Mackerel and Fennel Salad

An easy Mackerel and Fennel Salad that doesn’t involve the usual ingredients. The anise/liquorice flavour of the raw fennel works well with the smokiness of the mackerel, but the unlikely star of the show has to be the red onion that gets quick-pickled in red wine vinegar for 10 minutes. While our picture looks very posh – you really should toss it all together before tucking in!

Ingredients

• ¼ small red onion
• 1 TB red wine vinegar
• 1 small fennel bulb
• squeeze fresh lemon
• 2 cups mixed salad leaves
• 1 ½ TB olive oil
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 fillets smoked mackerel

Method

1. Slice the red onion as thinly as possible and place into a small bowl. Cover with the red wine vinegar and set aside for 10 minutes.
2. (Carefully) use a mandolin to thinly slice the fennel, reserving the fronds for garnish. Squeeze lemon juice over the fennel.
3. Place the salad leaves into a bowl and drizzle over the olive oil. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and toss well to evenly coat.
4. Divide the dressed salad between two plates and add the fennel. Remove the skin from the mackerel fillets and break up over the salad. Add the pickled red onions and garnish with any fronds from the fennel bulb. Lush!