Cured Mackerel Recipe with Fermented Gooseberries

Michael Bremner serves cured mackerel with fermented gooseberries and a fresh, zingy elderflower dressing for a beautifully summery dish. He uses yoghurt whey to ferment the gooseberries, so you will need to plan ahead for this dish. Follow Michael's guide to making whey for best results.

Ingredients

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Cured mackerel

2 large mackerel, as fresh as possible
75g of flaky sea salt
20g of caster sugar

Fermented gooseberries

250g of gooseberries
250ml of yoghurt whey

Elderflower dressing

6 lemons, juiced
6 limes, juiced
1/2 mild red chilli, deseeded
1/2 cucumber, peeled
elderflower cordial, 25–50ml
1.5g of xanthan gum

To garnish

nasturtium leaves

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Blender
Fish tweezers

Wash the gooseberries, remove any stalks and place in a sterile sealable container. Pour in the whey, ensuring the berries are completely submerged, and seal the container. Store at room temperature for at least 7 days

250g of gooseberries
250ml of yoghurt whey

On the day of serving, fillet the mackerel (you can ask your fishmonger to do this for you, if preferred), season with salt and sugar and set aside to cure for 1 hour

2 large mackerel, as fresh as possible
20g of caster sugar
75g of flaky sea salt

Meanwhile, make the elderflower dressing. Blend the citrus juices with the chilli and cucumber until smooth and pass through a fine sieve

1/2 mild red chilli, deseeded
6 lemons, juiced
6 limes, juiced
1/2 cucumber, peeled

Season with elderflower cordial to taste – it’s best to use around 25ml to start, then add more if needed. Add the xanthan gum and blend again until hydrated to thicken the mixture

elderflower cordial, 25–50ml
1.5g of xanthan gum

Drain a handful of the fermented gooseberries from the whey and pat dry. Cut into slices and set aside

Peel away the fine skin of each mackerel fillet and remove any pin bones. Trim the fillets to neaten. To serve, slice the mackerel into thin slices (1cm maximum) at a 45 degree angle. Arrange on plates, dress with the elderflower dressing and garnish with fermented gooseberries and nasturtium leaves

nasturtium leaves

First published in 2018

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Michael Bremner

Few chefs cooking today are as exciting as Michael Bremner, who takes flavours from all over the world and distills them into beautiful small plates of deliciousness at his acclaimed restaurant in Brighton.

Cured mackerel, fermented gooseberries, elderflower

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