that. But it’s beauty lies in its simplicity. You’re not overriding the taste of the mackerel, you’re just complimenting it, which is what I loved with this.

With it being my first successful seafood recipe I’m bound to be impressed. Sometimes with meat if you mess up it’s still edible, fish just doesn’t play by the same rules.

Extra

The seafood section is full of obscure food which is going to be difficult to make immediately, what with money, time, equipment. So I might have to skip about like I have done already, and maybe delve into the meat section before finishing seafood. We’ll see.