Name: Grilled mackerel with cherry salad
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 25 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 8 mackerel fillets (about 100gm each), pin-boned and skin scored; sake, for brushing; ½ nashi pear, coarsely chopped; sesame seeds, to serve; Cherry salad; 300 gm (2 cups) cherries, halved and pitted; 1 small red shallot, thinly sliced; 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar; 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar

Grilled mackerel with cherry salad

This simple dish balances the rich oiliness of torched mackerel with a sweet-sour dressing, while nashi pear refreshes the palate.

Serves 4

Prep

15M

Cook

10M

Total

25M

Ingredients

8 mackerel fillets (about 100gm each), pin-boned and skin scored

sake, for brushing

½ nashi pear, coarsely chopped

sesame seeds, to serve

Cherry salad

300 gm (2 cups) cherries, halved and pitted

1 small red shallot, thinly sliced

1 tbsp rice wine vinegar

Method

1.Place mackerel on an oiled oven tray, sprinkle with salt on both sides, then leave to come to room temperature (15-20 minutes).

2.For cherry salad, combine ingredients in a bowl, toss to coat cherries and shallot in vinegar and rice malt syrup, stand to marinate for 5 minutes, then season to taste.

3.Brush mackerel skin with sake, then scorch skin with a blowtorch on medium heat, moving it over the surface evenly until charred on top and almost cooked all the way through (2-3 minutes; if you don’t have a blowtorch, grill the mackerel under a very hot oven grill for 2-3 minutes). Serve mackerel topped with nashi, cherry salad and sesame seeds.