Ingredients
- 1 mug basmati rice
- sea salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- 4 x 170 g mackerel , from sustainable sources, ask your fishmonger, skin on, butterflied and pin-boned
- 1 lemon
- 1 spring onion , trimmed and finely sliced
- 2 sprigs of fresh coriander , leaves picked and chopped
- 2 sprigs of fresh mint , leaves picked
- 1 fresh red chilli , finely sliced, optional
- FOR THE SAUCE
- 1 clove garlic , peeled
- 1 cm piece fresh ginger
- 1 spring onion , trimmed
- 1 fresh red chilli
- 2 limes
- 2 sprigs of coriander , leaves picked
- 4 tablespoons sesame oil
- 4 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons runny honey
- extra virgin olive oil
Method
- Put a griddle pan on a high heat to get really hot. Add the rice to a pan with 2 mugs of boiling water and a pinch of salt. Bring to the boil on a high heat then turn the heat down to low, cover and leave for 7 to 8 minutes.
- Once the griddle is screaming hot, add the mackerel skin-side down (you may need to do this in batches). Use a fish slice to press the fish onto the pan. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and pepper and finely grate over the zest of a lemon. Reduce to a medium-high heat and cook for about 8 minutes in total.
- Meanwhile, make your sauce. Use a fine grater to carefully grate the garlic, ginger, spring onion and chilli into a small bowl. Grate in the lime zest and mix, you should have a lovely slurry. Tear in the coriander leaves, add the sesame oil, soy sauce, honey and squeeze in the juice of the limes. Finish with a good lug of extra virgin olive oil then have a taste – you want to have a balance between sweet, sour, heat and fragrance.
- Check the mackerel, they should be lovely and dark on the skin side so carefully flip them over to finish cooking for a final few seconds. Check your rice; all of the water should have been absorbed. Divide the rice between your plates, top each portion with a piece of mackerel then drizzle over some of that gorgeous sauce. Scatter over the spring onion, mint, coriander and chilli, if using.
