This versatile recipe celebrates summer’s swansong. It works with all oily fish and the salad can be enjoyed warm or chilled, cooked on a smoking barbecue or indoors on a hob-top char-grill pan.
We enjoy this with a chunky spicy wood-fired ratatouille and a fresh fennel, carrot, red onion, chilli and orange ‘slaw.
Ingredients
200g giant ptilim couscous
650ml good stock, simmering
Peppermill (the rainbow blend of mixed peppercorns and allspice works well)
Sea salt
Large pinch of fresh thyme sprigs
Zest of 1 lemon
Few garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
Fillets from 4 flapping-fresh mackerel or other oily fish, descaled
Good rapeseed or olive oil
Handful flat leaf parsley
Few large sprigs of mint, leaves only
Zatar spice blend
Herbs for garnish
Method
Start with the couscous. To a generously-oiled hot frying pan, toast the grains for 4 – 5 minutes by moving them around over a medium-high heat until golden.
Carefully pour in the hot stock and add a little seasoning, the thyme, half of the zest, and garlic, before simmering for approx. 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until just tender (topping up with a little boiling water if it sticks).
Transfer to a bowl (sieving if liquid remains) and set aside.
Take the fish, lightly slash the skin of each fillet a few times, and rub in salt, lots of coarse pepper and remaining lemon zest. Lightly season the meat side too.
Heat up the barbecue or chargrill pan until smoking and griddle the fillets for a few minutes on each side until cooked and nicely-charred.
Fold the shredded parsley and mint into the couscous, and make a bed of it on warm plates, before sprinkling generously with zatar.
Top with a couple of the fillets and garnish with more green herbs and a swirl of oil.
