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Ottolenghi’s grilled mackerel with green olive, celery and raisin salsa

Kelly C

My favourite grilled mackerel dish, courtesy of Ottolenghi.

This recipe is from Ottolenghi The Cookbook, published in 2008, yet it was only recently that I tried this recipe and discovered its brilliance.

2008 me, was a mid-twenty something trainee lawyer working a 60+ hr week and frankly the likes of capers, sherry vinegar and olives were unlikely to find their way in to my kitchen cupboards. I’m now older and wiser and this recipe sounds odd but is fantastic! I have made a few tweaks to it but it’s pretty true to Ottolenghi’s original.

I often find that Ottolenghi recipes whilst delicious use quite a bit of oil, I end up with way more dressing than I need for my tastes. Happily, I added some giant cous cous in to the mix here which was nicely coated in the excess dressing of the salsa and made it in to a more substantial lunch. 

Serves 2

Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

  • 4 mackerel fillets

  • 1 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

Salsa

  • 75g celery stalks, thinly sliced on a slight diagonal

  • 30g green olives, stoned and sliced

  • 1 ½ tablespoons of capers

  • 35g raisins

  • 1 tablespoons sherry vinegar

  • 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

  • 1 ½ tablespoons of honey

  • Small bunch of flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped

  • About ½ cup uncooked giant couscous.

Instructions

  1. Cook the giant couscous (if adding) per the packet instructions and drain. Whilst that is cooking prepare the rest of the dish.

  2. Turn the grill on to the highest setting and whilst that is heating, make the salsa.

  3. Mix the salsa ingredients together and season to taste. Let the flavours mingle for at least 15 minutes. It can also be kept in the fridge for up to 24 hours, though bring back to room temperature to serve.

  4. Lightly coat the mackerel with the olive oil and salt and pepper. Place on a foil lined baking tray, skin side up and when the grill is up to heat, cook for 3-4 minutes. The fillets should look just cooked. There is no need to turn the fish as the fillets are quite thin.

  5. Add the still warm couscous to the salsa and mix through.

  6. Serve the fish hot or at room temperature with the salsa on top.