There is no more simple joy in the world of food than a thick slice of expertly crafted sourdough bread, toasted and topped with a few choice ingredients perfectly in harmony with one another. Quick, comforting and densely flavoured, my Smoked Mackerel on Sourdough Toast recipe is everything a good brunch should be.
There we have it, folks – to all intents and purposes, Christmas is over for another year, though I do hope that each and every one of your trees will remain erect until the 6th of January. Of course, this means that it is no longer reasonable to post any further overtly festive recipes. Still, there’s no reason at all why you shouldn’t set eyes on one or two of the treats that found their way to the table on Christmas Day and Boxing Day. Indeed, this recipe for smoked mackerel pâté is rather spectacular.
This week is truly a week of firsts; so far you’ve witnessed my first fair weather soup and now you are being treated to my first mackerel recipe of the summer. Mackerel is probably the commonest fish found in British seas – they are so simple to catch once midsummer rolls in. I’ll admit that it isn’t yet mackerel season and that I didn’t catch this particular specimen myself, but mackerel is reasonably plentiful all year round if one has a boat. Indeed, this fish, which is more than enough for one hungry customer, cost exactly £1 and was of a rather fetching quality. In actual fact, as you might imagine, it played the main role in this lunch which turned out to be, unequivocally, the best fish dish I’ve ever eaten. You may call me big-headed, but I’m simply stating the facts. That reminds me, never buy “fresh” fish from Spanish supermarkets.