Mackerel with seaweed cracker
by Adam Stokes
Item 1 of 1
- 4
- 60 minutes
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This remarkable mackerel recipe is an exceptionally challenging dish from Adam Stokes, so ensure you have the specialist equipment before starting. The mackerel is marinated in lime juice and paired with a homemade seaweed cracker, making a brilliant seafood recipe.
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Ingredients
Metric
Imperial
Ballotine of mackerel
- 1 mackerel
- 30g of salt
- 30g of sugar
- 4 pinches of coriander seeds
- 2 limes, zested
- transglutaminase for dusting
Seaweed cracker
- 90g of scallops
- 58g of tapioca starch
- 30ml of water
- 1/2 sheet of nori seaweed
- 1 dash of salt
Garlic and lemon purée
- 75g of garlic cloves, peeled
- 75ml of lemon juice
To plate
- 1/4 cucumber
- buckler sorrel
- 1 handful of chive flowers
- extra virgin olive oil
- 1 pinch of sea salt
SAVE RECIPE
Equipment
- Water bath
- Piping bag with a small plain nozzle
- Dehydrator
Method
1
Remove the mackerel head and fillet the fish. Slice along the pin bones and remove all bones in one action. Marinade the two fillets flesh side down in a marinade of salt, sugar, coriander seeds and lime zest (being careful not to get any marinade on the mackerel skin). Cover and place in the fridge
- 1 mackerel
- 30g of salt
- 30g of sugar
- 4 pinches of coriander seeds
- 2 limes
2
After one hour remove and wash the fillets. Dust lightly with transglutaminase on flesh side only and roll both fillets together, flesh sides touching, into a cylinder shape wrapping in cling film. Blanch in boiling water for 45 seconds, plunge into ice cold water and refrigerate
- transglutaminase for dusting
3
Place all the seaweed cracker ingredients into a food processor and blitz into a paste. Place the paste into a vacuum packing back unsealed and use a rolling pin to flatten into a sheet a few millimetres thick
- 90g of scallops
- 60g of tapioca starch
- 30ml of water
- 1/2 sheet of nori seaweed
- 1 dash of salt
4
Freeze the bag after which the paste can be cut into rectangles. Place the rectangles into a dehydrator for four hours at 57˚C until dry
5
For the garlic and lemon purée, put the garlic cloves and lemon juice into a vacuum packing bag and seal. Place in a water bath for one hour at 90˚C. Open the bag and blitz the mixture adding salt to taste. Pass the purée and place in the fridge
- 75g of garlic cloves
- 75ml of lemon juice
- 1 pinch of salt
6
Take the egg yolks and place into a vacuum pack bag, seal and place into the water bath for 50 minutes at 65˚C. Remove from the bath and pass the mixture into a piping bag (to prevent the egg from forming a skin). Leave the bag at room temperature
- 120g of egg yolk
7
Peel and deseed the cucumber. Cut the flesh into small cubes, sprinkle with sea salt and freeze on a cling filmed tray for one hour. At this point the cells of the cucumber will have broken down. Rinse under cold water and refrigerate
- 1/4 cucumber
8
Pipe the egg yolk purée onto the plate in small rounds. Assemble the cucumber, buckler leaf sorrel and chive flowers as shown in the picture. Drizzle the olive oil between the garnishes and the mackerel
- buckler sorrel
- 1 handful of chive flowers
- extra virgin olive oil
Adam Stokes has achieved a lot in his career so far – including a Michelin star in two out of his three cheffing jobs. From refined country cuisine in the lowlands of Scotland to more modern, inventive dishes at his own restaurant in the heart of Birmingham, the themes that remain strong are intense flavours, beautiful British ingredients, stunning presentation and intricate technique.
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